First and last visit to an Apple store!

Went to the Apple store today in San Francisco. I went there thinking that it was a store where potential Apple owners go to see and tinker with Apple products. Wrong! It turns out that it is nothing more than a Cyber cafe - without the cafe. Every machine is connected to the internet. This means that everybody and their grandmother stops there to download music, upload pictures, surf the web and check email. Nearly everybody I observed was doing something personal on the machines. I walked up to a 12" powerbook and closed it to see just how compact it was. Well, when I did that it powered off and, for whatever reason, the machine next to me powered off. When that happened the guy on that machine got totally irritated with me because he was in the process of checking his email. Oh, stupid me! I went to check out another powerbook and looked at it as another customer was looking at it. Sometimes, when you're in a store, other customers may be looking at the same product. The guy turns around and with the rudest tone he can muster says, "Excuse me!" It was then that I realized he was entering personal information into a web site. This guy was acting like I had just walked into his living room and looked over his shoulder. I went to that store because I had heard great things about it. I also thought I might get to examine some of the machines a little more closely. That was my first and last trip to an Apple store. As a potential Apple customer, that was a really crappy experience. Thanks for nothing!

Hrm, i've never had the opportunity to go to an Apple Store, as I live in the middle of nowhere, but that is indeed a crappy expierence. Although, it's not just the Apple store thats like that. I go to CompUSA sometimes to look @ some computers, and I wanted to check out this laptop, but this guy was on there chatting on AIM! I mean, come on.

Well that was pretty rude of the guy, but I would hardly consider holding the behavior of some guy and other idiotic browsing customers against the Apple Store. That would be like me saying that I will never step foot in or buy a T.V. at Best Buy because some chump was watching Days of Our Lives on the set next to me and it bugged me.

The store can't control the behavior of the potential morons that may enter it.

I have to agree, no need to hold against Apple the behavior of its customers. If you feel that the Internet in the stores should not be for personal use, why not call the store and give feedback to the manager?

As an aside....

I don't understand why more people don't give feedback on their experiences, both good and bad, but especially bad. They'd rather complain about it to everyone other than the people that can actually do something about it.....just doesn't make sense to me.

Even the Apple store in Indy is packed sometimes. I don't think I have ever seen anyone just loitering there to use the internet connection.

thats the one over by market right?? (by all the shopping)

i was there a few weeks ago while on spring break, there were a lot of people doing stuff (some personal) on the machines, i thought it a bit rude, but iw as able to look over a few peoples shoulder when i wanted to see the mini in action. i think this is more of a store manager issue than anything else.

i wouldnt completely bash apple, i would just call up the store manager and maybe the important people you can get ahold of at apple themselves and discuss the matter appropriately.

good luck with this, and im sorry your experience was bad. at all the other apple stores have seen it has never beeen like this.

-chris

I'd talk to the manager. A good store would have had a salesperson assisting you in 10 seconds and protecting you from the evil crowd. After your experience, I would have raved and gotten a major discount out of the manager, but I drive a hard bargain anyways, I rarely pay full price for anything.

BR: There's another Apple store in Burlingame - about 20 minutes south off 101, in case you're not familiar with the area. I go there often and have never had any problems (except parking, occasionally). The staff are helpful and friendly and I've never seen a customer there "hog" a machine.

Making things better, there's a Peet's next door and a Starbucks about a block away. Great place.

Don't give up on Apple with such a nice place so close by.

I've been to the Apple store in S.F. several times and have had very similar experiences. One time I was there for like an hour watching one of the seminars they give in the back and some dude was on the dual 2.5 with 30" cenima doing what would appear to be his work the WHOLE time! All that I can say is that doesn't seem to be the norm. The local Apple store here in Walnut Creek is not like that at all. The only people 'playing' on the computers are the children of the people there actually there to buy, and the kids usually step away from the computer as soon as they see you want to look at it. I would suggest heading down to another Apple store here in the Bay Area and see how that experience is before you make a blanket judgement for all Apple stores.

-Chris

As a current PC_Puke I'll stop by our local store to personally checkout a mini-mac today or tomorrow - I'll report the state of affairs and customer service. Have never been to an Apple store so I'll be a novel experience

I go to the apple store in OAKBROOK ILLINOIS!!!! and it's great (not exactly the closest drive, but if i want to go to a reliable place w/o weaving my way through chicago, i go there). A little small, but you go there to learn and have fun with the macs. I don't think people check their mail there. If you want to see something, you ask and people move. Man, the midwest rocks.

Given the nature of the original post, and the fact that the OP has not replied or posted anywhere else on the boards, I am beginning to doubt the validity of said post. I think I am just gonna chalk this one up to being just another troll.

Okay, let me start by saying that I sincerely apologize for bringing my experience to your forum. Yes, I should have spoke to management. I don't believe they actually would have done anything, but at least they would have been alerted. What did I think you were going to do, you ask? Well, nothing. I just felt like venting and I picked the wrong place. I still don't know what the benefit of having the display machines connected to the internet is, but I'm sure it's a really good one. One thing it does do is incourage the kind of behavior I mentioned in the first post. I mean, come on, I felt guilty trying to get close enough to look at machines because I felt like these people were thinking I was spying on them. Judging by the preceeding posts, I am happy to hear that nobody else has had to endure this. Maybe I just went there on the wrong day. My original post was not meant as a bash against Apple or Apple users. No pitchforks or torches needed here. Believe me, I dream of the day when I can kiss Windows goodbye. I didn't come here looking for a fight. Again, my apologies to all of you.

No need to apologize. While your experience is atypical I have no reason to doubt it. On the other hand when posters come onto a board, make a single post, and are never heard from again it is easy to dismiss the poster as a troll. And they do creep up upon occasion.

For your case though there is nothing we can do except say that it is not normal and to not get put off Macs in general because of it. If I were in your shoes I would probably go to a sales person and ask if she could walk me through a demo on a couple of the different models and explain the differences. While I generally prefer to shop without the assistance of the sales staff, I have no problem using them to bump squatters.

B.R. said:

Okay, let me start by saying that I sincerely apologize for bringing my experience to your forum. Yes, I should have spoke to management. I don't believe they actually would have done anything, but at least they would have been alerted. What did I think you were going to do, you ask? Well, nothing. I just felt like venting and I picked the wrong place. I still don't know what the benefit of having the display machines connected to the internet is, but I'm sure it's a really good one. One thing it does do is incourage the kind of behavior I mentioned in the first post. I mean, come on, I felt guilty trying to get close enough to look at machines because I felt like these people were thinking I was spying on them. Judging by the preceeding posts, I am happy to hear that nobody else has had to endure this. Maybe I just went there on the wrong day. My original post was not meant as a bash against Apple or Apple users. No pitchforks or torches needed here. Believe me, I dream of the day when I can kiss Windows goodbye. I didn't come here looking for a fight. Again, my apologies to all of you.

Click to expand...

You did nothing wrong. It's good to vent sometimes.

I think that if Apple is going to provide internet in their stores, they should keep an eye on the people using it. After all, it's not a Library and sitting there all day and doing your work is not what the Apple Store is for. If you ever go back I would mention it to someone in charge and see what happens. That really should not be happening as far as people doing their work there.

I think the Internet is a good idea as people can see the Mac in action on the net. Could be a selling point. I know at Frys a few times I had wished the Macs there were on the Net so I could check out Safari and the overall internet experience back before I owned a OSX Mac.

We would all be offend by such an event like yours at the Apple Store. If you see that one rude guy there again, just shut down his computer again! :spook:

So I have to say that my visit to the Portland Apple store was quite pleasant -- it was moderately busy - lots of folks checking out machines and poking at them -- I was able to play with a Mac-Mini for about 15-20 min before being approached ---- said I wanted to buy one and off we went.

Very easy - I'm a full time student (at age 49) - got the discounts on everything -- of course they tried to push the Apple service plan and a virus SW --- no thanks to both --- had them do the 512MB RAM upgrade -- picked up the box 3 hrs later --- store pretty busy then too.

Went back on Saturday ---- the store was packed -- lots of young people / kids -- good to see that kind of interest

When I bought my Mac mini I went to the bookstore of a local university, that place was empty, it was nice.

It didn't really occur to me at the time, but I did see a bit of that at the London store, too. There were plenty of machines to look at (several of each) so it didn't pose a problem... but I do remember seeing a few people looking fairly serious in doing their own emails etc and thought "***, is this a cyber cafe?".

But from their point of view, as long as they weren't taking the pee (as in coming in every day and spending hours on them but never buying anything) I can see why they wouldn't jump on it, in case it's a potential customer who just wants a hands-on experience of the internet features before commiting to a switch. It must be a pretty fine line.

yeah, I agree cloudane. There really is a fine line. I for one, am quite happy to see the increasing interest in Macs. I really do believe in both the whiplash effect that the iPod is supposedly causing people to switch to mac, and in the mac mini, which finaly brings an affordable mac to the population.

The side effect of this, is that mac stores may no tbe able to keep up with interest. Still, I can only hope that Apple's market share continues to grow, that can only benefit us as mac users, expecially in the software we find being developed for mac.

Still, Apple Stores should not be internet cafe's. If you want to go check your e-mail and don't have a computer, most public libraries offer free service. However, I doubt anybody on this site could be accused of using an apple store for person use. We all have our own macs, I'd rather sit in the privacy of my own home or office, I don't want other people near me when I'm reading my e-mail.