What surprises me most is the immediate reactions of the senior managers.
I wonder if that's brilliant sense or even better, part of an 'Apple culture' I'm not familiar with.
I wonder if that's brilliant sense or even better, part of an 'Apple culture' I'm not familiar with.
Good people are good people, regardless of who they work for.
We don't hear stories about other companies because humans going out of their way to help others in the wake of a natural disaster isn't something singularly unique that it requires a post to social news sites whenever it's done. The only reason we're hearing this story is because someone in love with Apple received an email about employees in an Apple store doing their civic duty and decided that this was "Apple's role" in the disaster.
Honestly, I bet people at Apple who see this are slightly embarrassed that their huge company's role in this disaster is letting people charge their iOS devices in their shop and watch tv.
(Not meant as a slight against Apple.)
Imagine if someone wrote a blog post about how he saw an American guy bringing a bottle of water to a kid who lost her way during the earthquake and decided to title it "America's role in Japan"
However, from the descriptions of not just this source but others, stories of walking 60km home, sleeping on the floor of a crowded bar, not having anything to eat etc, it should be clear that Apple is in fact going the extra distance.
If this was any other company, you would be singing their praises from the highest rooftop. But because it is Apple, you and others for no good reason apparently see the need to try to bring them down, cast doubt on their good works etc.
Are you serious? If so, for God's sake, what is wrong with you?
Hell, when I'm in an airport and my phone's going down, I'm hunting for a plug, and I thought ahead enough to bring my own charger.
I can't imagine what a life saver it would be when you haven't been home for a few days and are totally unprepared for the situation you're stuck in.
Just pointing out that there are probably many stores in Japan doing the same for people in need and that this isn't really news except that it took place in an Apple store.
I would rather see this story with the Apple headline than not see it just because of the Apple headline.
I've seen this personally on a small scale at the Genius Bar - Apple have _clearly_ explicitly given even quite junior staff the authority to "fix things", with a _big_ emphasis on "make the customer happy" outcomes. I have no doubt that there are checks and measures in place to ensure staff don't abuse that authority, but my gut feel is that the response would be "better training" first, rather than reprimanding.
And I suspect _that_ is the important bit of "Apple culture" at work here.
It's not remarkable that normal people want to help others out. It is remarkable, and admirable, when those people can quickly assume responsibility on behalf of their employer without thinking they need to get time consuming sign-off on their plans from high enough up the org chart that it's too late to help b the time it's approved.
Big congrats to Apple Store Tokyo, their staff, management, and corporate overseers. I'm sure they're not the _only_ company to have responded this way, but they _did_ repond this way, and I'm impressed.
I've often wondered why this isn't more common. It clearly creates loyal customers and has obvious potential to lead to increased profits long-term. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been told an employee wasn't allowed to solve my problem in a simple, cost-effective and obvious way.