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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 every

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.

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.