My parents make do with what little we have. 25k/year is livable. Abeilt just barely.
And yes, I’m an 18 year old living at home. Stealing phrasss from Pope Francis, who are you to judge?
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Angela Ahrendts Talks Apple Retail in New Interview: 'Retail is Not Dying, But it Has to Evolve'
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My parents make do with what little we have. 25k/year is livable. Abeilt just barely.
And yes, I’m an 18 year old living at home. Stealing phrasss from Pope Francis, who are you to judge?
Good point - when Apple was primarily a desktop/laptop computer store, and differentiated itself from the rest of that market with substantially higher quality merchandise, there was more reason to experience hands on testing as part of the buying process. Now that Apple is primarily a top-end smartphone manufacturer, one among many of similar quality, there is little motivation to go to a retail outlet. Any particular information you need for purchasing a phone can be gotten from spec sheets and reviews available online. The lack of much innovation with Mac hardware offerings of late has made store visits for such purchases superfluous. I can get plenty of information about ports (or lack thereof) and hardware information from reviews online, both good and bad. As an example, reading about scarcity of ports and keyboard problems with MacBooks and lack of significant hardware updates on other Mac offerings, combined with high prices, make it easy for me to make a decision in regard to those products without jumping in the car, dealing with traffic, parking, and waiting in a line to talk to some "genius". Smartphones these days have become so ubiquitous and generically similar as to need no "hands on" experience to make a purchase. One mostly just wants to know what to expect with overall battery life and system reliability, and that knowledge won't come via a brief hands-on with a new phone.
Imagine the majority of Apple customers don't browse and comment on Apple-specific websites about high-level business decisions that Apple are making. Imagine most people don't give a **** about any of that and just want to either sort a problem without using their own heads or check out some cool new tech that you can't get a feel for through a screen. Or make that final decision to drop €2,000 on an aluminium square in the flesh. So although overall foot traffic in malls are down, Apple stores will be here to stay.
I have always been able to get my best read on Apple in a Store. They are very powerful tools for the company.
An Apple store opened in my country recently and I can see the point of one. For example, they have a section with all the Apple bands laid out and I am free to try them all one by one. I don’t see any other retail store do this, much less carry the full selection of Watch bands. So it’s definitely a nicer way of experiencing Apple products.
And stuff like watch bands is not something I can research online like hardware specs.
Even if I do later purchase a band via their online store, the Apple store has still fulfilled its purpose.
Plus I am able to get my education discount applied when I buy products from them (something no other third party vendor recognises).
Really little reason for me to get my Apple stuff anywhere else now other than the Apple store or online app.
And stuff like watch bands is not something I can research online like hardware specs.
Even if I do later purchase a band via their online store, the Apple store has still fulfilled its purpose.
Plus I am able to get my education discount applied when I buy products from them (something no other third party vendor recognises).
Really little reason for me to get my Apple stuff anywhere else now other than the Apple store or online app.
She’s full of hogwash...’some higher purpose than selling’ is what she wants her stores to evolve into. Meanwhile, floor employees are browbeaten if they don’t attach AppleCare to every product they sell. That was even the case when the products were LOUSY (MobileMe). 
Staff that cares about Customers were let go because they didn't meet the company's aggressive sales numbers and store credit card applications goals...
Sounds like a middle-of-the-road shopping experience that could have been accomplished by a middle-of-the-road dealership somewhere in the middle of any road.
That I share & suppport, btw.
It doesn’t offer a sensible justification on spending b/millions and b/millions on historic buildings, crazy expensive furniture, million earning staffers (other than pure narcism and self-overesteem) that comes with the Burberry-like/fashion/luxury/socially engineered cult of today.
May I suggest a parallel shopping channel, where luxury customers willing to pay for that immense overhead contribute with an entrance fee ?
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And yet no other retail store I know orders this exact shopping experience. They all have their bands in boxes and there is no way to try them on.
To us, it might seem like Apple is blowing a lot of cash on an endeavour with limited returns. But who knows - maybe Apple desires something far more than just sales with their retail stores. Perhaps it’s relevance? Mindshare? I am still formulating my thoughts on this matter.
I guess the only thing I can say is that perhaps we are trying to apply our own brand of logic to a company for which conventional wisdom simply does not apply. Apple is not just a run-of-the-mill tech company. They have managed to distinguish themselves as a design-led company and I continue to stand by my initial assertion that at this point, Apple continues to be success enough that we should be trying to explain their success, not explain it away.
But its products aren’t that special anymore, and as I said, I share your shopping experience without the desire or need for that (legacy) distinguishing factor.
With the New Apple for the masses, we don’t get the outstanding products anymore (iPhone X and Airpods being the exception) so most of us don’t need this high conjuncture either anymore.
Therefore I suggest a Premium shopping channel, where luxury customers willing to pay for that immense overhead contribute with an entrance fee and/or surplus product margins
If these premium customers want Angela c.s. to lead them around into that world, I will not oppose.
But I wouldn’t need nor want her around - and never asked for it.
It was Tim’s business decision to hire her, but when substance in products bleakens it’s merely the lipstick that prevails.
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If the goal is to sell product in your stores, she should be fired.
The stores are a terrible experience to navigate around---finding help from an Apple employee is incredibly difficult.
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These are not sort of "chill" locations to meet, lounge and hang out.
If that's what you are looking for, Starcucks and McDonalds are better destinations.
The stores are a terrible experience to navigate around---finding help from an Apple employee is incredibly difficult.
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The homeless can start hanging out in Apple stores.
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My local Apple Store in the Chicago suburbs is exactly like this. I was in the newly opened "flagship" store downtown the other day and while nice, it was also a nightmare experience.
These are not sort of "chill" locations to meet, lounge and hang out.
If that's what you are looking for, Starcucks and McDonalds are better destinations.
Angela wants me to hang out at an Apple store? I will invite my friends at an Apple store for a coffee and a cigaret under the tree and we open Grindr and hit on some cuties. If that’s what she wants...
Oh yeah but Apple Store is becoming less a Store, minus a cell phone store, and more a Repair outlet
iPhone is the only thing that makes sense to buy from them since there is no discounts to be found for it in general.
Got it... This isn't my first rodeo.
Once I realized that, I respect their time and let them know immediately that I'm just looking, or tell them what my budget is is I'm buying.
It's one of the few times I'm proud that I only take 5 minutes to complete.
I wish I could earn as much money as she does doing as little as she does.
I've always thought she has added little value to Apple (considering her huge rewards package) and still see her role as something of a mystery to be honest. Definitely style over substance so far in terms of delivery.
The Apple stores I visit have changed a little, but not much and still have the same problems they always have.
Her vision of socialising the Apple store space does intrigue me a little as I could see a benefit from running various talks/ sessions on interesting stuff. Creating such inclusion of people and value from apple products will probably lead to sales , be it hardware , accessories, even software.
But I mainly use the store to get a hands on feel.. I tried the mac book pro keyboard in store... and decided definitely not worth buying lol.
I tried the X in store and changed my mind about buying due to the small screen estate in browser mode compared to the plus I had at the time and clunky gestures.
I tried the iMac and thought they could do better with the huge black bezels so decided not to buy...
Hopefully they will impress me this year with new stuff..
But on many occasions I have tried and bought. Not much discount online for Apple products in the UK so often feels better buying from apple direct.
But they can be over crowded and difficult to get people's attention. I had to book myself in , wait 15 mins... JUST to ask someone about trading in my phone. Not a great experience.
[doublepost=1529598347][/doublepost]Biggest disappointment so far though is ...
Where are the new products this year ?
And of June and all we have seen is a Homepod.
If sales are down at Apple stores one of the reasons is the mac line up is deprecated and in some cases (mini) obsolete by any rational measure.
The Apple stores I visit have changed a little, but not much and still have the same problems they always have.
Her vision of socialising the Apple store space does intrigue me a little as I could see a benefit from running various talks/ sessions on interesting stuff. Creating such inclusion of people and value from apple products will probably lead to sales , be it hardware , accessories, even software.
But I mainly use the store to get a hands on feel.. I tried the mac book pro keyboard in store... and decided definitely not worth buying lol.
I tried the X in store and changed my mind about buying due to the small screen estate in browser mode compared to the plus I had at the time and clunky gestures.
I tried the iMac and thought they could do better with the huge black bezels so decided not to buy...
Hopefully they will impress me this year with new stuff..
But on many occasions I have tried and bought. Not much discount online for Apple products in the UK so often feels better buying from apple direct.
But they can be over crowded and difficult to get people's attention. I had to book myself in , wait 15 mins... JUST to ask someone about trading in my phone. Not a great experience.
[doublepost=1529598347][/doublepost]Biggest disappointment so far though is ...
Where are the new products this year ?
And of June and all we have seen is a Homepod.
If sales are down at Apple stores one of the reasons is the mac line up is deprecated and in some cases (mini) obsolete by any rational measure.
I'm not judging anyone; in fact you're proving my point. $25k/yr (~ $12/hr) is only livable under very rare circumstances (cheap housing, few/no kids, no car needs, etc...). Apple can easily afford to pay more but they won't as they don't want to piss off wall street (i.e. their stock price) which will directly affect their compensation since it is mostly tied to their stock holdings.
While opening a new store in China every 15 hours!
(heard last week on The Economist)