Yeah, I wish like hell Apple would open one near me. I have to drive
nearly an hour to get to the nearest Apple store. I haven't been to
one lately, but I guess I'm just going to have to go soon. Maybe I'll
buy myself another machine.:)
On Nov 24, 2007, at 5:09 PM, Darcy Burnard wrote:
I agree. I love going to the Apple Store. Unfortunately there
aren't many of them in Canada yet. I'm not far from the Michigan
border however, and a new one just opened up that isn't far from me.
I really love the fact that they have samples of everything out and
turned on.
Darcy
On 24-Nov-07, at 4:47 PM, Cara Quinn wrote:
David, thanks for posting this. -A very good read!...
This is exactly the feel I get in the West LA store. It's way hip
and someplace I actually *enjoy* being, as electronics stores go.
<smile>
anyway, have a great day!...
Smiles,
Cara :)
On Nov 24, 2007, at 6:57 AM, David Poehlman wrote:
Begin forwarded message:
Date: November 24, 2007 9:38:32 AM EST
Subject: Apple retail stores revamp for holidays on Yahoo! News.htm
Apple retail stores revamp for holidays
By MAY WONG, AP Technology WriterSat Nov 24, 1:29 AM ET
Not a cash register is in sight. The electronics on display are
all powered up and ready for use. Personal trainers, specialists
and newly minted concierges in aqua blue shirts make the Apple
Store feel part salon, part Internet cafe — just without the
espresso.
Over the past year, Apple Inc. has revamped its 201 stores,
changing the layout, adding services and increasing its staffing.
The "concierge" service that Apple launched last week is only the
latest initiative designed to draw more visitors and bolster
already record-breaking sales.
"Apple indeed does things differently from the rest of the retail
gang," said Kurt Barnard, president of the Barnard Retail
Consulting Group.
Clipboard-carrying concierges greet customers at the door to
direct them to the right section of the store or to the personal
shopper or trainer with whom they had made an appointment. Several
others mill the floor in case someone has a question or is ready
to buy an iPod, an iPhone or a Macintosh computer.
With cash registers removed, a common question nowadays is, "Where
do I pay?" The store employee would instantly reply, "Right here,"
and whip out a portable scanner from a hip holster. Receipts are e-
mailed on the spot or, if the customer prefers, a paper version
emerges from printers hidden underneath display tables.
The products are usually brought in from storage in the back, but
starting Friday and through the holiday season, Apple has
designated an "express shopping" section, with inventory on the
store floor ready for purchase.
A few customers who were using cash on Black Friday, though,
experienced some delays, said Glenn Branney, who was visiting from
Belfast, Northern Ireland, and bought an iPod Touch and iPod Nano
before dawn at Apple's flagship store on New York City's Fifth
Avenue.
Apple started eliminating checkout areas at stores last year and
has now finished arming each store employee with handheld scanners
for faster transactions.
That has freed up space for shiny wares or one-on-one
consultations. The 11-foot counter used in the past for the
"Genius Bar," the in-store technical support section, has been
extended to about 35 feet per store.
It's not uncommon to find people dropping in to hang out, use the
Internet or let their children play on the Macs on low-legged
tables. Personal blog entries, complete with snapshots of the
authors in the store, are sometimes written on the spot.
"We try to pattern the feeling to a 5-star hotel," said Apple's
retail chief, Ron Johnson. "It's not about selling. It's about
creating a place where you belong."
Nonetheless, sales are flying high.
The retail stores hosted more than 100 million visitors and
produced about $4.2 billion in revenue in Apple's fiscal year that
ended in September, up nearly 24 percent from $3.4 billion the
previous year — in line with the Cupertino-based company's overall
sales growth.
The "one-to-one" personal training service that Apple stores
launched two years ago is also becoming more popular, Johnson
said. He declined to give specific growth figures.
For $99 a year, a customer gets up to one hour a week to learn
about a wide-range of subjects tailored to the customer's interest
or abilities. The program is for beginners and experts alike and
can cover how to set up computers, make movies, build Web sites or
put together a scrapbook or family newsletter.
Analysts say Apple's approach to retailing is exemplary in the
industry. But most merchants don't have the same concentration of
products or the coveted gizmos that are luring people to Apple to
begin with, many for the first time.
"Nothing responds more quickly in attracting consumers than a new
experience and a new merchandise assortment," Barnard said. "And
Apple has that going for it."
Apple has sold more than 120 million of its market-leading iPod
digital media players, introducing millions of people to Apple's
design aesthetics.
And Apple says that more than half of the computers sold at Apple
stores are to people new to the Macintosh platform. After hovering
for years with a 2 percent to 3 percent share of the PC market in
the United States, Apple's slice has now grown to 8 percent,
according to market researcher Gartner Inc.
The iPhone, launched in June as Apple's first foray in the cell
phone market, has also brought newcomers, Johnson said.
The stores are "the front face for Apple now," Johnson said. "And
we've got so many new customers that we really have to help them
understand our services."
---
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Scott Howell
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