Near the end of each year Apple thanks its employees for their hard work with a nice souvenir. This year some employees are being given a black Incase backpack featuring a bright white Apple logo.
At least one employee has already put the gift up on eBay with a starting bid of $49.99 and a Buy It Now of $99.99. From the images we’ve received, it appears that the bag is a customized version of the Incase Staple Backpack. In past years, Apple employees have received blankets, sweatshirts, and water bottles.
The bags were accompanied by this letter:
This is our gift to you.
But it can never compare to what you’ve given.What does it take to give a gift?
It takes thoughtfulness. Compassion.
And sometimes, sacrifice of your time,
your talent, and your heart,These are the gifts you give:
kindness, knowledge, humor, and patience.
You give them when you cover for a teammate,
so they can go on a much-deserved break.
When you send an email recognizing a job
well done. Or when you grab an extra coffee
for a friend before you clock in.You give these gifts whether it’s the beginning
of the season, or the end of a very long day.
You do it over, and over, and over again.Amazing products are designed in Cupertino.
Amazing moments are made by you.
These moments are your gift this
holiday season—to your customers,
to your team, and to the world.Thank you.
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lol is Apple really that cheap?
How is it cheep? Should all 60,000 of them get new iMacs?
Do you realize how much revenue each individual employee generates per year? Per month? Per day? One sale is more then one of their paychecks.
I can’t wait for the upcoming documentary about working conditions in its supply chain.
Cheap? I doubt they pay as much but those things retail for $60. Multiply that by however many thousand employees..
Please, tell me what Best Buy is getting their front-line employees for Christmas this year. Or Target. Or any other international retailer of anything.
As a former Apple Retail employee, the not-very-good travel mugs and cheap-feeling-fleece-blankets always felt like a little bit of a slap in the face because it was a “We care, but not enough to really put any effort into getting you something.” A decent-looking backpack and a nice little letter? That seems more in line with what they should be doing and I’d have been thrilled to receive it.
People love to knock Apple – but point me to another company where as a part time employee working retail with a GED you can be making $15/hr + REALLY good benefits with opportunity for advancement.
I agree completely. I won’t mention who, but I work my ass off for a Fortune 500 company that also has less than 3000 total employees and though benefits and wages are quite competitive, for the fourth year in a row I received my Christmas bonus in the format of a $50 Amazon Gift Card (that slap in the face feeling). That would not cover one of those backpacks and they are pretty slick…plus; who doesn’t like to get a new backpack now and again? Not that I don’t immediately blow my Amazon GC as soon as it arrives; but I would much prefer a “something or other” gift like this. Haters want to hate, I reckon!
All Google gave their employees was a Smart Watch.
But did it work?
It worked better than the apple watch.. anyway this year: http://9to5google.com/2015/12/13/googlers-nexus-5x-holiday-gift/ or in previous years http://9to5google.com/2012/12/21/santa-brings-googlers-chromebooks-nexus-7s-and-razr-ms/ and http://9to5google.com/2013/12/06/google-gives-employees-choice-of-free-nexus-5-or-7-as-holiday-gift/ well… A smart watch btw is much more expensive than a simple backpack… I think apple could spend more for his employees… but at the end doesn’t really matter right? or should we argue on who made the biggest gift
What is Apple doing for the workers who lost their jobs at at sapphire plantern in AZ?
I doubt they’re even getting a backpack.
Those weren’t Apple employees…so they why should they do anything for them? Just because a company makes things for Apple doesn’t mean they are apart of it or employees of Apple.
Because Apple said it would take care of them.
But can you really them? Nah ….
But can I really what?
And yeah taking care of them means sending them part of the perks of actually working for them…pull your head of out the ground that’s not what they meant by that
Nice spin, Odd.
face it. Apple f’d-up its due dillIigence in the desert.
And Apple has repeatedly promised to take care of the employees there.
dont reply to herb. he’s a major troll
Yeah i figured after that last reply…its like he cant see reason and just has hate in his eyes…makes me wonder why he even reads a blog dedicated to all things Apple
The thought is nice…but I also can see why there would be some disappointment. At least they can sell them online to collectors.
Its the thought that counts not how much someone spent. Would this gift mean more if it was something really expensive?
Yea, it would. It would go for more on ebay.
I’m sure many Apple employees were WTF? Who needs a new backpack?
Maybe they can donate them to some needy kids who can use them for school, like they do with the t shirts from the Super bowl that have the wrong winner.
I probably would get more use out of it then the G Watch Google gave out :/
lol yes, how about some stock
Did you just kill jonsnowballs’ twitter account ? :o
i wonder if the backpack will be for sale at the apple clothing store at 1 infinite loop.
i bought a nice jacket there. it has a chest pocket big enough for an iPhone 6 +
plus inside pockets to store your iPad and mac book air
Water bottle? Thats really cheap. Backpack, is well, hmmm, its “ok” I guess, but nothing spectacular. If it were filled with a wine bottle, flowers, chocolate, tidsbits, then it would be “something”.
Someone bought the eBay one for $99.
I bet The Factory workers who assemble iPhone 6 in china who’s working 60 hours a week, are not getting one even a card saying “thank you for not Sleeping on the job”