Apple plans retail tweaks as Fenway teaser appears in Boston

[AppleInsider]

Apple is tweaking the titles and attire of its retail staff, equipping store managers with "magic iPhones," and preparing for "opening day" at its latest flagship location in downtown Boston (the facade of which was recently shrouded in a replica Green Monster).

With sales at the international retail chain booming thanks to more than just Macs, ifoAppleStore reports on a number of changes recently instated to reflect the company's expanded growth into new markets.

Beginning this week, Mac Geniuses will be referred to as simply "Geniuses," Mac Specialist will similarly become "Specialists," and Business Consultants will be renamed "Business Partners."

In a move also aimed at better distinguishing the roles of each staffer, employee clothing will see the following changes: Specialists will now wear light blue t-shirts once worn by Concierges, who will now wear bright orange.

At the same time, Business Partners will reportedly take on a more professional appearance with dark blue, buttoned-down shirts with "Business" embroidered on the sleeve next to the Apple logo. Genius and Creative employees will continue to wear dark blue, while back-of-house staff will be clad in black.

Each of the new retail t-shirts are said to sport fresh slogans, such as "Not all heroes wear capes." for Geniuses and "Some artists use brushes. I prefer boxes." for back-of-house stockroom attendants.

Meanwhile, ifoAppleStore claims that store managers will soon be privy to an advanced and interlinked web of real-time retail data, thanks largely to a proprietary application Apple is developing for their iPhones.

"Apple tracks the revenue performance of its retail stores in real time at the Cupertino, Calif.-based headquarters, and can immediately spot purchase trends, new product success, returns and other activities," the publication said. "Now, that technology is reportedly being extended to managers at the stores themselves with special software installed on an iPhone, allow them to track sales, inventory and employee performance."



The same piece of software will also include complete contact information for the store employees, along with maps and contact information for other stores in the chain, ifo added.

While all this is going on, Apple is also planning for "opening day" at its Boston-based flagship retail shop at 815 Boylston Street. Scaffolding in front of the double-decker, 6,384-square-foot mega store was recently remove and the concealing plywood adorned green in a clear-cut replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster.

It reads: "Opening Day. Coming Soon."

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Obi-Wan Kubrick]

I want to more about these magic iphones.

[l008com]

That is TIGHT! I'm still going to Burlington though. Boylston St? No thanks!

[JohnnyKrz]

I'd like to see Apple come up with a scanner attachment and store software for the iPhone so they can quit using Windows Mobile. I've always been a little embarrassed for them that they use WinMo.

[MDriver]

The iPhone is now able to access the online store information. This really is not that big of a deal.

[potterhead4]

Originally Posted by JohnnyKrz

I'd like to see Apple come up with a scanner attachment and store software for the iPhone so they can quit using Windows Mobile. I've always been a little embarrassed for them that they use WinMo.

Me too. I was nearly thrown out of the Cambridgeside store for mentioning it...

[Zandros]

Oh, dear gods, not button-down shirts…

/Adrian

[ycatsk]

Red Sox = the worst thing about Boston (unless you enjoy riding the T with drunk frat boys)
Apple = manufacturer of my favorite consumer product

The two should not cross paths!!! The Fenway Park style Apple sign definitely made Apple lose a few points in my book.

[Marktrek]

Apple does best when it does something unique. The scoreboard is a great idea.
When Apple opens in Hawaii they have a Hawaiian blessing ceremony. If have not seen that already check this website for a link:
http://web.mac.com/marktrek/Apple/Kahala_Mall.html
And to see the construction photos for the upcoming Waikiki store, here is the website.
http://web.mac.com/marktrek/Apple/Ro...ng_Center.html

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by ycatsk

Red Sox = the worst thing about Boston

That is not a good first post, I am afraid. You'd better duck.

[walshbj]

Originally Posted by ycatsk

Red Sox = the worst thing about Boston (unless you enjoy riding the T with drunk frat boys)
Apple = manufacturer of my favorite consumer product

The two should not cross paths!!! The Fenway Park style Apple sign definitely made Apple lose a few points in my book.

You might not like it, but Boston fans treat every regular season game like it's Game 7 in the Series. The Green Monster facade can't hurt in terms of building low-cost good will with the entire city.

[ycatsk]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

That is not a good first post, I am afraid. You'd better duck.

I'm short enough to not have to duck.
Imagine being a Mac user in a place where everyone worships PCs, wears pink PC hats, yaps your ear off at work about how the PCs did last night, talks on the news about PCs rather than important events . . . That's what it's like to live in Boston if you don't worship the Red Sox.

[Dogcow]

Originally Posted by ycatsk

I'm short enough to not have to duck.
Imagine being a Mac user in a place where everyone worships PCs, wears pink PC hats, yaps your ear off at work about how the PCs did last night, talks on the news about PCs rather than important events . . . That's what it's like to live in Boston if you don't worship the Red Sox.

Wow, someone is bitter... I've lived in Boston all my life and don't follow the red sox at all. I hear hardly anything at work about them, I really don't care if people choose to wear red sox appeal - pink, green or other, I don't watch local news (not because of their love affair with the red sox, I just don't need to hear about fires and murders everyday), and I've rode the green line after a sox game without any incidents from drunk "frat boys".

That said, I've seen the new store's facade and I still think it's nice that Apple is at least putting some effort into connecting with the local community. It would have been nice if they had something up there for the Marathon. I wonder how they will handle that in future years....

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by ycatsk

I'm short enough to not have to duck.
Imagine being a Mac user in a place where everyone worships PCs, wears pink PC hats, yaps your ear off at work about how the PCs did last night, talks on the news about PCs rather than important events . . . That's what it's like to live in Boston if you don't worship the Red Sox.

1) Your height had nothing to do with my comments. Moreover, short people duck too.

2) Perhaps you might want to consider a more optimal choice of city to live in, as you contemplate your future. Alternatively, you'll need to learn to live with the Red Sox lovers in Boston, just as you have to learn to live with PC users.

[NasserAE]

As a member of the building construction and design industry, I really like how Apple pays attention to the design and construction of Apple stores. It is beautiful how they use the construction period as a marketing tool.

[tyrone8323]

I've used both, Windows and Mac computers and both are great for different tasks. I've always enjoyed Apple's marketing and how they adapt it to the surroundings of the city. I will definitely go check out this store when it opens up; much better than going to Best Buy on Newbury St. and talking to the wanna-be tech guys.

[teckstud]

Any truth to the rumor that a NY Yankees shirt is buried under the floor?

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Any truth to the rumor that a NY Yankees shirt is buried under the floor?

LOL.

I am told it's a black polo neck.

[johnmcboston]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Any truth to the rumor that a NY Yankees shirt is buried under the floor?

Now, if you had asked if Microsoft buried a t-shirt in the apple store foundation, that would have been funny

[sfliberal]

I agree with some of the other posters that Boston is way too obsessed with sports (and Dunkin Donuts). Seriously, it's out of balance with what is going on in the World. Sure, everyone loves their local teams but I have rarely seen such irrational fervor and lack of concern for more important things in the World. Apple rules! Boston doesn't. Thank goodness Apple is headquartered in Northern California.

[natego1]

Originally Posted by sfliberal

I agree with some of the other posters that Boston is way too obsessed with sports (and Dunkin Donuts). Seriously, it's out of balance with what is going on in the World. Sure, everyone loves their local teams but I have rarely seen such irrational fervor and lack of concern for more important things in the World. Apple rules! Boston doesn't. Thank goodness Apple is headquartered in Northern California.

Have you ever even been to Boston??? We care plenty about things going on in the world.. Bostonians (and Massachusettsians?) are have just as much fervor about world issues as they do about their sports teams. We have plenty of the best scientific institutions in the country, practically hundreds of colleges, successful and innovative companies, etc. Our "fervor" for sports is simply a reflection of our "fervor" in general...

[sfliberal]

Originally Posted by natego1

Have you ever even been to Boston??? We care plenty about things going on in the world.. Bostonians (and Massachusettsians?) are have just as much fervor about world issues as they do about their sports teams. We have plenty of the best scientific institutions in the country, practically hundreds of colleges, successful and innovative companies, etc. Our "fervor" for sports is simply a reflection of our "fervor" in general...

I've been there many times, thank you. Just my opinion. Still, Boston is better than any Red State city. It's just that many of its citizens take sports way too seriously kind of like how Red State towns take high school football way too seriously. Again, just my opinion. You're more likely to see "Yuck the Fankees" bumperstickers on cars in Boston than political ones like you would in San Francisco, Portland, Oregon or Seattle.

And, having hundreds of colleges doesn't necessarily make your citizens that much more intelligent. A lot of those graduates leave. Yes, Boston has a lot of fine companies but the Silicon Valley, where Apple resides, has a whole lot more - Apple, Intel, HP, Oracle, Adobe Systems, Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems and many, many more. And Stanford and UC Berkeley are as good as any Boston University in many areas.

That's just my observation. Carry on.

[pfm21]

Originally Posted by sfliberal

I agree with some of the other posters that Boston is way too obsessed with sports (and Dunkin Donuts). Seriously, it's out of balance with what is going on in the World. Sure, everyone loves their local teams but I have rarely seen such irrational fervor and lack of concern for more important things in the World. Apple rules! Boston doesn't. Thank goodness Apple is headquartered in Northern California.

I have lived in Boston on and off for the last ten years and while I don't follow the Red Sox (or sports in general for that matter) I am perplexed by how people from other parts of the country are surprised by the fervor of the sports fans here. Have you never been to north London before a game at Highbury or even worse in the west of Paris before a PSG game? Even the famously tolerant and mild mannered Dutch are to be avoided before an Ajax game. Yes the T is a pain before Sox games but the 'frat boys' are generally much more friendly and pleasant than the fervent supporters you find everywhere else.

Perhaps (and I don;t know this for a fact since I don't follow sports) other stadiums in this country have followed a more suburban model and banished all the stadium out to the suburbs. Personally I favor the route Boston has taken keeping downtown a destination for everyone.