I hate the Apple Store. I have from the beginning. I guess some people like it (or did like it), but I’m not one of them.
I like to be able to actually buy things in stores without having to enlist a fulltime escort. Nothing frustrated me more than needing a new iPod, walking into the store, seeing a table loaded with iPods packaged for Christmas joy… BEHIND a friggin’ rope. I stood there frozen, staring at my just out of my reach goal, thinking “How… Do… I… Buy… One…?” until I got frustrated enough to walk out and buy the iPod online from home.
Conversely, I was fine with the expectation of having to talk to someone when I wanted to buy my iMac. That’s a big purchase with options involved. I’m fine talking to someone about that. I shouldn’t need to talk to someone to buy an iPod, though. At least not until my credit card is out.
Being as I have been on a mac longer than most of those genius bar hairbags have been alive, I can usually hold my own when it comes to Apple knowledge, which is why I know when they are attempting to bullshit me. I rarely step into the store because of the “don’t touch” or “look at it and I will jump all over you for a sale” factor and usually do all my research online and check out a CompUSA or Costco first before stepping foot inside the “hipsters” paradise.