Target Confirms Plans to Bring Dedicated Apple Shops to 25 Stores

[azentropy]

Depends on the Target. At the right Target with good service it could be a good experience.

I was always a big fan of Target vs. Walmart. The Targets where I lived before always much better run, organized, maintained and stocked then the Walmarts by me. However the Target that is now closest to me is horrible at the checkouts. Lines are always long and confusing (they are the tandem lanes) and there are never enough cashiers etc. Once I took a picture showing only 3 of the 17 lanes open, with the lines 6-8 people deep and in the background you could see 5 Target employees just huddled around talking. I sent the picture in but never heard anything back. Unfortunately this is a common occurrence at this particular Target.

 

[840quadra]

I dont like it. I realize Apple is in the business of selling to the end user consumer but I just don't like the idea of apple being represented by Target. Might as well start selling Apple stuff at a 7-11

I am a professional musician by trade and this is like me going to Best Buy to buy my music equipment. Not gonna happen. Something is just not right about that.

Well Target currently does sell Apple products, as well as they do other consumer electronics. Among those brands are Canon and Nikon, which both sell incredibly high end professional equipment, but, not at Target (or Best Buy for that matter). I doubt these Target stores will be selling Mac Pro desktops, or what's left of their other professional level equipment / software.

 

[veggiespam]

Not in Jersey City

I love Target. I love Apple. If they put one in the Jersey City location I am a goner.

With four Apple stores a PATH ride away, I doubt Jersey City will get the mini-store-in-store. But, we can dream.

 

[Joos24]

Target is overpriced and sucks. This won't save them.

One time I went to Target to buy a blu-ray movie and brought with me the Best Buy ad (they were sold out) to ask them to price match. They wouldn't match it for me because the picture in the ad looked different from the product I grabbed from the shelves. I knew that it was an alternative cover and pleaded that if they looked up the model/part number, they'd see it was actually the same exact product. Furthermore, they said it was normally $24.99 Regular Price at Target, but since it said $19.99 Regular Price at Best Buy, it couldn't possibly be the same product. So I left and ordered it online from Best Buy. You suck Target.

This won't save them???
I wasn't aware that Target was having financial problems. While I'm sure the store within a store concept could only help them with more same store sales I don't think they are hurting either. There are many people that just refuse to shop at Walmart because of the type of employees they hire and the customers that attract to that type of store.

In regards to your price match situation, yes, the store could've taken care of you but if it's not the exact same item then they don't have to and they shouldn't. I was at the Nike Clearance Center yesterday and they had the same 2 pairs of shoes that were different colors. One of them was $10 cheaper because the color wasn't as popular. If a customer wanted the higher priced shoe for the same price as the cheaper one the store "could" match it but they don't have to.

 

[Hakone]

Hopefully this means they are abandoning the downward spiral that is Best Buy.

The only reason I go to Best Buy is to check out stuff before I buy it on Amazon/Apple.

 

[greenmeanie]

Good news for people like me out in Hicksville.
The nearest Apple store to me is over an hour away.

 

[Patriot24]

They really need to have Apple specialists on hand.

I needed to pickup a couple of MiniDisplay Port adaptors (VGA/DVI) for an upcoming business trip. There were none at the Apple store, so I had to go to Best Buy. Luckily they did have a bunch of them in stock, but they were all mixed in with the Mini-DVI adaptors and on the wrong pegs all over the place. I almost walked out without anything thinking all they had was Mini-DVI models until I decided to take one last look. I was in the middle of putting them all on the right pegs when a clueless BB employee strolled up and asked, "Can I help you?" I just said, "Na, I'm just cleaning up your store."

I guess it may be kind of petty, but that is exactly the kind of experience that could reflect poorly on Apple to the average consumer.

 

[ILikeTurtles]

I love Target stores and HATE Apple Stores.

Any time I've gone in to an Apple store, it's been more than a frustrating experience to get any help from their employees. Not to mention the store is jam packed with customers "playing" rather than buying anything. Great idea and concept, but horrible in practice.

I avoid the Apple store at all costs.

 

[DirtySocks85]

I'm hoping that the early rollout of this plan includes a lot of large cities where there is no nearby Apple Store, just authorized resellers. For example, I live in a city of over 600k people (in our metro). That's not huge, but it's fairly good sized for somewhere that has the nearest Apple Store being at least a 2.5-3 hour drive away.

 

[lycracatsuit]

Map of Apple stores in the USA

I hope a few of those stores make it to the big hole around Montana.

Praying for one of them to be in Rapid City, SD!

Ratio of Apple stores-to-population

The dark blue indicates more stores, lightest blue the least, and grey none.

Source:
http://appleappraisal.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/apple-retail-stores-fun-facts/

and here's a bit more accurate map:
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/population_density.html

The map might be a little old (Little Rock, AR and Spokane, WA and a few other places now have Apple Stores)

This is the most-up-to-date map I can find of current Apple Stores:
http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/store_map.html

 

[MCIowaRulz]

Hopefully, this means Iowa City, Iowa
Nearest Apple store is 120 miles away in Des Moines

 

[David085]

Hopefully they have a Apple Store in Target in my area

 

[duffmanth]

Good luck trying to get your average Target customer to drop $2000 on a MBP!

 

[DirtySocks85]

I hope a few of those stores make it to the big hole around Montana.

Praying for one of them to be in Rapid City, SD!

Ratio of Apple stores-to-population
Image
The dark blue indicates more stores, lightest blue the least, and grey none.

Thanks for the map! I hope you guys get some love up in the northern part of the country, I know it's easy to be forgotten up there. That being said, I'd love to see an even more detailed map of sorts showing major population centers and the distribution of Apple Stores. For example, the state of Kansas isn't terribly heavily populated, and that map shows it as being fairly well off for Apple Stores per capita, but what that map doesn't show is that the one Apple Store in the entire state is practically in Missouri.

 

[ritmomundo]

Hopefully this means that some Apple stuff will periodically go on sale in the Target circulars.

 

[Patriot24]

Good luck trying to get your average Target customer to drop $2000 on a MBP!

Just because someone shops at Target or Wal-Mart doesn't mean they don't have a decent amount of money to spend. People buy $600 Dyson vacuums at Target like it is nothing.

The average Target customer may not have ever thought about buying a $2,000 MBP there, but that is because there hasn't been a sexy display that they have to walk past every day to go buy bananas. Increasing reach and visibility is entirely the point of this initiative.

 

[writingdevil]

I dont like it. I realize Apple is in the business of selling to the end user consumer but I just don't like the idea of apple being represented by Target. Might as well start selling Apple stuff at a 7-11

I am a professional musician by trade and this is like me going to a Best Buy to purchase my music equipment. No. Not gonna happen. Something is just not right about that.

I never have understood this kind of logic."I just don't like Apple being represented by Target." I doubt very much having Apple products at Target will cause one (well, maybe one) Apple customer to change their mind about buying an Apple product. This attitude has always, at least to me, reeked of some sort of "I'm a special buyer/person that would never shop at a place like this."
I don't frequent Target but certainly wouldn't deny it for areas who don't have the demographics for an Apple Store or authorized reseller. It's also obvious Apple Marketing doesn't either.
The post indicates the location for this poster is SoCal in which there are at least a dozen official stores, or more, so I don't see the relevance.

 

[lord patton]

Thanks for the map! I hope you guys get some love up in the northern part of the country, I know it's easy to be forgotten up there. That being said, I'd love to see an even more detailed map of sorts showing major population centers and the distribution of Apple Stores. For example, the state of Kansas isn't terribly heavily populated, and that map shows it as being fairly well off for Apple Stores per capita, but what that map doesn't show is that the one Apple Store in the entire state is practically in Missouri.

Yeah, what't the source for that map? Kinda cool.

Although it needs more precision, like DirtySocks85 said. In Illinois there are a ton of Apple Stores in the Chicagoland area, but I doubt there are very many south of Orland Park or west of Naperville (i.e. the rest of the freakin' state).*

Edit.*Just checked. 9 stores, all of 'em in Chicago and surrounding suburbs:

Chicago, Lincoln Park
Chicago, North Michigan Avenue
Deer Park, Deer Park
Naperville, Main Place
Northbrook, Northbrook
Oak Brook, Oakbrook
Orland Park, Orland Square Mall
Schaumburg, Woodfield
Skokie, Old Orchard

I'm sure there are some Best Buys and university stores throughout the state that sell Apple computers, but this Target thing is made for places outside of major metropolitan areas. If they manage it well, they'll be fine.

Also, stores per population isn't as meaningful perhaps as average driving time to reach one.

 

[Patriot24]

I never have understood this kind of logic."I just don't like Apple being represented by Target." I doubt very much having Apple products at Target will cause one (well, maybe one) Apple customer to change their mind about buying an Apple product. This attitude has always, at least to me, reeked of some sort of "I'm a special buyer/person that would never shop at a place like this."
I don't frequent Target but certainly wouldn't deny it for areas who don't have the demographics for an Apple Store or authorized reseller. It's also obvious Apple Marketing doesn't either.
The post indicates the location for this poster is SoCal in which there are at least a dozen official stores, or more, so I don't see the relevance.

"Elitist <insert not-so-nice descriptive word here>"

Some people are scared that their sacred social status will be ripped away once Apple products become more and more mainstream. Hilarious.

 

[Frobozz]

I dont like it. I realize Apple is in the business of selling to the end user consumer but I just don't like the idea of apple being represented by Target. Might as well start selling Apple stuff at a 7-11

I am a professional musician by trade and this is like me going to a Best Buy to purchase my music equipment. No. Not gonna happen. Something is just not right about that.

I guarantee this relationship is in place primarily to sell consumer grade Apple products in a likely scenario where they are already considering competing products. For example: iPods, iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, iMacs, Apple TV's, etc. Most anything but a Mac Pro, really. Though they may also include that.

Target already sells iPods. They might as well have a nice dedicated place to up-sell people into the further Apple ecosystem. They'll probably also target Target stores (nice!) in areas where coverage by an Apple store is thin or distant.

 

[MCIowaRulz]

I hope a few of those stores make it to the big hole around Montana.

Praying for one of them to be in Rapid City, SD!

Ratio of Apple stores-to-population
Iowa' is left out Des Moines is the only store in Iowa for now and it stinks
The ONLY reason why they are there is because of Jordan Creek Mall

 

[Jimbo47]

I'm hoping for one in the Cranberry area outside of Pittsburgh. We already have 3 Apple Stores in the area so one in Cranberry Target is a long shot, but its so inconvenient to navigate to any of the 3 standalone stores. Traffic alone adds an extra 45 minutes to an already 45 minute drive. But if you've ever been to any of the shopping plazas in Cranberry, you know its actually suitable for a standalone store.

 

[tCdemon]

Can't wait!! I hope they have one some where near me, plus I will be able to use my employee discount of 15%!!!! Yeah!!!!

 

[charlituna]

Hopefully they will have authentic Apple employees and not Target employees running the place. You'll remember what ChumpUSA did to the Apple stuff there...

If by authentic you mean hired by Apple, paid by Apple, etc, then no. They will be Target employees just the same as Best Buy's Apple staff. Just the same as the pharmacy etc staff on the other side of said Target.

Will they be trained to actually know what they are talking about. Yes it seems that is the plan. And yes that training could be designed by Apple perhaps even run by Apple as a favor to Target. So they would be Apple Certified Sales Reps same as the Geek Squad has Apple Certified Techs to work on your Mac there. Same as the 3rd party authorized vendors are Apple Certified as part of their authorization. (but none of them are 'authentic Apple employees')

----------

Buying doggy treats and an iPad under the same roof sounds great!

Only you won't be able to. Los Angeles has several Apple stores so they don't need this Target arrangement and as the article says it's just in areas without an actual Apple Store (or even perhaps a Best Buy)

----------

I bet these will be strategically placed in larger markets that still lack an apple store. I think Apple realized they need a little more hands on reassurance to switchers and I don't think best buy is providing that.

Don't assume that Target will provide it either. The model for this seems to be Best Buy, not the Apple Stores. So this means folks that actually understand how the 3g sign up in an iPad works, not folks that will sit with you for half an hour and show you how to use it. Or even making a recommendation of which one you should buy based on your usage plans

----------

This is a very good idea. I wish some of the elitist people here would get off their high horse as if Apple is some premium god.

Oh I think that status disappeared about the time that Steve Jobs more or less told the pros that they were no longer the end all and be all of how Apple made choices (starting with killing Shake)

----------

My only hope is that Apple uses the same methods to run these Target-Apple stores like their standalone versions.

Apple won't be running these stores anymore than they run the Best Buy ones or 3rd party authorized shops. They make the deals, set up a contract with certain standards for displays etc but otherwise the home company is the boss same as always.

----------

They really need to have Apple specialists on hand.

But they won't. Anymore than Best Buy does.

As for your issue, that has nothing to do with the staff being Apple Specialists, Apple Certified etc. That was just an issue of laziness. You see that kind of mess all around many stores as folks just can't be bothered to pay attention.

 

[marzer]

Buying doggy treats and an iPad under the same roof sounds great!

Buying Apples and apples under the same roof...