May

20

Mobile news done right

Filed Under Design, Misc | Leave a Comment

I have never been a huge fan of reading newspapers for the latest news. I have, however, recently become a bigger fan of visiting mobile news sites because of the iPhone. My most frequented mobile site has been The New York Times. The NYT’s website has been used to showcase loading a full web page on the iPhone since it was introduced, but their normal site has been used in the Apple ads instead of the available mobile version. It is great that Safari on the iPhone has the ability of loading the normal site without any changes, but I still prefer the mobile version when on the go to save on loading times and because of it’s simplicity. Here is why I think m.nytimes.com is done right:

The right text sizes and easy to read fonts.

The text used is large enough to read without having to adjust the phone distance from your eyes. This also saves a lot of work on the readers part because of not having to zoom in and out frequently like you would have to on the normal website once its done loading (iPhone specific).

The right mix of media and information.

When most sites introduce mobile versions, they usually strip all images and miscellaneous media to save on loading times and bandwidth. That’s not the case here because articles on the NYT’s mobile site usually starts with one related picture at the top. I think this is important because the photo keeps the content from being to dry. It also encourages me to read more to know the back story behind the photo.

Easy to navigate news sections and content.

The mobile homepage is presented in a very clear and organized manner with news topics in a larger, bolder text followed by several articles for each topic.

What I think is amazing is the fact that the NYT’s has created an almost identical news design and brand across three different mediums while adapting very well to the changing publishing industry.

Also, if you check email on your smartphone frequently and want to get breaking news alerts delivered to you, they also offer a service that sends news instantly. I also subscribe to this service and find very informative. Just create an online account if you don’t have one already and then go to the Member Center > Email Preferences > then check the ‘Breaking News Alerts’ box.

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Nov

7

Online cell phone activation

Filed Under Misc | Leave a Comment

After purchasing the iPhone and activating it online through iTunes, I began to think about this activation experience and how it compared to the other methods we are used to. I remember the days when I used to handwrite all new contract forms by hand working for Radio Shack many years ago. It was very tedious and timely. I also remember working for AT&T, and often something would go wrong with the activation process leading to many dissatisfied customers.

Why aren’t all wireless carriers offering a similar online activation option for newly purchased cell phones?

Sure, no other company has iTunes to incorporate into this process, but it should not be very hard to build a website specifically for this purpose and have it mimic what Apple and AT&T have done with the iPhone. This will drastically cut the time needed for a customer to be in a physical store or on the phone once their new cell phone is in their possession. Also, another advantage of giving the customer the power to choose their own calling plan and features is the elimination of common employee errors.

I could understand how this might not be convenient for everyone. Only because some people like to leave a store with a working cell phone. In most cases now, everyone should have a working old phone until the new one is activated. Also, if you are porting a number over from another wireless carrier, it usually takes some time for the number to transfer over. Most people would not want to wait in a store for that period of time to make sure it has transferred successfully. Porting my number from Verizon to AT&T took less than an hour and I was sent email updates of the process which was added security.

I think this new activation process that Apple and AT&T introduced for the iPhone is being overlooked because of all the hype about the phone itself. I hope wireless carriers are quietly taking notice. Customers are more informed now about their cell phone options and do not need the help of sales associates to make decisions on purchasing and activating.

As companies make this type of service available, it is up to them to make sure people are aware of it. Apple did this by releasing one of their video tutorials, which is how I first found out about activating the iPhone at home. If this is adopted by companies and consumers, I can imagine this option could save wireless carriers millions of dollars by decreasing employee labor and possibly decreasing retail space.

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Oct

24

Working for Staples, Radio Shack, Circuit City, Apple, and AT&T

Filed Under Misc | 8 Comments

This article is meant to help people who are thinking about employment with any of these retailers. I worked many years in retail when I was younger and this article will cover 5 of the retail jobs I held before graduating college.

What I am going to do is give a general summary of my experience working at these stores and whatever additional information comes to mind. This article from Fast Company also got me thinking and I may go into further detail on some of this retail experience at a later time. Some of the things I will briefly cover now are: training, job difficulty, and pay. I worked in these stores from 2000 to late 2006 and have them listed in order of employment, starting with Staples when I was youngest and ending with Cingular - the new AT&T. I have moved on since then to the corporate world.

What everyone should take into consideration while reading this (which should be common sense), is that my experience certainly does not represent the way it will be at every store. I think the two factors that will play the biggest roles in an overall retail work experience are: the employees you work with (management in particular) and the customers you will have to deal with. The hourly pay will also vary between different locations and your prior experience. So let’s begin…

Staples (approx. $7/hr)

Here, I mainly worked the customer service desk which meant being a cashier and answering the phone. Training was mainly one-on-one from what I remember and the POS system was very easy to use. The environment was OK and I was fortunate to work with some nice people. Management focused a lot on the store image. This is basically your local grocery store for office supplies. Most people came in, got what they needed and were on their way.

There were no real benefits since I only worked part-time. One downside was most of the employees were very lazy in my store so you couldn’t really depend on anyone to get something done. Overall, a pretty easy and simple job with decent pay if you are young. I worked at a fast food restaurant for my very first job, and this was certainly a huge step up from mopping greasy floors and changing garbage bags full of soda.

Overall Rating 4/5

Radio Shack (approx. $7/hr + commission)

I spent the longest time here out of all these jobs, for no particular reason. I honestly don’t know how Radio Shack is still in business. Who goes there to buy anything but resistors and fuses anymore? The training was not very good which makes it tough to help the customers who come in looking for small parts. Most of the time after searching for 20 minutes you’d find out the $1 part they needed was out of stock anyway. It’s hard training yourself on the 2,000 small parts and accessories Radio Shack sells. Be ready to try and sell and then up sell customers on the stores products, especially cell phones and satellite installations.

These are smaller stores which means it will not be as busy as the larger retailers. There were many slow days & nights when you did nothing for hours except maybe sell a phone battery to a senior citizen and stock products. Not good for the paycheck, but less stressful. All employees had to attend a monthly training class which usually focused only on selling cell phones and satellite service. The POS system was not very user friendly. Avoid this store if it is not in a busy location and if you are not very good at sales because you will end up working for close to minimum wage with no real benefits for part-time employees.

Overall Rating 3/5

Circuit City (approx. $10/hr)

I worked here for one holiday season, the busiest time for a store like this. Training was mainly computer and reading material based, so very dry and boring. It is a large store with many employees and managers so you will get to know a lot of people. Prior to me working there, the pay structure was much better because of higher paying commissions. It then changed unfavorably for the employees, obviously to save the company money. So while I was there, the only commission that was made was by selling extended warranties.

The employee discount was average at best. It’s nothing spectacular considering better deals can now sometimes be found online at other retailers. Just to warn you, working on a Black Friday meant everyone needed to be there 5am and work the registers for 12 hours straight. Management did focus a lot on overall store sales here and everybody’s sales were tracked to see who wasn’t selling. Most of the employees besides a few really didn’t know much about what they were selling which shouldn’t come as a surprise to you. But the customers that came in generally were not very tech savvy either.

Overall Rating 2/5

Apple (approx. $11/hr + quarterly commission bonus)

I applied here right around the time I started becoming interested in Apple products. A new store was opening very close to home so I applied online. I ended up getting the job even though I was not very knowledgeable with Apple products (I didn’t even own an iPod). The interview was conducted with 6 people in one room and was about 30 minutes long. They asked me about my prior retail sales experience and asked me some general questions about Apple products, which were not difficult since I told them I was new to Apple. Training was 6 full days from 9-6 in a nearby hotel before the store opened. If you are hired for an already established store, I believe you train mainly on the back computer and during regular hours with an assistant manager. There are ongoing training classes held in the store on Apple’s software titles which management encourages you attend.

You will work with a very diverse group of people. They try to hire genuinely nice people, so if that is one of your traits, you should get along with mostly everyone. Weekdays were OK here, but Saturdays were extremely busy. Especially since the store I worked in was not very large and located in a very busy shopping mall. There were days when I worked from the beginning to the end of my shift non-stop (besides breaks). You do get a couple 15 minute breaks and one 30 minute break if you work a full shift.

Partial benefits were available to part-time employees and full benefits with 401k and stock options available to full-time employees. Employee discount was 25% once a year and 15% three times a year on hardware, and a crummy 10% to use anytime in the store. They don’t give any discounts on software but you should be supplied with the latest iWork, iLife, and a free .Mac account for your length of employment. All employees at my store also received an iPod nano before opening which you get to keep after a certain amount of time. I believe they may have stopped giving out the iPod’s for new stores though.

The quarterly bonus depended on how well the store did and on the total hours you worked. As long as you are in a busy store (which most all Apple stores are nowadays), you can expect a pretty good commission check. All your sales are tracked on an individual basis and each month you sit down with a manager to see where you are not performing. All employees now have to use the wireless EZ-Pay systems that email purchase receipts so this means many repetitive conversations with customers explaining to them how the system worked and convincing them that there was no need for a paper receipt. Overall, it was good job. I got to learn a lot about Apple products and also got a MacBook Pro at 25% off.

Overall Rating 4/5

AT&T Wireless (approx. $12/hour + commission)

The interview was held with the store manager. They look for people who are knowledgeable with mobile phones and wireless technology. The training will either be in store or a week long out of store if there is one being held close to your time of hire. Once you are hire, there are online training courses which must be completed regularly. The stores are smaller in size but can get very busy on the weekends and many weekday nights. The store itself does not carry a large inventory which makes it easier to keep organized and stocked.

Another job that is hourly pay plus commission. Your sales will vary depending on the time of year, how aggressive you are, and some luck. It is a pretty competitive environment because of the large commission aspect so be prepared to work for your sales. What made it kind of hard to sell was not having many good phones to sell at low prices. Most people nowadays expect a free phone with a 2 year contract, but it was rare to see that while I worked there. Full-time employees get full benefits with 401k and paid time off. The biggest perk is getting a free cell phone to use with unlimited minutes and data, but on an average network.

Overall Rating 3/5

In Conclusion…

I do not regret working any of these jobs. I was able to save a good amount of money and pay for all my expenses through college. I learned a lot from my experience and I think some of the things I learned to deal with have helped me become a better rounded person. Most importantly, you will learn how to interact with people, how to deal with stress, and many other selling and customer service skills which can help you a great deal in business.

Please correct me if I am wrong about anything in this article. Let me know about your own experiences with these stores or any other retail job.

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