The reason for this apparent staff makeover is the Apple Watch, a new device the Cupertino company is keen to project as a must-have item – as much for its stylish good looks as for the fancy tech stuff it can do.
OK, it’s not absolutely certain that we’ll see workers swanning around in sharp suits and fancy dresses when the Apple Watch arrives some time next year, though a 9to5Mac report this week is claiming that the company is currently on the hunt for new store staff with “a fashion or luxury background.”
Presumably such specialists will have the lingo to convince consumers wandering around the store that the Apple Watch is just what they need to join the fashionista set, conveniently failing to mention that an entire wardrobe change and new hairdo may also be necessary.
With so many permutations of the Apple Watch to choose from, the knowledgable staff will be expertly placed to recommend which watch best matches your fashion sense, body shape, or some other facet of your being.
It’s suggested Apple will present the various versions of its smartwatch inside glass-topped tables, allowing staff to easily grab one from the display before demonstrating it to an interested customer. As 9to5Mac points out in its report, such a system would surely be preferable to having a bunch of watches displayed in the open, rigged up to alarm systems, with all the messy wiring and noise which that’d likely entail.
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that Apple’s apparently looking to introduce a few fashionistas to the shop floor, after all, its current retail chief is former Burberry boss Angela Ahrendts.
Ahrendts joined Apple earlier this year after overseeing Burberry’s rapid and successful expansion in emerging markets such as China. Tim Cook, for one, will be hoping she can work her magic at the Apple store, too, with the Apple Watch presenting her with the perfect opportunity to make her presence felt.
