This photo is of the new Apple Store in San Francisco…right across the street from famous Union Square. It looked just like this yesterday when I popped in for a visit. The front windows were open on both the ground floor and 2nd floor…even though it was a rather chilly day.
Let me back up a little first. I got to SF by taking the BART train from Walnut Creek to the Powell Street Station. When I got to street level, I could either turn right and walk out on Market Street and see the famous cable cars right across the street…or turn left and enter the Westfield Center, a very large shopping mall, both vertically and horizontally. I went into the center and went up the the second floor to visit the Microsoft Store.
It is a very nice store, laid out very much like an Apple Store. There were computers of all kinds on tables, including the Microsoft Surface Tablets as well as laptops and desktops from different manufacturers. I focused on some desktop computers as I will be in the market for a new PC in a few months. All their computers, no matter what brand, are all Signature certified…meaning there is absolutely no crapware on any of them. Hooray for that.
The Microsoft agent who helped me made no attempt to sell me any computer but answered all my questions about the products they carried. This is the same methodology employed in Apple Stores. We chatted for quite a while about various Microsoft products. And when he found out I was having a problem using OneDrive on my iPhone, he got hold of a tech rep to help me out. He solved the problem in no time. I left the store with a good impression of their store…and with a free bottle of water.
From there, I headed out across Market Street and on up Powell…past the cable cars and three blocks up to Union Square to the Apple Store. I wandered about the first and second floors taking in the sites. Lots of Apple products on lots of tables, just like all their stores…Except this one is huge! Upstairs was another area in front for more products, but also an area for tutorials. I sat in for a few minutes on a tutorial on using the Photos App on the iPhone.
If you look closely at the photo, you can see a huge TV screen on a wall that shows Apple product propaganda videos. Behind that wall is the Genius Bar where customers can come in to get help with their Apple products…except this Genius area accupies to entire length of the floor. There are also several large trees in big pots, exactly like those trees you see in the photo in front of the store. It is quite impressive.
Behind the store is a large area outside filled with many tables and chairs and featuring a large fountain. It has Wi-Fi and is for anyone who wants to sit and work on their computers. It is open to Stockton Street so anyone can come in and use it.
Both stores are very impressive and are designed to help their customers and sell them any products they may wish to purchase without any pressure. Of course, the Apple Store is its own building and not subject to the restraints of being in a shopping center. But this Apple store is the road map for all their future stores. Here in Walnut Creek, Apple is building a new store in a nearly complete upscale shopping area in the downtown area. It is using the SF store as a benchmark. One has to hand it to Apple for taking this bold venture into retail and making a major success of their efforts.
Lots of good info below so I hope you find something of interest. -JRC
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