Angela Ahrendts: 'The Days of Waiting in Line' at Apple Stores Are Over

[PinkyMacGodess]

This killed The Gateway retail stores. No one wanted to go into a store and then after they decided to buy, be told to order online and wait for their shipment to arrive.

And my company would KILL Dell sales to most of our customers.

Dell would quote a system, and say that it had to be 'built' and quote a 2 week, or longer, delivery time. HP would have that exact spec, or close to it, system, in stock, and actually, surprisingly, at a lower price too. The client would have their system in a day or two, and Dell would still be 'building' the thing...

We picked up Dell, for one client that would not order anything else, and yet, they ended up with some HP systems because Dell screwed them with some defective systems and then sent defective parts to 'fix' them.

We did catch Dell quoting 'special pricing' that wasn't much under our cost, so we stopped quoting their stuff except on demand from clients.

But anyway...

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This killed The Gateway retail stores. No one wanted to go into a store and then after they decided to buy, be told to order online and wait for their shipment to arrive.

Oh, and Rick Snyder, current Michigan Governor, killed Gateway. Same as he's trying to do to Michigan...

 

[Cory Bauer]

Some people seem to be taking this memo as an indication that Apple's going to stop stocking product in retail stores. No, I think this new policy is specifically for LAUNCH DAYS of new products; whenever supply catches up, you'll be able to walk in and get a watch just like any other product.

And I think this policy is starting with the Watch because 1.) there are 38 models and 2.) because it's an all-new product they have absolutely no idea what the sales breakdown of those 38 models might be, assuming they sell any at all. it would be a logistical nightmare to have people 1,000 lining up at the store only to discover 500 of them wanted the 42mm sport watch with green band and Apple only made 40 of that model. Not to mention, with the issue of sizing I don't think customers even know what they want. Imagine 5,000 people lined up all needing to get their wrists measured.

Directing everyone to the website for the launch, and taking orders 2 weeks before delivery, gives Apple an opportunity to effectively make the watch BTO, until they can see the data and get a feel for how many of each model to stock at the stores.

 

[linkgx1]

The Apple Watch is far more fashion forward than it is a geek device. Just like clothes, Apple knows that several people will try and return the device because they're not sure which one. This FORCES them to make a choice (I know I know it's a free market) and possibly stick with it.

 

[petsounds]

It's hard not to have a visceral reaction to this. On one hand, I can see how Angela wants to create a store experience that's more fashion-oriented for the Watch. But it feels like an attack on the Apple community itself. First there was the news that Apple Edition Watch customers would receive VIP treatment. This is a first. Apple Store employees have always treated every customer the same, whether they were buying a Mac mini or a fully-loaded Mac Pro. But the Edition changes feel classist. And so does the "no riff-raff outside my stores" decree from Ahrendts. I understand that she wants to communicate a certain vibe of luxury and style, and a bunch of ordinary people camped out in lawn chairs detracts from that vibe, but it's a snub to Apple customers themselves.

And frankly, I disagree that the Apple Stores should become simply boutique showrooms. I also disagree that the Apple Edition Watches should even be sold at Apple Stores. I think they risk alienating the majority of customers with this pomposity. These changes make me much less likely to go into an Apple Store. It's not that I have a problem with fashion, but I don't want the company I love to put out a vibe of elitism when they've always represented inclusiveness.

 

[apophazz]

70% of the people in the lines are hired for resellers anyway.

 

[Cory Bauer]

It's hard not to have a visceral reaction to this. On one hand, I can see how Angela wants to create a store experience that's more fashion-oriented for the Watch. But it feels like an attack on the Apple community itself. First there was the news that Apple Edition Watch customers would receive VIP treatment. This is a first. Apple Store employees have always treated every customer the same, whether they were buying a Mac mini or a fully-loaded Mac Pro. But the Edition changes feel classist. And so does the "no riff-raff outside my stores" decree from Ahrendts. I understand that she wants to communicate a certain vibe of luxury and style, and a bunch of ordinary people camped out in lawn chairs detracts from that vibe, but it's a snub to Apple customers themselves.

And frankly, I disagree that the Apple Stores should become simply boutique showrooms. I also disagree that the Apple Edition Watches should even be sold at Apple Stores. I think they risk alienating the majority of customers with this pomposity. These changes make me much less likely to go into an Apple Store. It's not that I have a problem with fashion, but I don't want the company I love to put out a vibe of elitism when they've always represented inclusiveness.

Read my post two above yours; they're not going to cease stocking product in stores.

Lining up for launch day is silly anyhow; if you order online Friday, you'll get the watch delivered to your office or home April 24th. If you stand in line for 2 weeks, in the unlikely event they had the specific model you wanted, you'd get your watch...April 24th.

 

[petsounds]

Read my post two above yours; they're not going to cease stocking product in stores.

Lining up for launch day is silly anyhow; if you order online Friday, you'll get the watch delivered to your office or home April 24th. If you stand in line for 2 weeks, in the unlikely event they had the specific model you wanted, you'd get your watch...April 24th.

I didn't say anything about not carrying stock.

Lining up being silly or not is irrelevant to the message it sends to Apple customers.

Also, regarding your other point, not being able to figure out what size Watch and band you want, if you want to actually get a watch on the 24th, is incredibly stupid. There's no way anyone who makes a reservation to try on a Watch (which, last I heard, does not equate to reserving stock) will actually get a Watch on the 24th.

 

[fatboyslick]

"changes to its so-called "Customer Journey""

Customer Journey is a standard phrase so I don't know why you've had to say "so-called"

 

[Comeagain?]

Wait... The retail VP is saying people shouldn't go to the retail stores?

 

[St0rMl0rD]

Wait... The retail VP is saying people shouldn't go to the retail stores?

She's not just VP of retail, she's also VP of online stores...I guess Angela wants the days of the Apple experience in the Apple Retail Stores to be over.

 

[s2mikey]

70% of the people in the lines are hired for resellers anyway.

I always wondered that. It's like.... How can that many people skip work just to camp out at an Apple Store for a product that you can walk in and buy the next day without waiting? Do you need it THAT exact morning? Do you have a life? Apparently not.

 

[Bengy66]

I wonder if Angela knows that the servers completely crapped the bed during the iPhone 6 preorder. My guess probably the same thing will happen again Friday.

 

[OneMike]

This is not true. The people that wait in line want to wait in line

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

So can it be said that Angela Ahrendts wants to kill Apple's wildly successful Apple Stores?

Apple Store's are churning through the cash at record levels. Hundreds of thousands of sales are made every minute worldwide it would seem. Having that kind of success with 'just a computer store' as some see them, is stratospheric. Apple can even make or break other vendors by including, or excluding their products from their stores.

It seems ill thought out to try to make them 'catalog order centers' like what Sears stores have turned in to. We here at this end of the swamp have bought many systems at the 'local' Apple Stores. We've also shopped at many of them around the world.

The Regent Street store in the UK saved us a few times by having the most incredible restrooms of all of London (not that we visited that many, but when you are suffering from 'the food', it was an awesome stop, and a chance to pickup some things. Always)

I don't know if it will 'kill the vibe' of the stores, but it will take some of the utility, and shine off them.

For us here, we do actually look forward to the trek to the 'center of the universe'. It's a family outing, to drive down the 2 hours, and shop at the upscale mall that houses one of the Apple Stores. We usually eat lunch at the hipster Japanese BBQ place, or the trendy seafood joint, or the 'fresh Mexican' restaurant with it's amazing veggie and pork dishes. We browse the high priced stores, and hit the REI and the golf store (which I heard has closed).

So if we can't actually 'buy' anything there of a computer hardware nature, why go at all... We can get the necessities (chargers, iPods, etc) right here.

Could Ms. Ahrendts be Apple's 'Johnson Bomb'? Delivering a body blow to the store concept?

Stay tuned...

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70% of the people in the lines are hired for resellers anyway.

Right. They are going to pay someone to stand in line, and pay retail, just to have stock to sell? Doesn't make sense. Unless you are talking people that sell on ebay, and even then, the really outrageously priced units didn't sell very well from what I heard. Plus, it's not like Apple would really care if they are being resold, unless they are locked to a carrier and are unlocked and exported.

Isn't that why I heard that people were having issues with iPhones they bought overseas and couldn't get them activated here without a bunch of hoohah?

Apple has better ways of dealing with so called 'scalpers' and 'exporters' than killing their whole successful store concept.

 

[NeroAZ]

There's no doubt a very good reason behind her thought process but to me this seems odd.

Isn't the hype surrounding a new Apple product and loads of people waiting in line great exposure for Apple?!

They did the same thing with the retina iPad mini's when they came out, they were telling people in store to order online. you could order online for store pickup at that store, but not buy outright, it was stupid.

 

[I7guy]

She sounds out of touch, but who am I to say?

Who has the golden egg in stock options? Maybe the person with the golden egg received it for a reason?

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It's hard not to have a visceral reaction to this. On one hand, I can see how Angela wants to create a store experience that's more fashion-oriented for the Watch. But it feels like an attack on the Apple community itself. First there was the news that Apple Edition Watch customers would receive VIP treatment. This is a first. Apple Store employees have always treated every customer the same, whether they were buying a Mac mini or a fully-loaded Mac Pro. But the Edition changes feel classist. And so does the "no riff-raff outside my stores" decree from Ahrendts. I understand that she wants to communicate a certain vibe of luxury and style, and a bunch of ordinary people camped out in lawn chairs detracts from that vibe, but it's a snub to Apple customers themselves.

And frankly, I disagree that the Apple Stores should become simply boutique showrooms. I also disagree that the Apple Edition Watches should even be sold at Apple Stores. I think they risk alienating the majority of customers with this pomposity. These changes make me much less likely to go into an Apple Store. It's not that I have a problem with fashion, but I don't want the company I love to put out a vibe of elitism when they've always represented inclusiveness.

There is already a sentiment that Apple smacks of elitism. I frankly don't care about how the company is perceived; if I like their product I will buy it.

 

[Tech198]

It's all a way to get Apple users using their app..

If you think that this encouragement will reduce the traffic piling up outside the Apple Store, think again


That's what we do best....We stand in line waiting for the magic to happen

 

[floatworld]

Until Apple online stores start accepting Paypal or other types of popular online payment methods, this will never work as well as they would like.

What if I don't have a credit card, or one of those debit visas (which Apple doesn't recognize)?

Can't pre-order, only resort is to go to a retail store on launch day. I agree, Angela seems to cater to an elitist class of customer that are certainly part of Apple's customer mix but there are a quite a few more who are slightly or greatly below.

 

[mrxak]

Hopefully this signals a shift in Apple's policies about displaying upcoming new products in store for people to try before they buy (online). Obviously the line experience is something some people want, but for some people they're lining up because they want to check out a new device and make the decision while they're there looking at it in the store. If Apple can show off those devices in store before pre-orders begin, as they are with the Watch, then at least some people lining up will be able to order online.

 

[SwissMac2]

First she removes the personal responsibility of staff by removing their name badges. Now she wants them to tell customers to BU99ER off so they don't make the footpath dirty. What is this woman on? Apple products aren't raincoats, dear!

 

[Boomish69]

I would also say iTunes Radio but to be fair we haven't suffered without that.

true but I could use Apple Pay a lot..I already use NFC daily!

 

[halledise]

so sad