And divine: let’s also not underestimate the subliminal psychographic elements of stores (light, windows) that are surely not accidental.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6uUPXQWpGp4/STMisfceUzI/AAAAAAAACMQ/cHCGhnzbmZU/s320/appledivinestore.jpg

Want to go to AppleStore. Want to go to AppleStore.

When I bought a Macbook this spring in Emeryville, I was in and out of the store in five minutes, nice.

It helps that those black tee shirt uniforms were retired, and now they they’re wearing pleasant blues and oranges.

Best Buy is fine for a lot of my needs, but there’s a lot of noise because people are testing televisions and stereos, Apple stores are kinder on the ears.

I am an x-retail executive. I still work with retailers everyday. And while I am not defending the “poor exection” at retail as a whole, it is imporant to note that there are a few fundementals that make Apple successful in this scenario. First, there is a small thing called “profit”. In the history of retail, there has never been a category that is less profitable then computers. Further, there has never been a category in “hard goods” that suffers from rapid obsolescence the way that computers do – this further erodes profits as products must constantly be discontinued and replaced. The reason these are important factors is because profit is what allows retailers to have better services. When a manufacturer is also the brand and that brand has invested in their brand, then the brand can command the correct price for the products that allows them to make a profit. The brand actually has value and this retail experience furthers that value and capitalizes on that value – simultaneously.

Bigger, is this… we are a consumer based society (or, at least, we were until last fall). Everything is about “more”. As products, concepts, and brands are invented and developed, the goal of our society is to make them “mass products”. When we do that, we strip features, quality, services, and a whole lot more.

So while Apple should be commended for the great retail experience, it is not that much different than the Armani store, the Lexus dealership, or the Ritz Carlton. High brand value equals high profit margins. That, should, in turn, lead to a great consumer experience. So, it is more accurate to say that Apple should be commended for working on their brand.

Of course, preference and personal requirements take precedence in these things, and Apple’s choice won’t be the one everyone would make. Still, for the vast majority of Mac users, I would imagine the Apple Store can be their one-stop shop for all things Apple.

Now, the Genius Bars are always overloaded… there’s some room for improvement there. They are organized and professional, but there’s just so much volume I wonder if they shouldn’t increase staffing of the GB a bit more.

They sell some major apps (Adobe/MS Office) because the people that buy it typically know what they’re doing – and they sell some minor stuff such as font collections, clip-art/drawing apps, and disk utilities which require little knowledge to work and even less “tech support” before the sale.

There is also a huge bias towards the iPod in the accessories area.

All in all it does come across as a bit superficial….but then again, it seems to work.