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Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

latimes.com

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Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#41

Post by selectodude »

salehenrahman wrote: post #34
pier25 wrote: post #3

Is this common in the US? (retail workers being searched)

I don't know about in the US, but in Canada, I used to work at Forever 21—a California-based retail chain—and you are required to go through a pat-down right before you leave the store. You'd have to look for a manager, and ask them to escort you to the front of the store, and have them pat you down.

That’s surprising, if only because I’m not sure how you could steal more than $10 worth of stuff without a full garbage bag.

Didn’t seem to help them. They filed for bankruptcy.

Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#42

Post by whalesalad »

danso wrote: post #30
whalesalad wrote: post #6

Seriously?!? When I worked at Apple Retail it took all of 10 seconds for the security search. This was at one of the busiest stores in the nation and during the booming period of the iPhone 3/4. EDIT: Y'all are completely smokin me with these downvotes. I am not against this decision, I am just surprised that the issue grew to be this severe.

I'd wager to bet that Apple's inventory is much more diverse and smaller (in physical size) compared to the iphone 3 days. I don't remember Apple having as many SKUs as they do now that are expensive and highly-wanted and very small, e.g. Apple Watch and Airpods.

Apple has always had a metric ton of accessories ... so I would posit their SKU count is actually not that different than before. Technology is also greatly improved -- runner is accessible via an iPhone/iPad and that is also integrated with payments and whatnot. Previously it was a hodge podge of Windows CE devices.

I would imagine store operations are vastly more efficient than they were when I worked there -- so I am more surprised that this got worse rather than better.

Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#44

Post by jkaplowitz »

kelnos wrote: post #28
egypturnash wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ugh, one more reason to add to the pile of reasons to not give my money to Amazon.

Or Apple, I guess? It's not like Apple is any better; they're only now going to do the right thing because a judge is telling them to do so.

And probably 9nly in California, too.

Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#45

Post by sjwright »

usrusr wrote: post #38

This is how you undermine employee loyalty to the point where they start stealing.

Exactly this. I don't live in North America so perhaps there's different expectations there, but I'd be more worried about staff cohesion and loyalty than of occasional thefts.

How should any employee take a company's concern about theft seriously when the same company is so brazenly committing theft of an employee's time?

Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#47

Post by throwaway2048 »

matz1 wrote: post #21
olliej wrote: post #4

Omg, I still can't believe that was in any doubt. If you are required to be at work, then you should be paid for that time. Just because you aren't "working" does change that the business is requiring you to be there. If nothing else this should push them to make leaving work not take 20- 45 minutes. WTF. How does anyone think it's acceptable to [funcitonally] detain people.

>How does anyone think it's acceptable to [funcitonally] detain people From the business perspective, provided they can get a way with it, it is just another business decision, namely reducing cost and increasing profit. I would do the same.

Grinding up babies into a fine powder might be profitable too, just another business decision,provided they can get away with it.

Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#48

Post by svnpenn »

matz1 wrote: post #21
olliej wrote: post #4

Omg, I still can't believe that was in any doubt. If you are required to be at work, then you should be paid for that time. Just because you aren't "working" does change that the business is requiring you to be there. If nothing else this should push them to make leaving work not take 20- 45 minutes. WTF. How does anyone think it's acceptable to [funcitonally] detain people.

>How does anyone think it's acceptable to [funcitonally] detain people From the business perspective, provided they can get a way with it, it is just another business decision, namely reducing cost and increasing profit. I would do the same.

When did you lose your soul?

Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#49

Post by sjwright »

mzs wrote: post #18
RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #7

Note this is in California. At the US, level, 5 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that Amazon did not have to pay its workers for the time spent waiting for screening. Excerpt from the NY Times article about that decision: WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously that a temp agency was not required to pay workers at Amazon warehouses for the time they spent waiting to go through a security screeni…

more context >…The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where the case is now pending, asked the California Supreme Court to clarify whether state law requires compensation. … >A federal district court judge ruled in favor of Apple, deciding that workers had to prove they not only were restrained from leaving but that there was no way to avoid having personal items searched. >Apple said it could prohibit employees from…

The sad thing is, this could all be solved with Apple providing their employees lockers located outside of the security perimeter.

Re: Apple store workers should be paid for time waiting to be searched, court rules

#50

Post by MaximumYComb »

Ididntdothis wrote: post #27
modoc wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

not saying its okay, but this has been standard practice at every retail store job I ever worked (mostly 20+ years ago). You clocked out in the back, and then had to wait to be searched and released in the front of the store. This isn't Apple being weird, this is amazingly common.

As long as you are required to be at work and can’t leave you should get paid. With increasing surveillance some smartasses will soon have the idea that employees shouldn’t get paid during downtime when they are waiting for customers.

Don't give people ideas
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