Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is the Apple store now a free day camp?

RetiredInFl

RetiredInFl

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jul 7, 2008
2,457
250
FORMERLY NJ now FL
I walked into the Apple store in Menlo Park Mall (NJ) on Thursday around noon and it was like a daycamp. The place was totally filled up with at least 2 groups of screaming, yelling, running around little brats probably around 6-8 yrs old filling up every demo spot in the store.

The kids all had their daycamp tee shirts on and were followed in/out by 2 "older" kids who seemed to be the counselors. It was hysterical.

What I find funny is how parents pay for day camp for their kids and the camp takes them on a "field trip" to visit the local mall and play in stores.

Not sure what other stores they were in before/after Apple but I left the place in like 15 seconds. Apple stores are annoying enough to visit normally with their obnoxious hippie-like employees and dumb so-called geniuses but this was ridiculous.

I wish I had recorded the place. It was funny as hell.
 
That's hilarious! I'm going to pick up my iPhone 4 today at the Apple Store in Leawood (KC) and I'll report back if there's a bus full of kids in the store. I may have to smack a couple of them if they're in the way of me getting the iPhone 4.:p
 
sadly that is true, i much rather talk to an informed nerd like me who isin't a hippie...

But thats just me...

I even i know more about their product they are selling than they do...
 
Going to the Apple store is like visiting the sixth circle of Hell. I try to avoid it at all costs.
 
apple stores are rammed at the best of times. i really like how you can try a product before you buy it and get a really good look, but when its full of people who are just there window shopping and you actually want to test something out because you are thinking about buying it it gets really annoying.

rant over.
 
In DC - busload of visiting French kids (9-11)

TB07-NJ said:
I walked into the Apple store in Menlo Park Mall (NJ) on Thursday around noon and it was like a daycamp. The place was totally filled up with at least 2 groups of screaming, yelling, running around little brats probably around 6-8 yrs old filling up every demo spot in the store.

The kids all had their daycamp tee shirts on and were followed in/out by 2 "older" kids who seemed to be the counselors. It was hysterical.

What I find funny is how parents pay for day camp for their kids and the camp takes them on a "field trip" to visit the local mall and play in stores.

Not sure what other stores they were in before/after Apple but I left the place in like 15 seconds. Apple stores are annoying enough to visit normally with their obnoxious hippie-like employees and dumb so-called geniuses but this was ridiculous.

I wish I had recorded the place. It was funny as hell

.
Click to expand...

When I went into the apple store (new) on Wisconsin near M Street in DC, a whole busload of visiting kids from France (I'd say all 9-11 years old) swooped in and went straight for the iPhones, grabbing them moving around, marveling. I am now impressed that all the floor displayed products continue to work as they do given the aggressive/enthusiastic grabbing of visitors. It's a possible demonstration of the solidity of the build of the construction so long as the phones aren't dropped on the floor. These kids seemed not to know (fortunately) that the phone could be removed from the base.
 
rdowns said:
http://www.apple.com/retail/camp/

I think it's a great thing they're doing and I'm not fond of any kid who's not my nephew or nieces.
Click to expand...

That has nothing to do with the situation being discussed. These were 50 kids running around the store taking over every demo device as part of a LOCAL DAY CAMP outing who took them there to keep them busy for an hour on a "trip."

Had they been in the back taking a computer workshop that would have been wonderful. This group should have never been allowed in the store by management. It's a retail establishment and not a playground to keep little tykes busy.
 
SophiaLee said:
Going to the Apple store is like visiting the sixth circle of Hell. I try to avoid it at all costs.
Click to expand...

This.

It's the wide open redesign that annoys me. They used to have actual shelves with actual product. Now, I get accosted by pseudo hippies.
 
TB07-NJ said:
I walked into the Apple store in Menlo Park Mall (NJ) on Thursday around noon and it was like a daycamp. The place was totally filled up with at least 2 groups of screaming, yelling, running around little brats probably around 6-8 yrs old filling up every demo spot in the store.

The kids all had their daycamp tee shirts on and were followed in/out by 2 "older" kids who seemed to be the counselors. It was hysterical.

What I find funny is how parents pay for day camp for their kids and the camp takes them on a "field trip" to visit the local mall and play in stores.

Not sure what other stores they were in before/after Apple but I left the place in like 15 seconds. Apple stores are annoying enough to visit normally with their obnoxious hippie-like employees and dumb so-called geniuses but this was ridiculous.

I wish I had recorded the place. It was funny as hell.
Click to expand...

LOL I was there that Thrusday around noon too and I saw a bunch of kids there. Yeah i think it was a day camp and some apple employees were teaching a class there.
 
nioted said:
LOL I was there that Thrusday around noon too and I saw a bunch of kids there. Yeah i think it was a day camp and some apple employees were teaching a class there.
Click to expand...
I saw them go in before I went for a haircut and when I came out of the barber about 20 minutes later they were leaving. That was no class (besides, they were too young). :)
 
Parents don't care where the day camp takes their kids, as long as they keep them all day. And Apple knows the kids are gonna go home and beg their parents for a Mac.

Maybe go sometime in the evening?
 
even if no day camp. its always packed with all the emo kids taking weird pics of themselves with all the iPhones and Macs around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back