Apple Retail: is it still a top experience?

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I have been an Apple customer/fan for ages now. I only own and use Apple products, and I always take pride in saying this to people. I am totally fascinated by their philosophy, mission, and vision.

I have been working in the retail industry for over 10 years, and I have always looked up to the Apple stores because they manage to be a super profitable business using only 50% of their space for the actual products they sell. On top of that, their employees are never pushy: you would walk in, get genuine advice and walk out with a product in an almost "ZEN" experience. Incidentally, I have just returned from Japan, and their stores remind me of the temples I have seen in Kyoto.

When I buy an Apple product I always go to a store, and never buy online. And that's because I love the experience. I prefer to interact with people rather than machines.

In the past few years, however, I have heard a lot of people complaining about the Apple brand because of their lack of innovation. I guess it's difficult to be at the top for so many years in such a competitive market, but in my humble opinion, there are no products even close to the Apple ones. At this moment in time, the technology war is not on the product itself but on the product experience, and that's why the retail space plays a fundamental part in "winning the war". When you are at that level, people will always look up at you as an example, and their expectations will always be super high, but unfortunately, chances for failure are around the corner too.

That's why I am sure Apple keeps their training and customer experience at the top of their priorities, at least when it comes to their retail segment. Millenials are shifting towards "experience vs. product", and that's why it is paramount to know how to enhance the experience of every single person that comes through your doors. There is a reason why in the food industry we call our customers "Guests".

Unfortunately, though, Apple has failed me during my last experience.

Let me tell you what happened...

I recently visited my local Apple store with the idea of buying a new modem, but I was given a product that wasn't fitting my purpose... AT ALL. My real struggle, however, was when I had to go back to the store during a rare lunch break in order to get a refund... HORROR!

I was greeted by someone who looked like I was disturbing her from playing with one of the iPhones on display. Without even a smile, she pointed me to one of her superiors to obtain the refund. But this manager didn't even ask a question, nor tried to empathize or build any rapport with me. The whole experience felt just like a transaction.

To add to it, after I specifically expressed my disappointment about the whole situation and treatment, what was I offered? To stay longer in the store for one of their courses!! I mean, what joke is that?? I told you I was disappointed. I wasn't given the service I expected. I told you I was in a rush on my lunch break. And you ask me to spend a second more in your store? Seriously.

If she had tried to create a bit of rapport, she would have remembered that I was in a rush, and the only thing I wanted was an apology and my money back.

But the apology never came. And it's not over!

The day after, I received a pointless call from Apple's customer service, asking how my experience had been. After spending 15 minutes on the phone trying to explain what had happened, I was simply told that my feedback would have been passed to the staff, so they can be trained on better product knowledge.

That was the icing on the cake: Great! Such a relief! Now Apple needs a customer spending $500+ on accessories and wasting 2+ hours of his life with incompetent people to tell them how to train the staff.

So my question is: is Apple becoming "too big" that cannot control their stores anymore? Or is the fans' expectation too high because of how the brand spoiled them in the past? Is the retail industry really focusing on the right things and really delivering a top-notch customer experience?

What we can learn from this

When you build a strong brand, your fans care. They look at your values, and they trust you. They are not simply buying your products, but they are trusting you with their money, buying something that potentially improves their lives. When they go to your stores and speak to your employees, they share their emotions and they expect somebody who is able to listen and relate to them. If you work in retail you have such a great responsibility to the community, and you cannot afford to forget about it.

This is a suggestion I would give to anyone I hire for my restaurants: if you don't have the passion, then don't pursue this path, because it is only going to get harder and harder. But if you do have this passion, a guest's smile or his satisfaction with your service will be the most valuable reward.

I am sorry I had to remind that to Apple today.!