Microsoft is allegedly stealing Apple Store employees right out from under CEO Steve Jobs’ nose. Reports are circulating about Microsoft targeting Apple Store retail managers and sales staff to man its Microsoft Stores.
IT Blogwatch broke the story, which cites anonymous tipsters. Anonymous or not, the story is spreading like wildfire and drawing varied reactions from industry watchers and Apple loyalists. But the poaching may not be Apple’s only problem.
Employees at the Lyndwood, Wash.-based Alderwood Mall Apple Store are reportedly threatening to stage a walkout in October over abusive employee relations. The employees are protesting what they claim are violations of federal and state labor laws. The specific grievances have not been disclosed.
Microsoft’s Smart Move
Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, calls Microsoft’s poaching party a smart move for the self-branded electronics stores. Microsoft Stores will feature PCs and laptops from partners, offering another sales channel. Microsoft’s retail strategy is ramping up slowly, but the strategy is in place. With Apple Store employees, Microsoft may be able to ramp up more quickly.
“If you are going to open a store that mirrors Apple Stores to a certain extent, then what better than to go after people who are used to working in that kind of environment?” Enderle asked. “Since Microsoft is co-locating its stores near Apple Stores, the Apple workers happen to live and work in the same general vicinity.”
Rumors say money is at the core of the issue; that Microsoft is offering higher wages than Apple. Enderle doesn’t doubt it. If Apple Store employees weren’t unhappy, he said, Microsoft wouldn’t be successful in wooing them away. What’s more, he added, Apple doesn’t have a reputation for overpaying employees. In this economy, money talks.
Apple’s Bad Seeds
Apple could be reaping what it has sown. Apple just poached Intel’s chief counsel last week….