Microsoft Starts Hiring Up Apple Retail Store Managers

We knew that Microsoft was going to open its own retail stores this fall, some of them (they say) right next to Apple retail outlets. They even hired David Porter (a former 25-year veteran Wal-Mart executive) to be Corporate Vice President of Retail Stores. That's experience, and they're not stopping there; they're apparently hiring away Apple retail store managers, too.

The Loop cited anonymous sources, reporting that Microsoft has contacted "a number of Apple's retail store managers" to attract them to the new Microsoft stores. Additionally, they offered the managers “significant raises,” and in some cases, moving expenses.


This might not be the best move on Microsoft's part however. ifoAppleStore is reporting that employees at the Apple Store in the Alderwood mall in Lynnwood, WA, intend to walk out in protest at 1 PM on Saturday, Oct. 3.

According to the site, "their complaints about 'abusive' management and possible state and federal labor law violations at the store have been ignored by the company, and they are threatening to stage a walk out at 1 p.m. on October 3rd to protest."

The sentiment about Apple retail store managers is echoed by commenters at ifoAppleStore.

That said, apparently those managers lured away by Microsoft are going back and raiding their old Apple Stores for employees. That must mean that not all of them are so reviled.