I wouldn’t call myself a Mac geek, fanatic, or cult member, since I have only owned a Mac for less than a year, but in the interest of full disclosure, I will say that I have been a fan of Apple for many years, have wanted to own a Mac for most of that time, and am typing this on a Mac right now.
Background
I have been to the Apple store in the SoHo section of NYC several times for shopping, browsing, presentations, and once for support. It’s a very nice store, with wide open areas, a large array of products, and you can tell that it was designed with nice balance of both form and functionality. It really is different than most retail stores, but in line with the style that most large SoHo stores in the area have. One thing that I really like about the Apple store is the employees and the attitude they have. They will ask you if you need help, but if you say, “No thanks, just looking,” they will leave you completely alone. They are friendly if you let them, and quiet if you want them to be. Another cool thing about the store is that they have instant check-out for products that are available on the floor (i.e. external hard drives, mouses, iPods & accessories, books). Employees have little hand held scanners that will scan the item you want, and scan your credit card to complete the transaction. You can be out the door in less than five minutes without waiting on a line. Very cool.
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