One morning last week I spent about an hour in two flagship stores in London: The Apple store on Regent Street and the new Microsoft store close by at Oxford Circus. I have been in Apple stores in a few countries but this was my Microsoft experience.
My first impression in both stores but particularly in the Microsoft one: Why are they playing "music" at such a high volume? Is it supposed to provide a fun clubby feel so you will open your wallet and just throw cash and credit cards at the staff? Just inside the entrance at Microsoft there was a full scale DJ console manned by a gyrating fool wearing headphones. Only a few feet away were the tables displaying all the various Surface Books, laptops etc. The "music" volume was ridiculous and it was not possible to carry on a conversation with the staff member without really raising voices. Is the customer expected to think and come to a conclusion about spending possibly 3,000 Euros while being bombarded with this noise? I asked the staff member about this and he shrugged and said that's how it is from the time they open until they close. He said there was a quieter are on the 2nd floor. I visited that and as it is all open concept and open stairwells, the sound carried upstairs.
They are not selling funky clothing, makeup or albums. They are selling (or trying to sell) expensive tech items in a dance club atmosphere. I don't think it makes much sense.
Fleeing to the pavement of Oxford Circus for some peace and quiet (how ironic is that?) I then headed to the Apple Store. I thought I had stumbled into a North Pole night club. What seemed like dozens of red shirt clad staff racing about between the tables and potential customers to a cacophony of "music" blaring over the speakers. Not as loud as at Microsoft and thankfully no visible sign of an actual DJ. If a decent number of customers in the store actually put up with the nonsense and purchased something I would say that pre-Christmas sales were booming.
The same week I walked by the Apple store in Glasgow on two different days. On both days (one of which was pouring with rain) just a few feet outside the entrance on the public pavement was a fellow holding a large sign which stated "Cheaper Apple Repairs - Simplyfixit - 11 Bath Street, opposite Topshop - with an arrow pointing the direction).
Just my impressions of the current state of Apple and Microsoft stores.
My first impression in both stores but particularly in the Microsoft one: Why are they playing "music" at such a high volume? Is it supposed to provide a fun clubby feel so you will open your wallet and just throw cash and credit cards at the staff? Just inside the entrance at Microsoft there was a full scale DJ console manned by a gyrating fool wearing headphones. Only a few feet away were the tables displaying all the various Surface Books, laptops etc. The "music" volume was ridiculous and it was not possible to carry on a conversation with the staff member without really raising voices. Is the customer expected to think and come to a conclusion about spending possibly 3,000 Euros while being bombarded with this noise? I asked the staff member about this and he shrugged and said that's how it is from the time they open until they close. He said there was a quieter are on the 2nd floor. I visited that and as it is all open concept and open stairwells, the sound carried upstairs.
They are not selling funky clothing, makeup or albums. They are selling (or trying to sell) expensive tech items in a dance club atmosphere. I don't think it makes much sense.
Fleeing to the pavement of Oxford Circus for some peace and quiet (how ironic is that?) I then headed to the Apple Store. I thought I had stumbled into a North Pole night club. What seemed like dozens of red shirt clad staff racing about between the tables and potential customers to a cacophony of "music" blaring over the speakers. Not as loud as at Microsoft and thankfully no visible sign of an actual DJ. If a decent number of customers in the store actually put up with the nonsense and purchased something I would say that pre-Christmas sales were booming.
The same week I walked by the Apple store in Glasgow on two different days. On both days (one of which was pouring with rain) just a few feet outside the entrance on the public pavement was a fellow holding a large sign which stated "Cheaper Apple Repairs - Simplyfixit - 11 Bath Street, opposite Topshop - with an arrow pointing the direction).
Just my impressions of the current state of Apple and Microsoft stores.