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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 recommendi

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 had fewer features. Now, the dominant factor is that, when they need help, they need the ability to talk to a human, and Apple is no longer supplying easy access to humans, they've put all the certified resellers who did offer that service out of business, and I personally do not scale. Best Buy and Microcenter, on the other hand, still have a place right at the front of the store, next to the entrance, where you can go get help from a human without having to make an appointment on a cleanly-designed-to-the-point-of-being-confusing-for-many-people website first. I'm sure Apple believes they've streamlined things immensely by getting rid of the whole "here's a place you can wait in line to do X" thing, but, like you said, at least some of the benefit they're seeing is probably illusory, because it leaves them with no great way to measure how long people have to wait to talk to someone in the first place, or how many people are giving up without ever successfully talking to someone. What they really need to do is put a triage desk right by the entrance of every Apple store.

ghostly_s 7y ago
Obviously it sounds like y'alls experience has been different, but at the store I frequent in Chicago they have 1-2 people on staff doing this triage with everyone who walks in (though they just stand around the entrance, not at a desk). I definitely have had issues with wait time (I've mostly chalked that up to it being a very busy flagship location, but sounds like it's a larger issue), but they always check me in right away when I arrive, so I assume they are at least aware of the wait time issue.
- dhosek 7y ago
  The "Lincoln Park" store (sorry, but North and Clybourne was never Lincoln Park) is excellent for service. Michigan Avenue is an absolute disaster. A bit part of it is the relative traffic levels. LP has a fraction of the customer load that MA has and that makes all the difference.
  - moorhosj 7y ago
    May also be “type of traffic”. The Michigan Ave store sits on one the biggest tourist shopping areas in the country. You likely have more people just looking around or simply purchasing hardware. The LP location is a more residential area so maybe you have more owners coming in specifically to fix issues?
- rootusrootus 7y ago
  Agreed. The Portland store is very busy and I've had wait times that I think are excessive, but I do credit them with having a couple employees standing by the door to do triage. They zero in very quickly on grandma and she will get handed to the right person, but her feet will probably get tired from waiting.
  - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
    The Portland store is like one of the main stores in the country for overseas buyers of apple products. That thing with Oregon having no sales tax...so it can get really busy.
    - rootusrootus 7y ago
      I believe it. A significant number of the developers on my team that visit from Hyderabad take at least one new iPhone home with them. Lack of sales tax combined with the prices Apple charges in India (IIRC they don't sell directly, which may be part of the problem) make it attractive to buy them in Portland.
      - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
        India has highish tariffs and VAT; China is the same way. If you take those out, additional retail markup is probably not that significant (at least in China that has actual Apple stores, not sure if India third-party resellers get iphones for something like wholesale).
- bunderbunder 7y ago
  IMO, it really needs to be a visible place with an associated piece of furniture. Otherwise, the process just isn't discoverable: If the store is busy and both people are already talking to customers and then a third one walks in, that person is going to walk straight past them, possibly bounce off the genius bar at the back, and, if they don't have an assertive personality, spend a few minutes just sort of standing there looking helpless before quietly leaving. Stick a small table or lectern with an "Information" (or whatever) sign above it in a clearly visible place, though, and then they'll just go wait in line there.
thebigspacefuck 7y ago
Tons of other places provide support for Apple devices too. I'm sure if I went to Best Buy or Microcenter, someone would be just as likely to help me with an iPhone as a Galaxy/Pixel/Whatever.
sandworm101 7y ago
>> 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 the image they wish to portray and shun those who do not. Or, if you really want fast service, do the opposite. I wore my military uniform to an apple store once (picking up a xmas present on my way home from work). Despite the crowds I had a manager helping me within seconds. She was very eager to get me helped and back out the door. Camo does clash with iPhone white.
- groovybits 7y ago
  > The more you look like the people in the apple commercials the faster they will get to you. I'd say this is a bold claim w/o non-anecdotal evidence. Customer service should be non-discriminatory, no matter what product/service you're selling. If I, as a customer, cannot rely on an associate to address my problem simply because I do not dress like their image, then this is not a business worth walking into in the first place. I can walk into a grocery store with either a million-dollar suite, or a tshirt/shorts, and I still expect the same customer service. Edit: A simple anecdotal counter: I do not own any apple products, but I have walked into Apple Stores with friends who own Apple products. None of us dress 'the part' like your 'typical Apple user' does, but I have seen prompt customer service nonetheless.
  - ndiscussion 7y ago
    > I can walk into a grocery store with either a million-dollar suite, or a tshirt/shorts, and I still expect the same customer service. Oh. Is that borne from past experience? Because my experience living in a very accepting, liberal city, tells me the opposite. Unless your tshirt and shorts are from j crew.
    - groovybits 7y ago
      I have lived in both rural and urban areas. I still fail to see how dress affects level of customer service I receive. Yes, you may live in a more wealthy area, which may attract those with more expensive looking dress. But are telling me that you've personally witnessed a person denied customer service simply due to the fact that they do not dress in expensive clothing?
wtetzner 7y ago
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?
- dwaite 7y ago
  If you use the Apple Store app, you can buy any floor goods with your phone and walk out - without interacting with a person at all.
  - wtetzner 7y ago
    Really? How do you pickup the thing you bought?
dwaite 7y ago
The stores I've been to all have concierge staff at the front (often with phones or tablets pretty much glued to their hands, sometimes wearing a different shirt). You can tell them what you are looking to do (check out watch bands, genius appointment) and they'll ask you to stay in a certain general area until the next apple person is available, who is sent over based on what I assume are notes on your appearance. But if you manage to walk past them to the back of the store, you're out of the system and likely to fall through the cracks (unless the other staff aren't busy).

ghostly_s 7y ago

Obviously it sounds like y'alls experience has been different, but at the store I frequent in Chicago they have 1-2 people on staff doing this triage with everyone who walks in (though they just stand around the entrance, not at a desk). I definitely have had issues with wait time (I've mostly chalked that up to it being a very busy flagship location, but sounds like it's a larger issue), but they always check me in right away when I arrive, so I assume they are at least aware of the wait time issue.

dhosek 7y ago
The "Lincoln Park" store (sorry, but North and Clybourne was never Lincoln Park) is excellent for service. Michigan Avenue is an absolute disaster. A bit part of it is the relative traffic levels. LP has a fraction of the customer load that MA has and that makes all the difference.
- moorhosj 7y ago
  May also be “type of traffic”. The Michigan Ave store sits on one the biggest tourist shopping areas in the country. You likely have more people just looking around or simply purchasing hardware. The LP location is a more residential area so maybe you have more owners coming in specifically to fix issues?
rootusrootus 7y ago
Agreed. The Portland store is very busy and I've had wait times that I think are excessive, but I do credit them with having a couple employees standing by the door to do triage. They zero in very quickly on grandma and she will get handed to the right person, but her feet will probably get tired from waiting.
- seanmcdirmid 7y ago
  The Portland store is like one of the main stores in the country for overseas buyers of apple products. That thing with Oregon having no sales tax...so it can get really busy.
  - rootusrootus 7y ago
    I believe it. A significant number of the developers on my team that visit from Hyderabad take at least one new iPhone home with them. Lack of sales tax combined with the prices Apple charges in India (IIRC they don't sell directly, which may be part of the problem) make it attractive to buy them in Portland.
    - seanmcdirmid 7y ago
      India has highish tariffs and VAT; China is the same way. If you take those out, additional retail markup is probably not that significant (at least in China that has actual Apple stores, not sure if India third-party resellers get iphones for something like wholesale).
bunderbunder 7y ago
IMO, it really needs to be a visible place with an associated piece of furniture. Otherwise, the process just isn't discoverable: If the store is busy and both people are already talking to customers and then a third one walks in, that person is going to walk straight past them, possibly bounce off the genius bar at the back, and, if they don't have an assertive personality, spend a few minutes just sort of standing there looking helpless before quietly leaving. Stick a small table or lectern with an "Information" (or whatever) sign above it in a clearly visible place, though, and then they'll just go wait in line there.

thebigspacefuck 7y ago

Tons of other places provide support for Apple devices too. I'm sure if I went to Best Buy or Microcenter, someone would be just as likely to help me with an iPhone as a Galaxy/Pixel/Whatever.

sandworm101 7y ago

>> 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 the image they wish to portray and shun those who do not. Or, if you really want fast service, do the opposite. I wore my military uniform to an apple store once (picking up a xmas present on my way home from work). Despite the crowds I had a manager helping me within seconds. She was very eager to get me helped and back out the door. Camo does clash with iPhone white.

groovybits 7y ago
> The more you look like the people in the apple commercials the faster they will get to you. I'd say this is a bold claim w/o non-anecdotal evidence. Customer service should be non-discriminatory, no matter what product/service you're selling. If I, as a customer, cannot rely on an associate to address my problem simply because I do not dress like their image, then this is not a business worth walking into in the first place. I can walk into a grocery store with either a million-dollar suite, or a tshirt/shorts, and I still expect the same customer service. Edit: A simple anecdotal counter: I do not own any apple products, but I have walked into Apple Stores with friends who own Apple products. None of us dress 'the part' like your 'typical Apple user' does, but I have seen prompt customer service nonetheless.
- ndiscussion 7y ago
  > I can walk into a grocery store with either a million-dollar suite, or a tshirt/shorts, and I still expect the same customer service. Oh. Is that borne from past experience? Because my experience living in a very accepting, liberal city, tells me the opposite. Unless your tshirt and shorts are from j crew.
  - groovybits 7y ago
    I have lived in both rural and urban areas. I still fail to see how dress affects level of customer service I receive. Yes, you may live in a more wealthy area, which may attract those with more expensive looking dress. But are telling me that you've personally witnessed a person denied customer service simply due to the fact that they do not dress in expensive clothing?

wtetzner 7y ago

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?

dwaite 7y ago
If you use the Apple Store app, you can buy any floor goods with your phone and walk out - without interacting with a person at all.
- wtetzner 7y ago
  Really? How do you pickup the thing you bought?

dwaite 7y ago

The stores I've been to all have concierge staff at the front (often with phones or tablets pretty much glued to their hands, sometimes wearing a different shirt). You can tell them what you are looking to do (check out watch bands, genius appointment) and they'll ask you to stay in a certain general area until the next apple person is available, who is sent over based on what I assume are notes on your appearance. But if you manage to walk past them to the back of the store, you're out of the system and likely to fall through the cracks (unless the other staff aren't busy).