I get that, but I've bought items many times and not once has someone mentioned this method. It should be standard to bring it up during the moment of silence where they are waiting for the account to come up on their hand held devices.
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Apple Retail Employees Vent Frustrations About Stores Becoming Less 'Shopper-Friendly' in Recent Years
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I get that, but I've bought items many times and not once has someone mentioned this method. It should be standard to bring it up during the moment of silence where they are waiting for the account to come up on their hand held devices.
I don't consider what they do hiring. They're casting. They cast specific roles at each store, and "train" anyone they cast who doesn't know about the product. I use train in quotes because even after the training the average sales floor associate knows nearly nothing about the products. Meanwhile, enthusiastic and knowledgable applicants that don't fit the roles are ignored.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. All businesses need to take risks to a certain degree, Apple is one of the most conservatives in the tech space. People believe Apple hits home runs always, get real their have missed too.
If Apple stayed in the Mac business without introducing the iPod, iPhone, iPad and AW, we would be living in a flip or slide phone future with a stylus. Subjective as it is hard to predict an alternate future with many variables, do I look like Doctor Strange
The Apple stores near where I live on Long Island have always been pretty crowded, but my last few visits, you definitely see what this article is talking about. I never had a "bad experience" per se, but it's turning into something like buying a new car: be prepared to spend a long amount of time there....waiting.
Retail is just suffering - although I do find I have some bad experiences in the apple store. Mostly it comes down to the customer service I receive and how difficult it is to buy something. I like the idea of the floating cash register person, but at the same time, why do I have to track people down to make a purchase? Maybe the idea could be solved with simply having customers purchase things online while they are at the store.. there’s plenty of computers/iPads/etc around anyway. Maybe an iPad hooked up to apples website near every product with the option to buy it right there would help - customwe could just check out in store right there and have a person walk out with the product. I don’t know - but the stores have really lost their luster. Apple stores also do not have any sales pricing - even if Best Buy or Amazon have their already overpriced Apple stuff on sale, it’s never on sale at the Apple store. Which is again another reason as to why I do not go there to buy anApple hardware.. they don’t even price match! Why would i buy a 800$ iPad at Apple when just last week it was $650 at Best Buy.. at least price match it or make the sales prices consistent with what’s inside your own retail store.
I would have to agree with what a lot of people are saying about how the stores are looking and running. Could I be wrong when I say I liked it better when Ron Johnson was running the stores?
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My wife dislikes the stores for the same reason.
I think the stores need to get back to the original idea, a place to discover products and get support.
I've been a few times in the new iconic store in Milan. Really beautiful on the outside, a mess once you get in. I bought a few things as I can get there while commuting, but even buying something as simple as a cover for my new phone took ages. I haven't scheduled a genius appointment yet, but the place is so crowded I guess it isn't easy to find a free slot.
Functional use and enjoyability I 100% agree.
Nothing more frustrating than being passed around to micro-lines in a random ass area of the store when there are 5+ people doing absolutely nothing.
I just want to say THANK GOODNESS they removed the requirement for you to go to an Apple Store to get your new phone with the Apple Upgrade Program. You would make an "appointment" for a certain time and then stand in line for 90+ minutes when the new phone launched. Now it's just mailed to me.
The stores are crowded, noisy and employees are just standing around.
I used to enjoy going to the Apple store to make a purchase. Now it's a nightmare. I usually know exactly what I want, but it still takes a ridiculous amount of time to get the items and pay. No more. I'd rather save time and money by purchasing from a 3rd party retailer. Even Costco provides a better experience than an Apple store.
I used to enjoy going to the Apple store to make a purchase. Now it's a nightmare. I usually know exactly what I want, but it still takes a ridiculous amount of time to get the items and pay. No more. I'd rather save time and money by purchasing from a 3rd party retailer. Even Costco provides a better experience than an Apple store.
Order online and choose in store pickup. That's how to do it today. My wife and I have been doing this for years now.
Want to increase sales? Reduce the price of iPhones outside of the USA: the 256Gb Xs Max is over $400 more expensive here than in the US, at just over $1650 at today's exchange rate (vs $1250 in the US).
Apple is making us feel like second class customers.
Apple is making us feel like second class customers.
You can bet that the phone is the crux of the issues. Get the damn phone and its accessories out of the store; let BestBuy and the tel services sell and service (swap) the phone.
Groan. What does he have in mind? The Apple Church?
Groan. What does he have in mind? The Apple Church?
I think their biggest problem is capacity. If it's not too busy I really enjoy the open layout and being able to see and try everything, but as soon as it gets crowded it's completely terrible.
However, the overpowering rancid body odor so strong that it almost created a solid barrier to entering the stores in times past seems to have been greatly reduced in most stores. It took a fashion guru to make that happen.
Ok this article is fair. It is absolutely confusing as to where service and support is. I like the stores that have 360 Genius Bars. Long tables where you can sit on any side.
It’s also tough for people who want to go to a Today at Apple session because that also just blends in with everything else.
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Yikes I remember my local store literally smelling like a barn. It was awful. And the smell went away as soon as you left the store.
It’s also tough for people who want to go to a Today at Apple session because that also just blends in with everything else.
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Yikes I remember my local store literally smelling like a barn. It was awful. And the smell went away as soon as you left the store.
Maybe those employees you interacted with just did not know, were in training, maybe they thought it’s common knowledge if a customer is familiar with the Apple Store app. I have had some employees mention something while others did not, is it a standardized experience, no and I don’t expect it to be considering many customers have different requirements.
Case in point in point, I walk in want to buy an XS, pick if it is locked or unlocked, size, capacity and colour, minutes later another employee walks out with the item, I pay and walk out. Alternate scenario: I am upgrading to an XR, I have another phone to trade, the initial steps for the phone are still conducted, however now the trade in value is factored and bill total adjusted, pay then backup, restore, SIM removed and then inserted, confirm all is good, then walk out. Takes a little more time however I am a happy customer with an excellent experience. How each case is handled depends on the employee level of experience, drive, etc.
Unfortunately, this happens a lot in IT. I'm a low level IT tech in a school district, and I've had issues that I needed to escalate to higher-level techs. One time, in one of the wings of the school I work at, the wifi worked fine in the hallway, but once you take a single step into a classroom, absolutely nothing. I contacted the guy who handled the network stuff for the district, and he said that he checked the access points and they worked fine. Just went to the access point's management website. Didn't bother to come out and check it himself.
I remember when I first got my late 2013 rMBP. Tried to install Windows 7 on it, but had problems since the keyboard & trackpad didn't work. Took it to the Microsoft store. The guy who "helped" me said that since it was a Mac, if he was any other person, he'd puke on it. He then said that it would take $40 and 48 hours to install Windows. Besides the employees, I was probably the only person in the store. If I had taken it to the Apple store, they probably could have helped me right away and for free… with a much nicer attitude.
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Dude thank you! This needs to be said. We can’t sit back and have people avoid criticism among other things due to gender, race, whatever. Inclusiveness doesn’t equal a free ride. Or, it shouldn’t.
This is Cook... and shows you just how out of touch he is with the Apple customer base. This hire was a reach and everyone knew, likely even other Apple mgmt. This speaks to the culture of Apple and the demise of a CEO who retains his reputation simply because he buys back stock hand over fist.
With the Apple store app you actually can just scan a product and buy it with Apple Pay yourself. It’s called self checkout I believe.
But are you waiting because it’s crowded or because of something else? Any time I’ve had to wait it’s because the store was packed. Not sure what Apple can do about that other than build more stores.
I'd be ok with the community gathering idea if there were more stores in "main street" type areas but that's not where the stores are. I'm in Orlando and our stores are in the 2 biggest malls right in middle of the tourist area. It is impossible to get in and out of easily and even harder to get prompt attention. They are just not suited to be gathering places. Put one downtown with seperate gathering and shopping spaces and I'd be there all the time.
Apple needs to realize that this is a STORE and not a "gathering place." People come to Apple stores to buy products, get repairs, or see what's new. They don't come to hang out. If they want to make it a gathering place, add beer or a coffee bar, but otherwise, just make it the best shopping experience they can. Going to the Apple store used to be a great experience, now it's just a pain in the ass.