Large jewelry chains and many electronics vendors have similar policies, just FYI.
Also, the Apple policy was implemented after employees were found to be walking off with gear.
That’s fine they can have the policy you can’t leave until you are searched, but you can’t have them clock out and sit around waiting for you to get around to search them on their time before you let them leave.
The problem isn’t the search before you leave policy, its that Apple was not paying their employees while they were sitting around waiting to be searched so they could leave.