Are all Apple stores a mob scene?

[Critical_Mass]

I bought my macbook at a Best Buy store.

My first visit to the Apple store was when I needed my power cord replaced on warranty. I wasn’t aware I should have made an appointment online.

The place wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t busy. I stood at the service desk while a couple of people were being helped. When one of them left, I approached the counter and explained why I was there. The Apple guy asked if I’d made an appointment. When I said no, he walked me over to a bank of laptops where he showed me the appointment site. It was 1:30. I made the appointment for 1:45. The guy then looked at his iphone, said he didn’t have anyone until 2:00 and asked me if I wanted him to assist me now or wait until 1:45.

Once I got the guy helping me at the counter, the service was good. But I was somewhat unimpressed that I was made to go through hoops when the pragmatic method of assisting me was to simply assist me. It wasn’t busy. It took me longer to make the appointment than it did to get my new cord. Granted, next time I will make an appointment first.

[tumbleddown]

I stopped by an Apple Store yesterday afternoon. Granted, the heat may have been a deciding factor because this a boutique store rather than one nestled in a nice air conditioned mall, but the place was completely sedate for 4 on a Saturday afternoon.

I echo above, the team members all wear Apple shirts of some sort, and more importantly, neck pendants with their ID/access badges which are fairly large (about the size of an iPod, actually). Look for the people with things around their necks, if nothing else.

[antonio107]

When I went to the one in South Florida last year, it was actually sorta docile…but it was on a weekday morning, so that might’ve done.

But like Leaffan said, the one at the Rideau Centre in Ottawa is just a sea of humans. I pre-ordered my iPad; no chit chat, just cash and carry!

[Balthisar]

Even in economically-devastated Michigan my nearby Apple Store is painfully busy during the after-work/-school hours. I recently had to go there several times a lot due to some hardware issues (that ultimately turned out to be my own fault). On one of those occasions, though (either dropping off or picking up my machine) they let me jump the queue right away when I wanted to buy an unlocked iPhone 4.

[Askance]

The two Apple stores I walk past regularly are pretty much always busy-to-packed, from morning to night.

@DCnDC

They don’t wear uniforms or even just Apple t-shirts or anything so there’s no telling who works there and who doesn’t.

Sure they do, although granted they are not all identical, like some Walmart or something.

[Anaamika]

@DCnDC

Interesting; that’s exactly what I don’t like about the Apple Store.

They don’t wear uniforms or even just Apple t-shirts or anything so there’s no telling who works there and who doesn’t. I walked into an Apple Store, went straight to what I came in for (it was a Snow Leopard upgrade disk), then had to stand around for 5 minutes like an asshole looking for someone to check me out because there isn’t any dedicated space for doing that. I walked up to at least 3 random people in the store only to discover that they didn’t work there. They looked at me like I was nuts.

I feel like they overthought the whole thing; I know they want to be different, but there’s nothing wrong with having a simple checkout counter.

I never had that problem either; even when we were just idly browsing the display rack in the back someone came up and asked me if I needed help.

[Acsenray]

@Anaamika

Ah, thank you!

And they look like this

[UncleRojelio]

I haven’t had my iPad for more than 3 hours now and I’m already addicted.

[Rigamarole]

I hate Apple now more than ever, just from reading this thread.