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The latest installment in The New York Times' iEconomy series, which details the gadget company's "short on pay" American workforce, doesn't make us want to give up our iProducts or protest Apple headquarters. Here's the apparent shocker, via The Times' David Segal: 30,000 of Apple's 40,000 U.S. employees work at Apple retail stores earning an average of $11.91 hourly or around $25,000 a year. Given Apple's bottom line, those numbers are supposed to be appalling. Here's the very first quote we get: "I was earning $11.25 an hour," former Apple worker bee Jordan Golson told Segal. "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," he continues. Considering all other factors besides the piles of money Apple makes, however, the company treats its retail employees pretty well. It's not like the pseudo sweatshop work we've heard about in American shipping warehouses, or anything.
For part-time retail employees, Apple's people do better than average. The Times has a little comparison widget, showing how much Apple workers make compared to similar positions at other companies. At around $12 an hour, the gadget-sellers make more than workers at Best Buy and Game Stop, around the same as Lululemon workers and a little less than Tiffany's and Costco employees. Is Tiffany's really a fair comparison? Even so, it's not like Apple's grossly underpaying its people. Plus, the company offers benefits, a 401K plan, discounted products and chance to buy Apple stock. It also just offered across the board raises.