Apple is once again under the magnifying glass of the fine folks at The New York Times, as they filed yet another report on Apple’s “evil ways.” The report says Apple’s retail workers don’t get paid enough, even though the pay there is well above minimum wage, or what they’d get paid at The Gap.
For example, there’s Salem, New Hampshire employee Jordan Golson, who sold $750,000 worth of Apple products over three months, yet couldn’t afford to pop the cork on a bottle of champagne to celebrate the occasion.
“I was earning $11.25 an hour,” Golson says. “Part of me was thinking, ‘This is great. I’m an Apple fan, the store is doing really well.’ But when you look at the amount of money the company is making and then you look at your paycheck, it’s kind of tough.”
The report tells how Apple makes $5,647 per square foot of retail store space, compared with high-end retailer Tiffany, the second ranked store chain who makes a mere $3,085 per square foot. There’s also a difference in their pay scale, Apple employees are averaging a base pay of $11.91 per hour compared to Tiffany’s $15.60.
“About 30,000 of the 43,000 Apple employees in this country work in Apple Stores, as members of the service economy, and many of them earn about $25,000 a year,” the report explains. “They work inside the world’s fastest growing industry, for the most valuable company, run by one of the country’s most richly compensated chief executives, Tim Cook.”
The report does have the courtesy to note that Apple pays “well above the minimum wage of $7.25 and better than the Gap,” considered “average pay” by the report. (So Apple pays “well above average,” but that’s not enough?) “The company also offers very good benefits for a retailer, including health care, 401(k) contributions and the chance to buy company stock, as well as Apple products, at a discount,” the report also noted.
So, Apple pays their employees well above average, provides benefits such as health insurance, 401k contributions, company stock purchase, and a very nice discount on the purchase of Apple products. Yet, according to The New York Times, this is a bad thing, and Apple should be put under scrutiny. Watch out Circle K, you’re next!
