Dell shuttering mall kiosks?
By Thomas Ricker 
posted January 30th 2008 3:06AM
posted January 30th 2008 3:06AM
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posted January 30th 2008 3:06AM
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@Darrell They said we get 60 days (8.5 weeks pay) severance and all our commissions/spiffs/bonuses should have been on that check this morning. We should also according to our SM receive our holiday hours on top of that if you have not taken your vacation. We didn't get boned too hard...atleast not financially.
@Was on call. Then my check isnt right. I got a deposit of $1173.05 this morning. That is nowhere near the 40hours of pay for 8.5 weeks, nor commissions, spiffs, etc. So if that is the case, (I did get a call during the conference call and missed about 1 minute of it) we must be getting another check or something. The other dell employee at my kiosk got about $1400.
In Ginza station here in Tokyo, there was a Dell center of some kind. I wouldn't call it a kiosk as you could walk through it. More like a room with only two walls and a roof.
Anyway, that disappeared a few months ago and that same space is now occupied by HP!
That said, last Wednesday I ordered a 2407WFP-HC from a "Dell Real Site" and the salesperson (Japanese) helped me order it from the Dell site, very useful as I can't write Japanese.
Incidentally they told me 2 weeks for delivery, which made me feel ill, but in fact it was delivered in 2 days. Don't know how their inventory system could be that off.
As I understand, the pay we received today was essentially our next paycheck, and a commission payout. The severance package that they were talking about is going to be delivered via DHL in the next couple of days. In this package there is also some information relating job placement assistance with an external company, and probably some other information as well.
While I am really understanding of many of the cynical comments from other posters on this topic, let me be among those that say that I really enjoyed working for Dell, and was a true believer in what we had set out to do at the kiosks. There are always going to be bad experiences when you are dealing with 150+ locations, and Dell being as large of a corporation as it is, there is always a distant removal between those who make these kinds of decisions, and those of us who are impacted by them.
While I can only speak for my own territory, our customer base LOVED us, and were exceedingly appreciate of our presence. Not everyone needs that. I am removing the personal impact that reading negative comments, and I guess what I really have to say is, I am so sorry there are people out there who would jest someones career path without knowing the first thing about it.
Working for Dell Direct Stores was a very rewarding position, and was always a challenge. While I would have done many things differently, those of us who were successful become quite skilled at adjusting to change, and these next few weeks and months will surely be the true test of that. I wish all of you well. If I had any advice to give you, it would be to take some time and focus on yourself. Remember what you enjoyed about working for Dell, remember what effort and determination you put into it, remember your successes, and use those to position yourself for the next chapter in your life. In today's world, this won't be the last time something like this happen to you.
Exactly right. I wish I had said it.
If they no longer have a retail presence in my state, why the hell are they still going to charge me tax??? Nice way to turn more buyers away.
Hmmm.. so, if you buy a Dell in a BestBuy or Staples, yeah, you'll have to pay state/local tax. Does this give Dell the f*king right to say they still have a "presence" in these states (if you order online)? Damn scam!
Pastry chef needs to get a life. Your an anti-Dell A-Hole that has no idea what the hell he's talking about (which is obvious to everyone but himself)
I was on the conference call today and I had been part of the Dell Direct store since launch back in '05. My kiosk was one of the highest money makers in the country and we did really well. But Dell Direct goes a lot further than just the mall workers. There is marketing, territory leads, and regional managers that got screwed by this also. I would put a number of employees that were layed off today in the high 2,000+
"Pastry Chef
@ Jan 30th 2008 12:01PM
A little bitter, are we?
Look, sucker. You sold boxes. Commodities. Little separates your boxes and the competitor's boxes other than price"
And Apple is different how? Oh i know cause thier "box" can't be changed. Want linux? Want RAID? Want a better graphics card? How about a different processor? Hmm lets build a pc "box" 8,000 different ways and compare each to an apple box that has 20 different ways to configure it.
The reason there is such a difference in Apple is because they refuse to allow anyother company touch thier product.
HP, Dell, Gateway they all sell PC's which are genaric and make your own-able. Apple HAS to be bought from apple. A PC doesn't HAVE to be bought from any one company.
Yet it has taking apple THIS LONG to even get a chance to bite into the market share. Can't wait till the apple fad dies out.
Why are you talking to me about Apple? I didn't mention them.
I was just replying to Sdeezeee for calling all of us "ignorant A-holes."
I agree with Andrew D and the rest of Dell Crew.... You Tech nerds on this blog will never understand the effect of Dell Direct Stores. We were a Multi Million Dollar business. And honestly our customer base was satisfied 110%.
As for the guy who speaks about the reps not knowing anything, dude go to best buy and you will know who doesn't know anything.
And APPLE good luck...The Fad is running out....
Because you stated that there was no difference in the box than the price. When there is a huge differnce from PC to PC and from PC to Apple.
I would build 1 Brand of Dell computers the same way using 5 different specials and deals and links form the main website and get 5 different prices.
So not only is there a difference in the "boxes" the PRICE is a HUGE difference!
I had met with a wonderful, very knowledgeable sales rep this week at a kiosk in Bridgewater, NJ. We worked up some systems for me and i went home and thought about it. I had an appointment with him tonight to place the 3 dell systems. He called me this morning and told me he got a conference call from dell this very morning and he was told all kiosk were now closed - that he was out of work. He was nice enough to call me. I spent alot of time with him figuring out systems and now hes gone. I cant believe dell would do that. No Notice to him in turn to me. He said he had no idea. That they came in the middle of the night to take all the kiosk stuff out of the mall. He was so knowledgeable!! I need to pick his brain some more before I place the orders! And he was going to give me a great price! How can dell do this!!!
I am that sales rep you are talking about Debbie, Thanks for the kind words.
You really were exceptional! I guess everything does happen for a reason.... last night we made the switch, we walked into the Apple store and told them to convince us and they did! We walked out with 3 computers - the 2 desktops and a laptop. I think we are going to be very happy.
Matt, I have no doubt you will do well in business. I saw the passion you had for the computer world. Hopefully, you will take this experience with you in life and NEVER treat your employees and customers the way Dell did this week. Its just wrong. If you ever want to do the switch - I'm sure Apple would gobble you up in a sec!
Good luck to you - the world needs passionate people like you!
Thanks again for sharing your wonderful knowledge with us and making that phone call to me letting me know you were gone... debbie
As time goes on, our jobs are less safer each day. Is the only guaranteed job these days a government job?
What gets me, is that even during our conference call it was stated that this is not being done because we aren't making money. Dell Direct stores have met goal all but 9 months out of the 6 years they were in operations. I understand we are in Staples/WalMart/Sams/Best Buy, but can you go there and talk to a dell certified employee who can custom build your computer the way you want it? No, you have to get it as is from the box. I loved my job, and even turned down jobs with AT&T making more money just Friday. ( I am now calling them back looking to basically put my tail between my legs and beg for the job.) The kiosks were very good for the consumer as we offered lower prices than normal online orders. Dell was $2million from corporate goal for the fiscal year and what did they do? They asked the kiosks to make up the difference in the last 4 weeks. The kiosks did so, and with only a few days left in the fiscal year, they can us? WTF. Our region (Pittsburgh/Charleston, WV) was always near the top in our drums and metrics. The people here loved us. Many times we had customers asking if we were still going to be here, and of course we responded yes because we had no clue. I had about 4 customers coming back to me in the next day or two. These kiosks make money, and its a personal outreach to the consumer and employee (now former) or not, I think this is a horrible business decision on Dell's part. Apparently they want us to sign this severance package and return it asap. I think there are some legal ramifications that could be approached here, and any now former employee should look into them.
Rich-
Thanks for the words. We ARE Dell enthusiasts. We have been the face of Dell in the marketplace for 6 years in some cases. I am saddened by my kiosk's closure, but more than that, the customers whom I developed a relationship with as repeat customers... those people who came back TO ME, for my assistance, my "Raving Fans", who now, will start to look for someone like me, Rich, Ray, and the rest of us (You know who you are), and find the 16 year old Best Buy Drones with a stepladder.
We are all going to end up landing on our feet. I have faith in the fact that when we take the experiences that we had as DDS and apply them to the next stop on the path, we will be just as, if not more, successful.
One last note, the checks deposited today are a final week paycheck. The 60 day severence package comes (approx.) 30 days after you submit your severence agreement back to Corporate.
DT
OMG. I got the severance package, and it sucks ass. 9 weeks of pay (base and most of us know our base sucks), no vacation, no holiday, no personal hours. Cobra Insurance (at a huge price increase) for 2 months.
Dave, glad to see you on here. If you can, hit me up on here. We always had good talks when I was with ops, and while David was running both of us. Good luck to you. You'll get far with your positive attitude.
Dan (Eastview Mall former lead)
Hey to you all, (David, Dan, etc)
I'll miss working with you and stopping by the kiosks to see you guys.
It was an amazing two years I spent with Dell, and the way that they ended our employment with the company is quite unfortunate. Especially after opening the Dell Gift Store in NYC...we were all thinking and hoping we would eventually be moving to real stores.
Good luck to you all...I'd love to know what you are planning to do now! Let me know!
Kat
Kat, David, and any other former employees that wanna talk about this, here's my email. kayfabe1204@yahoo.com
Feel free to reach out so we can talk, and discuss where we are heading. It's been a fun ride so far.
Dan
does anyone have a recording of the call mark grace held today? i meant to record it and forgot...i'd love to hear how glib he was all over again.
Imissmyjob - you wouldnt by any chance have Mark Grace's email you mentioned in your blog. I am trying to track down an old college friend and I knew he worked for Dell.
Sorry you lost your job in today's market.
Thanks for your help
I worked at various DDS locations throughout my tenure with Dell, and I have to echo one important thing mentioned here that people are not getting:
The kiosks were not designed for the tech guru. They were designed for the average home customer that didn't know what to click on when they went into the configurator. And in that regard they were EXTREMELY helpful to customers.
At the locations I was the Lead of and the others I worked at, most of the staff were knowledgeable and engaging. However, of course there were always exceptions to the rule. Spherion, the temp agency Dell worked with, was often notorious for hiring bad reps who were there because the pay was much better and the work was much easier than working a Best Buy.
Many of the Dell employees, especially the Dell-badged reps, deeply cared about their jobs and their kiosks they worked at. They did not scream "Apple sucks!" and thought the "No one wants an Apple for Halloween" was funny but not necessarily the direction Dell should have went (even though Apple's whole campaign is bashing companies like Dell, but that's neither here nor there). In fact, if you were a GOOD sales rep you'd know that you'd get a lot more sales if you didn't outright bash the competition, but complimented in addition to giving them a downside, as well as recommending your own product. Yes it sounds strange but it did work and we were all proud to wear the "Dell" logo on our chests.
When they announced Walmart, we shivered. When they announced Staples, we were startled. When they announced Best Buy, we shit our pants. Yet through this, management echoed that there would always be a need for our type of sales, and even if the kiosk did "change" in format that the good ones would be brought forward. So we strove to be the "good ones" if something did go down, and we were reassured and went about our job. In the end though, EVERYONE was let go, up to high-level management, marketing, ops, and training. No one was brought forward - not the good ones, the bad ones, or the ones in between.
Apple is is less pay, for a comparable job position anyway. And more work of course, anything was more work than the good ol' kiosk.
Ouch!!!
8.5 weeks plus comm, etc. $1400 ???
I get $1550.46 every two weeks(salary) and I thought I was underpaid!. How can you live on that??
The $1400 you refer to is not the severance package. It was given to every Dell Badged Rep. The severance package works much in the same way that other companies do. They send them the kit, the former employee reviews and signs it, and they receive a payout.
♠
DELL = BOOM!
It's called progress unemployed people.
If you are in sales, you are replaceable, immediately.
Your tech knowledge at the kiosk makes it harder for BestBuy & CircuitCity to sell stuff, so they told DELL, and now you're out of a job.
Jeff M.... disgruntled idiot..haha..go ahead flame some more to futher show everyone that your an idiot..lol
I just got my package and it sucks!!! What a slap in the face!!
Although I only worked at my kiosk for 2 1/2 months, it was a pretty good job. I am a Spherion peon so I wasn't too reliant on this job as it was just temporary anyways while I finish school. But I know a lot of Dell badges depended on this job for income. Just goes to show you that when a corporation needs to make itself look good on the market, the little guys are the ones that get shafted. The kiosk people were the face of Dell to the public. I'm sure Michael Dell and his board of directors are happy now that their shareholder value went up. I hope he and his big wigs enjoy their extra millions they'll get as a bonus now.
@Howlinrob......I guess now Roy is going to get his chance to work at that old folks home now.
Sorry to hear that all the DDS's are closing. I opened one a year ago in August and they closed ours this last August. I loved my job there and the pay was some of the best in the electronics industry. It's kind of weird timing with the lay-off happening and me working for CompUSA now and them going out of business as well. It seems like the economy is in the sh*tter and the rich keep getting richer. Good luck to all the Dell employees out there looking for a job as I will be joining you.....for the second time in a year(maybe I should go put Walmart out of business next). :D
Oh ya btw. Don't complain about getting 2 months pay... CompUSA boned us 10 times harder. If you worked there under a year you get nothing and anything over a year and you get a whopping one week of pay...how generous...and Mr. Slim didn't even give us that...the liquidation company did...what an Ahole Carlos Slim is and may he rott in hell.
Funny you guys would say that dell sucks well hp/compaq is in the same lvl as dell.
This gets better and better. The Dell Feb 5th catalog has a whole page dedicated to all the "mall" kiosks in the United States. Going to the link for this on the dell site now shows icons for staples, best buy, walmart, and sam's club. Obviously no more kiosks as outlined above. They now have no retail presence in my state, but the online site still adds $103 and change tax to my order. MMMMMMMmmmmm. Ill-gotten gains.