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Apple praised for its role in helping the people of Japan

March 15, 2011 by James Bickers — Editor, Networld Alliance

Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg and a technology angel investor, published on his blog an email he received from an Apple employee in Japan. It tells a story of humanity and compassion — two words not often used to describe large corporations — in a part of the world facing one of its darkest times ever.

The writer, who calls himself "Great Tohoku Earthquake Survivor 2011," tells of how his store opened itself to the public in the hours following Friday's earthquakes, allowing the store to become the community's all-too-important hub for information:

You know how in disaster movies, people on the street gather around electronic shops that have TVs in the display windows so they can stay informed with what is going on? In this digital age, that's what the Tokyo Apple stores became. Staff brought out surge protectors and extension cords with 10s of iOS device adapters so people could charge their phones & pads and contact their loved ones. Even after we finally had to close 10pm, crowds of people huddled in front of our stores to use the wifi into the night, as it was still the only way to get access to the outside world.

So the store let people use their wifi and charge their phones … big deal, right? It's a small kindness but a kindness nonetheless.

But later, as the magnitude of the disaster began to become clearer, the retailer's largesse gets larger. An update from several hours later:

Because the trains and phones were down, almost everyone who worked in Tokyo was stranded deep in the city. All the hotels were booked, the roads were jammed, so hundreds of people were instantly homeless. Apple told all of their staff - Retail AND Corporate - that they could go sleep at the Apple stores. The Senior managers at the stores had been notified earlier and unbeknownst to us, had gone out to stock up on food and drinks after the very first quake hit.

With theater rooms and breakrooms designed for 150+ people, the Apple stores were the most comfortable places to be and to sleep. Much more comfortable than sleeping on the street on a cold March night.

Once staff let their families know that they were not only safe but how comfortable we were (break room refrigerators stocked with food and drink, etc), family members began asking if they could stay at the Apple stores as well. Of course Apple said yes. One business team member's stranded mother walked 3.5 hours to be with her daughter at the store. When she arrived, the Apple store staff gave her a standing ovation ("Warm Welcome") like they do for customers during a new launch.

The head of Apple International HR and of Japan Retail happened to be in Japan that week. Both came and spent the night with us in the stores and told everyone that if anyone wanted to try their luck getting home on their own, Apple would pay for any food, drink, or transportation fees that that person incurred on the way. "Your safety is most important."

If, on their way home the staff member realized they couldn't make it, but they found an open hotel, Apple would pay for it. Since many people lived 2-3 hours away, this ended up meaning 11 hour walks home, $300 taxi fares, and $800 hotel rooms (only the luxury hotels had vacancies). Executives from Cupertino and London Facetimed with us, letting us know not to worry, they supported us, and that they would write off on it all.

I'm sure there are many more stories like this, many other retailers who are doing what they can to help the people of Japan. If you know of any such stories, please share them with us in the comments below.

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