Most Australian Apple Stores to reopen this week [u]

AppleInsider

Apple on Monday announced plans to reopen its retail fleet in Australia, with the tech giant set to return 21 out of 22 outlets to limited operating status on May 7.

Apple Sydney is the only Apple Store not participating in the country-wide reopening this week.

With one exception -- Apple Sydney -- Apple's chain of brick-and-mortar Apple Stores will open to customers at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, May 7, as part of the company's staggered COVID-19 reopening strategy.

According to Apple's updated regional retail webpage, all stores in the country will adhere to strictly limited hours of operation between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. Apple Brisbane, another outlier, will close at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 10.

The lone Australian Apple Store to remain shuttered is Apple's Sydney location in New South Wales. That outlet's dedicated landing page says the store is closed for "creative updates" and directs customers to online shopping options. No mention of coronavirus precautions or planned reopening dates are listed for the flagship.

"To start, we will open with additional safety procedures including temperature checks, social distancing and an adjusted schedule, to ensure customers and employees continue to stay healthy," Apple said in a statement to Bloomberg. "Our social distance protocol means a limited number of visitors in the store at one time so there may be a delay for walk-in customers."

News of Apple's Australian retail plans arrives a week after retail chief Deirdre O'Brien told employees the company intends to open "many more" Apple Store outlets that are currently closed due to COVID-19 concerns. At the time, O'Brien failed to offer specifics on the matter, but said Apple is "continuing to analyze this health situation in every location" and noted she anticipates the iPhone maker will "reopen up many more stores in May."

Apple CEO Tim Cook elaborated on the reopening initiative in an interview last Thursday, saying stores in Austria and Australia would open in one to two weeks.

Reports earlier today noted Apple Krntner Strasse in Austria is set to reactivate on May 5, representing the first European location to reopen after Apple shuttered all Apple Stores outside of China in March.

Apple is slowly reopening outlets around the world as countries begin to flatten the curve of new coronavirus cases. Stores in China began to reopen in February, with all 42 locations in the region returning to limited operating status in March. More recently, Apple Garosugil in South Korea reopened in April with reduced hours and a focus on customer service and order pickups.

Updated with statement from Apple.

entropys

Sydney is also a “hotspot” in health directives.  All relative of course.

iqatedo

Locally, into our sixth day without a new case. Knowing how and when to ease restrictions in interesting times will be itself... interesting.

anome

I keep walking past the one in Canberra. It did look like someone had been in there last night, but I figured they still get the cleaners in once a week or so.

I'm worried we're going to do this all too fast, and get the second wave. Not related to Apple specifically, but in general. The restrictions are frustrating as hell, but on the other hand, I'd rather vulnerable people not die.

sdw2001

I’m not sure I understand the staggered times and the limited hours.  Here in Pennsylvania we are still shutdown except “essential businesses.”  So the grocery and big box stores are often packed.  I’d think longer hours would spread people out.  

swp2

If you spread the hours out, more people will come. There won’t be a stagger but more opportunities for people to flock and try to visit. 

bestkeptsecret

iqatedo said:

Locally, into our sixth day without a new case.

Great! Hope the pattern continues.

entropys

swp2 said:

If you spread the hours out, more people will come. There won’t be a stagger but more opportunities for people to flock and try to visit. 

Yes also reduces the number of staff working in close proximity in the one location. Heck it even makes it easier to manage absenteeism.

edited May 2020

jcs2305

sdw2001 said:

I’m not sure I understand the staggered times and the limited hours.  Here in Pennsylvania we are still shutdown except “essential businesses.”  So the grocery and big box stores are often packed.  I’d think longer hours would spread people out.  

I am also in PA.  I think the shorter hours allow staff more time to clean and disinfect the store in between large amounts of shoppers.  There is a small WaWa near me that does a lot of business and they had previously been 24hrs. They have signs on the front windows of the store stating that the store is now closed from 3-6AM daily for cleaning.

edited May 2020

razorpit

sdw2001 said:

I’m not sure I understand the staggered times and the limited hours.  Here in Pennsylvania we are still shutdown except “essential businesses.”  So the grocery and big box stores are often packed.  I’d think longer hours would spread people out.  

Don’t go around using common sense. I personally enjoy waiting in line for 40 minutes to have the joy of entering a store to buy $20 worth of home repair hardware and a $17 tool. Funny enough the governor’s “former” cabinet business was able to stay open. Add the run on toilet paper and now meat and I feel like I’m in 1970’s Russia. 

I’m on the west side of the state. Last check my county had under 100 deaths, 90+ were over the age of 60 and had preexisting conditions. With the recent testing numbers there’s a greater chance of me getting in to an accident driving to an Apple store than going in one.

ddawson100

Whoa - others here from PA. Is that three or four of us on one thread?! Hello from Crawford Co where we have few cases and no Apple Store. I don't think those two are directly related.

Ditto for protecting the vulnerable. Good luck to our brothers and sisters down under.

anome

Walked past the Canberra Apple Store again last night. They were limiting the number of people in store, and they insisted on masks (and were providing them to people who didn't have them). At the time I walked past, it looked like there were about 3 customers (and a half dozen staff) in the store, and lines waiting for retail and Genius bar appointments which were about 8 people/groups each. The way things were moving, I didn't think it worth hanging around in line just to see if they had the new MBPs in (probably not). Plus the lines weren't really meeting social distancing standards, despite having mall security and Apple staff managing them.