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

iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment. TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 17 Pro $1,099 iPhone 18 Pro $...
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Ultra's Very High Price and Features Revealed in New Report

Thursday September 3, 2026 7:33 am PDT by
Ahead of Apple's event on Wednesday, September 9, where it is expected to unveil its first-ever foldable iPhone, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today outlined the device's estimated price range, features, and some other key details. In the U.S., TrendForce estimated that the foldable iPhone will have a starting price of $2,099 to $2,299 and said the highest-end configurations could...

Top Rated Comments

Dwalls90 Avatar
172 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
172 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
172 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
172 months ago
Asking for info from the idiots that work in Apple Stores?
Not good news here.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
172 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
172 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)