Your Apple Store experience

[204467]

Hopefully, this will stop people from starting individual threads about the topic. Of course, if this has already been started, then just have the mods lock it.

Today, I went to the Christiana Mall Apple Store, my first time in an Apple Store (so I guess I lost that "virginity" now too. (you'll get that if you've read some of my other threads)). It was very crowded and seeing all of the Apple products right there to play around on was really cool. I actually had no problem getting help and the guy who arranged my order was very friendly, if a little disinterested, though I suppose I would be too if I worked there all day. Anyway, it was really fun and it was great to try out products I had only ever seen in pictures/videos before. For instance, my brother went to the Mac Pro running the 30" ACD and promptly put on some Miles Davis and made the visualizer full screen (super cool). I got to type on the MBP keyboard for the first time, something I've been wanting to do for a while. I have to say, I prefer my HP's laptop keyboard a little more; the MBP's keyboard felt a little soft for my tastes. However, I got to use the new thin iMac keyboard, and though different, I was amazed at how solid it felt. My dad, who had never seen one before, thought it was made of cardboard and was amazed when he felt how sturdy it was.

All in all, I thought it was really cool, if a little crowded.

Anyway, I just would like to hear your Apple Store experiences, whether first time of repeated, good or bad, whatever.

[MovieCutter]

Just had to post for the Ender's Game line in your sig....awesome...

[Gray-Wolf]

I smell a merge coming

I haven't had the experience of an Apple store, only that of a Reseller. It was nice enough though.

[204467]

Originally Posted by MovieCutter

Just had to post for the Ender's Game line in your sig....awesome...

We have a winner!

I think I may start putting quotes in all threads I start and awarding awesome points to the first person to get it.

EDIT: Gee, I thought I had specifically asked where my sig was from in this thread. Sorry, no awesome points for you at this moment, since I never specifically asked. Maybe next time...

Originally Posted by iMac-Knight

I smell a merge coming

I haven't had the experience of an Apple store, only that of a Reseller. It was nice enough though.

Well, I did say that if it had already been started for the mods to lock/merge it. I don't really mind.

[rdowns]

I lost my virginity at an Apple Store. Sadly, we discovered, too late, that the iSight camera was not working.

[skyrider007]

I find APple Store a bit weird with staff trying to be hip and all.

[Sesshi]

Hmmm... yes. You have a point there. Sometimes you look and think "Blue T-shirt and that hair with that? Jeez... try less hard"

For me the Store experience is excellent, and shows Apple's huge strengths in retail marketing. I've always had positive experienced with Geniuses even if they haven't been able to fix my problems there and then, and events / sessions I've been to have also been great.

It's just the pieces of crap that I have to lug in there to be looked at that's the issue.

[MicBook]

Never had a bad experience in an apple store

[Xavier]

Originally Posted by Sesshi

Hmmm... yes. You have a point there. Sometimes you look and think "Blue T-shirt and that hair with that? Jeez... try less hard"

For me the Store experience is excellent, and shows Apple's huge strengths in retail marketing. I've always had positive experienced with Geniuses even if they haven't been able to fix my problems there and then, and events / sessions I've been to have also been great.

It's just the pieces of crap that I have to lug in there to be looked at that's the issue.

I have a buddy who works at an Apple Store and he keeps trying to get the hip, alternative, indie, 'its my style and I wear it cus I like it' look. I keep telling him its not working. So did the girl he was trying to hit on.

[robbieduncan]

My biggest issue is that there are not enough stores (or more accurately Geniuses within the stores) to handle the demand in the London area. It's now impossible to get an appointment at Regent Street at all. I think they are all booked in advance by people with Pro Care. So that leaves me with a choice of two stores, both of which are very small, so very crowded. I was at the Bluewater one on Saturday and in the hour or so I was in the store I only say 2 Geniuses the whole time. Had there been 6 or 7 they might have been able to keep up with the appointments booked for them

[r1ch4rd]

The only bad thing was that they really kept trying to push products on me when I bought my iMac. Despite explaining that I had used Macs for years and I work in IT they still kept banging on about one-to-one training! Other than that all was well. I don't really rate the shops above any others though, you would get just as good service in a reseller.

Robbie, you should move up north

[204467]

Originally Posted by rdowns

I lost my virginity at an Apple Store. Sadly, we discovered, too late, that the iSight camera was not working.

Sheesh, you're just looking for an excuse to put sex in my threads, aren't you?

[Sesshi]

He doesn't need an excuse. He can will innuendo into spontaneous being.

[TEG]

I've been to the following Apple Stores;

Alderwood Mall, Lynnwood, Washington
Bellevue Square Mall, Bellevue, Washington
Southcenter Mall, Renton, Washington
University Village, Seattle, Washington
Pioneer Place, Portland, Oregon
Washington Square Mall, Tigard, Oregon
Millenia Mall, Orlando, Florida
Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota
Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi, Michigan
Summerset Mall, Troy, Michigan
Keystone Mall, Indianapolis, Indiana
UTC, San Diego, California

With the exception of UTC, University Village, and Mall of America, I have found the stores to be extremely crowded most of the time. They could use double or triple the floor space. They need two to three times the iPod Geniuses at the Genius Bar and either higher counters/tables for us taller customers or more stools.

I can imagine that some places would even fill a store the size of a typical Best Buy or Circuit City. I have also noticed that just outside of many Apple Stores there is a Mac on Display for the Rosetta Stone language software.

TEG

[204467]

Originally Posted by TEG

I've been to the following Apple Stores;

Alderwood Mall, Lynnwood, Washington
Bellevue Square Mall, Bellevue, Washington
Southcenter Mall, Renton, Washington
University Village, Seattle, Washington
Pioneer Place, Portland, Oregon
Washington Square Mall, Tigard, Oregon
Millenia Mall, Orlando, Florida
Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota
Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi, Michigan
Summerset Mall, Troy, Michigan
Keystone Mall, Indianapolis, Indiana
UTC, San Diego, California

With the exception of UTC, University Village, and Mall of America, I have found the stores to be extremely crowded most of the time. They could use double or triple the floor space. They need two to three times the iPod Geniuses at the Genius Bar and either higher counters/tables for us taller customers or more stools.

I can imagine that some places would even fill a store the size of a typical Best Buy or Circuit City. I have also noticed that just outside of many Apple Stores there is a Mac on Display for the Rosetta Stone language software.

TEG

Hey, I noticed that too! Well, I noticed the old Apple keyboard, not sure if it was a Mac (though with the KB, it probably was).

[nakamuramori2]

employers are very kind and nice at apples store. But it takes a little longer to get served

[stanfordtechman]

Originally Posted by nakamuramori2

employers are very kind and nice at apples store. But it takes a little longer to get served

i agree w/ u.

[MicBook]

Originally Posted by TEG

I've been to the following Apple Stores;

Alderwood Mall, Lynnwood, Washington
Bellevue Square Mall, Bellevue, Washington
Southcenter Mall, Renton, Washington
University Village, Seattle, Washington
Pioneer Place, Portland, Oregon
Washington Square Mall, Tigard, Oregon
Millenia Mall, Orlando, Florida
Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota
Twelve Oaks Mall, Novi, Michigan
Summerset Mall, Troy, Michigan
Keystone Mall, Indianapolis, Indiana
UTC, San Diego, California

With the exception of UTC, University Village, and Mall of America, I have found the stores to be extremely crowded most of the time. They could use double or triple the floor space. They need two to three times the iPod Geniuses at the Genius Bar and either higher counters/tables for us taller customers or more stools.

I can imagine that some places would even fill a store the size of a typical Best Buy or Circuit City. I have also noticed that just outside of many Apple Stores there is a Mac on Display for the Rosetta Stone language software.

TEG

There is a Rosetta Stone kiosk outside the store at Southpark as well they have a Mac Mini and a 17" iMac G5

Also I forgot to put down the stores I've been to

Southpark Mall- Charlotte, NC (Homebase)
Millenia Mall - Orlando, FL
Providence Place - Providence, RI
5th Ave - NYC
14th St - NYC
Green Hills Mall - Nashville, TN
N. Michigan Ave. - Chicago, IL
Southpoint Mall - Durham, NC
Saddle Creek, Germantown, TN
Galleria Mall - St. Louis, MO

[andreab35]

Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_0_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5C1 Safari/525.20)

I enjoy the Apple Store a lot.
What makes me not want to go in there is those darn sales people.
The minute I step in the Apple Store, I have 5 people attacking me if I needed any help.
But I enjoy going there anyway. I'm just firm and polite.

[Dmac77]

I never have a problem with the sales employes, but the "Geniuses" are a whole different story.

My only gripe with the sales people is that they try to be cool, and they really don;'t have any idea about what they are talking about.

Now the "Geniuses" on the other hands are total gits, I can't stand any of them. They act as if they are the most intelligent people on the face of the Earth. I was once accused of putting a cigarette in my iMac, because when they turned it on it started smoking. They are just total jerks! Plus they are major snobs!

Don

[skyrider007]

Originally Posted by Dmac77

My only gripe with the sales people is that they try to be cool, and they really don;'t have any idea about what they are talking about.

Now the "Geniuses" on the other hands are total gits, I can't stand any of them. They act as if they are the most intelligent people on the face of the Earth. I was once accused of putting a cigarette in my iMac, because when they turned it on it started smoking. They are just total jerks! Plus they are major snobs!

Totally agreed. I just want to go in and play with their stuff then buy it if I want and walk out of the store.

[doubleohseven]

I went to the Apple Store in Sydney on its first weekend of retail and, as what you would expect for a new store, it was crowded, so there weren't any sales people asking if I needed help or anything. However, I must say that the line moved very quick for purchases.