Apple Asks Retail Employees for iPhone Sales Advice - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Asks Retail Employees for iPhone Sales Advice

Apple has sent out a memo to its international Apple Retail Employees, asking for innovative ideas on how to improve the iPhone, the retail store environment, and company sales techniques. According to 9to5Mac, the message was distributed late last week.

Employees are asked to submit an idea, which will lead to an eight-week experience where selected candidates will interact with members from various Apple departments at the company's Cupertino headquarters, including Marketing, Merchandising, Customer Analytics, Mobile Commerce, and more, in order to "solve problems" related to the way Apple sells and supports its iPhones.

iphoneteam
Apple occasionally turns to its Apple retail employees for assistance with various aspects of software development. In late 2012 Apple asked its workers to help improve the Maps app and a number of current employees have been given access to the OS X Mavericks beta for testing purposes.

Earlier this month, several Apple executives including Tim Cook spoke with Apple Retail Store leaders about upcoming iPhone incentive programs and discount strategies aimed at selling more iPhones in-house.

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...
ipad mini 7 blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Thursday May 14, 2026 5:08 am PDT by
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...

Top Rated Comments

Dwalls90 Avatar
168 months ago
Maybe I'm completely wrong, but doesn't this seem like bad news? This makes it sound like they are totally out of ideas at the top...

No.

What's wrong with asking the people that sell your product on a daily basis, how they can better improve this product and the selling process?

The smartest man is a man who knows when to ask for help.
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TennisandMusic Avatar
168 months ago
Maybe I'm completely wrong, but doesn't this seem like bad news? This makes it sound like they are totally out of ideas at the top...
Score: 43 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Klae17 Avatar
168 months ago
Asking for info from the idiots that work in Apple Stores?
Not good news here.

That's completely unnecessary.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
greenmeanie Avatar
168 months ago
Asking for info from the idiots that work in Apple Stores?
Not good news here.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
168 months ago
Maybe I'm completely wrong, but doesn't this seem like bad news? This makes it sound like they are totally out of ideas at the top...
I don't see this as bad thing. Soliciting ideas from more sources like employees makes sense. The more avenues/broader spectrum of ideas coming in can only help. I know a lot of businesses are pushing similar practices such as this - encourage employees to contribute ideas and in some small way shape policy. I don't think think it reflects poorly or that management has "run out of ideas."

edit: I do agree the Apple store employees aren't always the brightest minds, still can't hurt to get feedback from them however.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gmanist1000 Avatar
168 months ago
Maybe I'm completely wrong, but doesn't this seem like bad news? This makes it sound like they are totally out of ideas at the top...

Thought the same thing.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)