True, but it seems to have been unanimous and immediate at Apple. Good people are good people, but it seems like quite a few of them work for Apple.
I wonder if this would happen in the US too, or if it has something to do with Japanese culture?
I'm going more along the lines of this is HN, and there are tons of stories on Apple posted here every day. I'm sure there could be 3 pages worth of HN stories posted here from all of the other Japanese non-tech businesses doing the same thing if the audience here were also so obsessed with those corporations daily operations.
That's true, but I suspect there's at least a large part of "I can do 'the right thing' and know my boss (and his boss) will back me up for doing it."
I've seen this personally on a small scale at the Genius Bar - Apple have _clearly_ explicitly given even quite junior staff the authority to "fix things", with a _big_ emphasis on "make the customer happy" outcomes. I have no doubt that there are checks and measures in place to ensure staff don't abuse that authority, but my gut feel is that the response would be "better training" first, rather than reprimanding.
And I suspect _that_ is the important bit of "Apple culture" at work here.
It's not remarkable that normal people want to help others out. It is remarkable, and admirable, when those people can quickly assume responsibility on behalf of their employer without thinking they need to get time consuming sign-off on their plans from high enough up the org chart that it's too late to help b the time it's approved.
Big congrats to Apple Store Tokyo, their staff, management, and corporate overseers. I'm sure they're not the _only_ company to have responded this way, but they _did_ repond this way, and I'm impressed.
Apple have _clearly_ explicitly given even quite junior staff the authority to "fix things", with a _big_ emphasis on "make the customer happy" outcomes.
I've often wondered why this isn't more common. It clearly creates loyal customers and has obvious potential to lead to increased profits long-term. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been told an employee wasn't allowed to solve my problem in a simple, cost-effective and obvious way.
We don't hear stories about other companies because humans going out of their way to help others in the wake of a natural disaster isn't something singularly unique that it requires a post to social news sites whenever it's done. The only reason we're hearing this story is because someone in love with Apple received an email about employees in an Apple store doing their civic duty and decided that this was "Apple's role" in the disaster.
Honestly, I bet people at Apple who see this are slightly embarrassed that their huge company's role in this disaster is letting people charge their iOS devices in their shop and watch tv.
(Not meant as a slight against Apple.)
Imagine if someone wrote a blog post about how he saw an American guy bringing a bottle of water to a kid who lost her way during the earthquake and decided to title it "America's role in Japan"
Actually, in a state of emergency like they're in, those simple acts of providing phone/device chargers, powerbars, tv/news, and free wi-fi are a huge fucking deal and not to be taken lightly. Never mind helping people figure out how to use their devices to communicate with their family.
Hell, when I'm in an airport and my phone's going down, I'm hunting for a plug, and I thought ahead enough to bring my own charger.
I can't imagine what a life saver it would be when you haven't been home for a few days and are totally unprepared for the situation you're stuck in.
Didn't mean to imply that being able to charge your devices and watch what's happening on the news isn't important. I know from experience (several different multi-day power outages) how useful those are.
Just pointing out that there are probably many stores in Japan doing the same for people in need and that this isn't really news except that it took place in an Apple store.
I have no doubt there are others doing similar things, but this is the first story of it's kind I've seen. Personally, I could care less if it was Apple, or Dell, or Hello Kitty, it's interesting (and heartwarming) to see this kind of story about people using the resources they have at hand helping others in need.
I would rather see this story with the Apple headline than not see it just because of the Apple headline.
Nobody is denying that humans should help each other in times of crisis. But hey, enjoy your strawman karma.
However, from the descriptions of not just this source but others, stories of walking 60km home, sleeping on the floor of a crowded bar, not having anything to eat etc, it should be clear that Apple is in fact going the extra distance.
If this was any other company, you would be singing their praises from the highest rooftop. But because it is Apple, you and others for no good reason apparently see the need to try to bring them down, cast doubt on their good works etc.
Are you serious? If so, for God's sake, what is wrong with you?
You don't have to be actively campaigning against Apple and praying fervently for their downfall to make the point that what their store employees in Japan are doing now is no different from what many other store employees in Japan are also probably doing.
I have been a big supporter of Apple for the past 14 years. I am a big fan of their products. This has nothing to do with a prejudice against Apple. In fact it is precisely because of their innovation that we expect more from them. Allowing your staff to sleep at the office right after the earthquake is hardly "going the extra distance." Anyone who would do otherwise under the circumstances would be considered cold and heartless.
Given I am based in Asia, I can assure you that EVERY other companies in Japan did - all wifi are open and free, vending machine goes free, stores open for sleep and food. It's just that Japanese culture do not consider it necessary to tell western media about it, or actually consider it improper to PR on it.
Good people are good people, regardless of who they work for.