GregoryBowers.com

There’s been discussion about Microsoft paying out “splifs” in exchange for each Windows Phone they sell. Basically a manufacturer incentive to the reseller. Some are making a big deal out of Apple and Google never having done this, but Gruber points out that there have certainly been payouts made by certain Android handset manufacturers. I’ll do him one better: carriers actively discourage sales reps promoting or even suggesting an iPhone unless the customer asks about it. My mother-in-law spent a few months temping at a Verizon store in New Hampshire, and when we last visited her, she was (as is her style) very clear about instruction from on high to push the Android phones hard, and not even mention or stand near the small iPhone display in the corner. When I asked her why they would do this, her answer was to the point: the store doesn’t garner profit when they sell an iPhone, but they most certainly do with Android or feature phones.

It was honestly saddening to watch her sell some 20-something on getting a rather low-end Android (who can remember the name of a minor level Android phone from 6 months ago?). The poor schlub walked in, certain of only one thing: he wanted a smartphone. He wanted to get whatever Android (for that was all that was in the main display area—iPhones had a separate area, and Blackberry/Win Phones were hidden by the cases display) came with a physical keyboard. There was only one model with such, and it wasn’t cheap, and I got the sense as I listened to my MIL that she’d get a better commission on selling a different model. He was very wary of touchscreen keyboards, and she tried to convince him it was easy enough to use. Then he asked to try it.

Only one of the demo phones were set up to power-on, and for some reason it only ran a display app you couldn’t close. To my horror, she asked me to explain the keyboards (I’m the visiting nerd, of course, and she’d only been there a week, and was running the store solo on a Sunday). I whipped out my iPhone and showed him, even let him play around for a bit.

“Oh, that’s not so bad.” My MIL sighed with relief, but was quick to say “And the Android is just like that! So do you want to get the Droid FancyPants XL Fantasy V 2?” as she stood between the guy and the iPhone display. I didn’t want to steal her commission, but I shuddered when the phone was erroring out as she set up his account. “Oh, if it keeps doing that, make sure to come in on a week day and Scotty can help you out…”

She was psyched after her big sale, and was almost positive his phone was broken, but as she said “Shouldn’t affect my sale, though!”