Comment The good, bad and ugly of Apple stores (Score 1) 416
I finally got to visit an Apple store and I had such high expectations after the spate of such stories like the one in NYT. Quite frankly I was underwhelmed and disappointed. The stories always write about stores in Manhattan and San Francisco, but this was a top ten U.S. city and quite frankly it was a rather plain store. No grand architectural details, nothing special over any of the other mall stores.
The difference was in layout and help. No boxes, if you wanted to buy anything it was in the back. Lots of products on display and no staff hovering over you. So it was easy to try things out and the minute you had a question help was instantly available and knowledgeable.
In contrast to CompUSA,Gateway and now Circuit City. All three fired the well paid help, piled the boxes high and locked things behind glass cases. Then paid bonuses to execs when sales tanked that cost more than what was saved by the store conversions.
It seems rather a simple formula to succeed in retail, too bad far few companies try it. Works for me cause I bought an iPod. After I see what future products are coming out after Jobs address in mid-January I am buying a Mac laptop.
As usual the newspapers have it all wrong. But look to see electronics retailers putting in glass stairways in future stores and genius bars staffed with minimum wage teenagers ;
Man Holmes
The difference was in layout and help. No boxes, if you wanted to buy anything it was in the back. Lots of products on display and no staff hovering over you. So it was easy to try things out and the minute you had a question help was instantly available and knowledgeable.
In contrast to CompUSA,Gateway and now Circuit City. All three fired the well paid help, piled the boxes high and locked things behind glass cases. Then paid bonuses to execs when sales tanked that cost more than what was saved by the store conversions.
It seems rather a simple formula to succeed in retail, too bad far few companies try it. Works for me cause I bought an iPod. After I see what future products are coming out after Jobs address in mid-January I am buying a Mac laptop.
As usual the newspapers have it all wrong. But look to see electronics retailers putting in glass stairways in future stores and genius bars staffed with minimum wage teenagers
Man Holmes
