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How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

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Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#201

Post by [deleted] »

madengr wrote: post #195
sandworm101 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> figuring out how to flag someone down if they're busy. For that reason alone, I've stopped recommending Apple products to my older relatives. Be cute. Wear cool clothes. Don't be old. Look like an "influencer" with a million followers. The more you look like the people in the apple commercials the faster they will get to you. Above all things, apple stores are image-conscious. They are welcoming to people who fit…

Funny that they should ignore the old fogies without influence, as they are the ones that can most afford the Apple junk. I’m pushing 50, and I don’t need a fucking loan to buy an iPhone.

[deleted]

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#202

Post by sandworm101 »

dv_dt wrote: post #186
sandworm101 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> figuring out how to flag someone down if they're busy. For that reason alone, I've stopped recommending Apple products to my older relatives. Be cute. Wear cool clothes. Don't be old. Look like an "influencer" with a million followers. The more you look like the people in the apple commercials the faster they will get to you. Above all things, apple stores are image-conscious. They are welcoming to people who fit…

Or like many other corners of America, aircraft boarding, etc, military personnel are given some extra perks for the risks for which they volunteered.

Who said anything about america? I'm in Canada. We don't get military discounts everywhere. When we wear our uniforms in public we generally get looks of surprise and confusion. We don't get priority boarding. In fact Canadian soldier almost never wear uniforms while traveling, certainly not while on civilian aircraft. America's soldier cult is a very unique thing.

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#203

Post by BillinghamJ »

balls187 wrote: post #116
evadne wrote: post #9

It is almost impossible to pay in person but the Apple Store app offers ability to scan the barcode on almost any accessory and pay on the spot for it without ever seeing staff. I do not have many issues with this model, in fact it makes visits to the Apple Store for the odd cable quite easy. However, I did find that sometimes specific accessories are simply not presented and one must flag down staff to have one pull…

> It is almost impossible to pay in person but the Apple Store app offers ability to scan the barcode on almost any accessory and pay on the spot for it without ever seeing staff. After you pay what is the next step?

You walk out with the product. Though you can ask someone if you want a bag.

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#204

Post by BillinghamJ »

evadne wrote: post #9

It is almost impossible to pay in person but the Apple Store app offers ability to scan the barcode on almost any accessory and pay on the spot for it without ever seeing staff. I do not have many issues with this model, in fact it makes visits to the Apple Store for the odd cable quite easy. However, I did find that sometimes specific accessories are simply not presented and one must flag down staff to have one pull…

> Anybody remember the good old days when you could have AppleCare send you a box and a return label?

They still do this. Just a standard advance replacement.

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#205

Post by tomp »

atonse wrote: post #4

My biggest complaint about the Apple Store is the long wait times when your computer breaks. You often have to wait for a few days to even get an appointment. But the award for the most asinine thing about the Apple Store is their insistence on not having a proper area to pay for things. So people just wander around wanting to buy something and not knowing where to pay for it. And they end up wasting a lot more time…

> But the award for the most asinine thing about the Apple Store is their insistence on not having a proper area to pay for things

Interesting, that's my favourite things about Apple Stores! I wish more stores adopted this model.

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#206

Post by ultrarunner »

madengr wrote: post #195
sandworm101 wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> figuring out how to flag someone down if they're busy. For that reason alone, I've stopped recommending Apple products to my older relatives. Be cute. Wear cool clothes. Don't be old. Look like an "influencer" with a million followers. The more you look like the people in the apple commercials the faster they will get to you. Above all things, apple stores are image-conscious. They are welcoming to people who fit…

Funny that they should ignore the old fogies without influence, as they are the ones that can most afford the Apple junk. I’m pushing 50, and I don’t need a fucking loan to buy an iPhone.

Yeah, no interest payments from you. Less profitable.

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#207

Post by neivin »

rootusrootus wrote: post #130
beamatronic wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly I have felt many times that the Apple Store could use a vending machine for iPhones. Anything that somebody might want to just grab and go no matter how expensive.

1000% agree. I don't always want someone to walk me through setting up my iPhone. I've used them since the very first one, I don't need any help. Take my money already and let me get out. Even just picking up a set of airpods for my wife took far longer than it should have. A vending machine would be all kinds of awesome, maybe like the ones Best Buy has at the airport (which sells some Apple products like airpods, c…

Question: Why don't you just order online and have it shipped to your office/home?

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#208

Post by wtetzner »

bunderbunder wrote: post #61

The absolute worst thing about going to the Apple store is figuring out how to flag someone down if they're busy. For that reason alone, I've stopped recommending Apple products to my older relatives. Once upon a time, the dominant factor was that the walled garden allowed them to feel less intimidated by their technology, which left them feeling like their devices were vastly more capable, even when they technically…

Not only that, but you have to get someone assigned to you just to buy something. It's an annoying slow process. Why can't I just go to the counter, tell them what I want, pay for it, and go?

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#209

Post by CharlesColeman »

jasode wrote: post #193
CharlesColeman wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't see how the old dedicated space for a Genius Bar would work better. The problem is that the old way tied tech support to a spatial location in the store. The new way assigned tech support to a person instead of a location. This allows any and every table in the store to become a temporary "genius bar" for that customer session. It's better UX. As a customer, I know what a service counter looks like, but I c…

>, I know what a service counter looks like, but I can't recognize a tech support employee roaming around. But you don't have to recognize them. The idea is that the Apple employee greeting you at the door brings the tech support person to you . >Lines are a well understood, tried-and-true technology for managing crowds. What they're doing is different but not better. I guess I'm underestimating typical customers. Wo…

> But you don't have to recognize them. The idea is that the Apple employee greeting you at the door brings the tech support person to you.

N = 3, but that's never happened to me. They're always busy with someone. Customers actually have to wait in line to greet the greeter (3-5 deep last time I was there, when I had a Genius bar appointment that I was on time for but they weren't).

> A lot of times, I see customers sitting on the cube chairs and waiting there.

The store I go to is pretty busy and they haven't dedicated space for seating like that, so you get to join the crowd waiting next to the phone cases.

> Instead, each employee uses their iPad/iPhone as a "roaming register" to process credit-cards and send receipts.

That's one retail innovation they've done that actually makes some sense. Given that almost every large retail store has roaming employees, if you can flag one down you might as well finish your transaction with them.

Re: How the Apple Store Lost Its Luster

#210

Post by StudentStuff »

yulaow wrote: post #123
usaphp wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I sold the old half broken macbook and switched to a thinkpad Di you switch to thinkpad just because of this service support issue? Because I don’t think thinkpad is better in service dept

Thiknpads are easily serviceable and Lenovo often just sends you a replacement component if one on your laptop fails and you know how to replace it on your own. Apple instead is trying very hard to make everything not easily replaceable, even the failing keyboard is hard to remove for a common user

+1, I've benefited from Lenovo sending out parts before. If you want to swap the part, they will happily mail you the part and send a link to their step by step guide on how to swap said part.
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