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> I guess waiting for Genius appointments I'm convinced this is deliberate - the apple store is full of blue shirts and people waiting for their appointments /

> I guess waiting for Genius appointments I'm convinced this is deliberate - the apple store is full of blue shirts and people waiting for their appointments / devices to be fixed. It makes the shops look like they're busy, most shops would not make people wait around like that for things to be fixed, but apple gets away with it somehow. It's all very clever - I call it apple theatre, and yes I participate myself. I'd never wait that long to get my PC fixed, I'd drop it off and come back to pick it up - total time 5 minutes, but somehow apple make it so people happily sit round while the genii investigate things and engage in the mystical business of fixing the phone/Mac, challenging the apple hierarchy to get that special repair price for you, and I don't think I've paid full price for a repair for a long time (ever?), so I indulge them.

ogre_codes 6y ago
> people waiting for their appointments Most Apple stores are located in malls and adjacent to other retail outlets. If you have to wait for an appointment, they take your number and give you a five minute notification when your Genius is going to be ready. Every time I've done it, they've encouraged me to go shop the rest of the mall (not linger). > It makes the shops look like they're busy, most shops would not make people wait around like that for things to be fixed, but apple gets away with it somehow. Apple used to get a lot bit of flack for struggling to keep up with Genius appointment loads. I'm not sure if their service has improved or people just accept that wait times are a thing. The few times I've dealt with them it's been reasonable considering the store was basically packed and all 4 Geniuses at the desk working with someone constantly.
- chadcmulligan 6y ago
  Yes, I'm not complaining, I find it interesting and educational seeing the issues raised and how they handle customers (they're my customers to). I'm sure if I raised it they would have me out quicker. Though I would say I haven't experienced the five minute notification, every time was longer than that, again though, not complaining, I find the whole experience entertaining - the lights, the choreography, the cast of characters - best mall experience.
jccalhoun 6y ago
Is a busy store a positive thing for most potential customers? Even before social distancing if I would see a crowded store I would not want to go in.
- syspec 6y ago
  Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  It’s a positive thing for the very reason this thread exists. Microsoft stores are now shutting down. If I’m investing time into a product line, I am interested its continuance.
- chadcmulligan 6y ago
  Perhaps, I've always noticed other shops empty but the apple shop is always bustling, but not overly crowded (most of the time), just the impression of things happening. I often compared it to the poor Bose shop (now defunct) that was nearby, no one went in there because the salesman leapt upon you as soon as you entered, and you couldn't just fiddle with things without being bothered. Bose have great products but people don't linger there, and the same for the Microsoft shops in the article, but people linger in apple stores - it's by design. (I'm talking pre social distancing of course, but then, even now, people are lining up outside apple stores like no other, and the blue shirts are looking after every one, all with masks and sanitisers and checking your temperature, all theatre - its a safe space, everything's OK in an apple store!)
AgloeDreams 6y ago
Possibly because Apple sells ~250 iPhones and three iPads for each Surface sold.
geerlingguy 6y ago
Last time I went in to get my PC laptop repaired at Best Buy it was about a 45 minute wait just to drop it off. Then three days before the repair was made. I have also dropped off Macs at a local non-Apple-Store authorized repair shop and it was 20-30 minutes before I was helped. I think it's just how things are with support/repairs.
- chadcmulligan 6y ago
  Oh ok, that hasn't been my experience, we don't have Best Buy here (Australia), so maybe the difference. I had to drop off my Mac to a non apple place when they were all closed, due to corona. It was 5-10 minutes tops for drop off and pick up - but an unusual situation.
donarb 6y ago
Apple stores do more than sell hardware and handle repairs. They offer numerous classes for users on how to use different apps on your phone, how to create music and movies with GarageBand/iMovie, how to take pictures and edit them, among other things. So people standing around waiting could be waiting for a scheduled talk as well.

ogre_codes 6y ago

> people waiting for their appointments Most Apple stores are located in malls and adjacent to other retail outlets. If you have to wait for an appointment, they take your number and give you a five minute notification when your Genius is going to be ready. Every time I've done it, they've encouraged me to go shop the rest of the mall (not linger). > It makes the shops look like they're busy, most shops would not make people wait around like that for things to be fixed, but apple gets away with it somehow. Apple used to get a lot bit of flack for struggling to keep up with Genius appointment loads. I'm not sure if their service has improved or people just accept that wait times are a thing. The few times I've dealt with them it's been reasonable considering the store was basically packed and all 4 Geniuses at the desk working with someone constantly.

chadcmulligan 6y ago
Yes, I'm not complaining, I find it interesting and educational seeing the issues raised and how they handle customers (they're my customers to). I'm sure if I raised it they would have me out quicker. Though I would say I haven't experienced the five minute notification, every time was longer than that, again though, not complaining, I find the whole experience entertaining - the lights, the choreography, the cast of characters - best mall experience.

jccalhoun 6y ago

Is a busy store a positive thing for most potential customers? Even before social distancing if I would see a crowded store I would not want to go in.

syspec 6y ago
Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded
lotsofpulp 6y ago
It’s a positive thing for the very reason this thread exists. Microsoft stores are now shutting down. If I’m investing time into a product line, I am interested its continuance.
chadcmulligan 6y ago
Perhaps, I've always noticed other shops empty but the apple shop is always bustling, but not overly crowded (most of the time), just the impression of things happening. I often compared it to the poor Bose shop (now defunct) that was nearby, no one went in there because the salesman leapt upon you as soon as you entered, and you couldn't just fiddle with things without being bothered. Bose have great products but people don't linger there, and the same for the Microsoft shops in the article, but people linger in apple stores - it's by design. (I'm talking pre social distancing of course, but then, even now, people are lining up outside apple stores like no other, and the blue shirts are looking after every one, all with masks and sanitisers and checking your temperature, all theatre - its a safe space, everything's OK in an apple store!)

AgloeDreams 6y ago

Possibly because Apple sells ~250 iPhones and three iPads for each Surface sold.

geerlingguy 6y ago

Last time I went in to get my PC laptop repaired at Best Buy it was about a 45 minute wait just to drop it off. Then three days before the repair was made. I have also dropped off Macs at a local non-Apple-Store authorized repair shop and it was 20-30 minutes before I was helped. I think it's just how things are with support/repairs.

chadcmulligan 6y ago
Oh ok, that hasn't been my experience, we don't have Best Buy here (Australia), so maybe the difference. I had to drop off my Mac to a non apple place when they were all closed, due to corona. It was 5-10 minutes tops for drop off and pick up - but an unusual situation.

donarb 6y ago

Apple stores do more than sell hardware and handle repairs. They offer numerous classes for users on how to use different apps on your phone, how to create music and movies with GarageBand/iMovie, how to take pictures and edit them, among other things. So people standing around waiting could be waiting for a scheduled talk as well.