Apple to open new store-within-a-store outlets inside Target this year

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 79
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by debusoh View Post


    That is strange. Dedham MA and Framingham MA both have apple stores and they can't have near the population density as Brooklyn.



    Choosing store locations is not all about population density. They factor in things like:

    - Average household income

    - Shopping habits (if the Brooklyn residents with money tend to shop in NYC, there's no point in putting a store in Brooklyn).

    There are a lot of places with high population density that aren't likely to EVER see an Apple Store.
  • Reply 22 of 79
    Currently, there are over 30 Apple SIS stores located worldwide at U.S. military bases inside the military retail exchanges with another 15+ adding on in 2012. All the Apple SIS stores have MSC's like the Best Buy stores (Macintosh Solutions Consultant) who certified trained via Apple's internal ASTO system.
  • Reply 23 of 79
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    No, Target is not a discount chain, it is simply a general goods store. Just use the eyeball test and walk into a Walmart and a Target. Take a look around at not only the people that shop there, but the people that work there. Look at the shelves, the layout, the lighting, the floors. It is so much more pleasing and satisfying to shop at Target than any of the other places it "competes" with. Hell, I work for Best Buy, and if my employee discount isn't drastically less, I still prefer to shop at Target.



    Ironic! If you worked for Apple, they might fire you for posting something like this...
  • Reply 24 of 79
    obamaobama Posts: 62member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TimUSCA View Post


    You couldn't be more wrong.



    A very popular response, found on almost every thread here. Of course, I couldn't be more wrong.



    Interesting to hear people's positive perceptions of Target vs the negative ones for WalMart. Never really saw the difference between the two and why people are so "on about WalMart" while giving Target a pass.



    Bottom line, you will shop anywhere that gives you a cut rate price, regardless of what kind of company they are and how they treat their employees and community. You have to in this economy that I created. And we all really "need" iPads, don't we?
  • Reply 25 of 79
    ssquirrelssquirrel Posts: 1,196member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    Target is a discount chain. Apple will damage their brand by associating with them.



    Target has created a niche for themselves. At one point they were competing more strongly with Wal Mart, both selling things as cheaply as possible, but then they revamped and began selling a higher grade of product typically. Wal Mart did react to this and started making themselves a bit more like Target. It's interesting the way things have gone back and forth w/those 2 over the last decade.



    Look at things like furniture at the 2 stores. I'd be more inclined to buy things from Target than from Wal Mart when it comes to things like that as the quality is typically higher.
  • Reply 26 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by majortom1981 View Post


    No it wont. In a lot of areas there is only target to physically buy an apple product. Target is 5 min away from me while the apple store is 45 min.



    Exact same situation here. This is really big news if it is true. I have a Best Buy nearby also, but they carry no Macs, just iOS devices. I'm sure the trolls will pound on this until Microsoft invents the idea of putting a store in every Dollar Store to promote their latest Zune type products. That would be fitting.
  • Reply 27 of 79
    Any idea where these stores will be? I'd be anxious to check them out.
  • Reply 28 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Obama View Post


    You have to in this economy that I created.



    This really isn't a play-acting forum. Just wanted to throw that out there in case you didn't know.



    Anyway, this is no different from selling iDevices in places that aren't Apple Stores. Big deal. It's more exposure, really.
  • Reply 29 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Obama View Post


    You have to in this economy that I created



    You probably thought this was the President of the United States commenting on an AppleInsider thread about Target...



    NOPE!



    Chuck Testa
  • Reply 30 of 79
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post


    Choosing store locations is not all about population density. They factor in things like:

    - Average household income

    - Shopping habits (if the Brooklyn residents with money tend to shop in NYC, there's no point in putting a store in Brooklyn).

    There are a lot of places with high population density that aren't likely to EVER see an Apple Store.



    There are some plenty of high income neighborhoods in bklyn populated by people that couldn't afford Manhattan. An Apple store would fit in nicely surrounded by all the high end boutiques and markets.
  • Reply 31 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    I'd be willing to bet money you're wrong. You just know the senior management at Target are Mac users.



    Computer usage at the corporate level doesn't mean that there is going to be hardware sold at the store level. It needs to make financial sense for this to happen. I think they might sell iPads, iPods, AppleTVs, Time Machines, Airports, but I don't think they're going to sell actual Mac computers at the retail level.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rattyuk View Post


    Trainability is not particularly relevant when they just unlock that display and hand you the box you point at. Heavens man, even the "display unit" is under glass running a demo.



    I think training to sell and upkeep computers is quite a bit higher to perform than selling iOS devices which as you so adeptly stated just requires unlocking a case. I'd argue that Target does a really poor job as selling digital cameras as well, because again the technical requirements to actually understand the hardware is higher than most Target employees are able/willing to be trained. I feel that this isn't going to be an acceptable sales experience if judged by Apple.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Grid View Post


    Read a little closer dude...

    Apple currently also operates a "store within a store" at over 600 Best Buy locations with "Apple Shops," some of which feature staffing by Apple Solution Consultants.



    Best Buy has a history of selling computers. I remember when CompUSA was still around and had Apple store-in-a-stores. Apple hated them. The computers weren't maintained and the experience wasn't Apple branded. This lead to the Apple retail revolution. While they were able to partially alleviate this problem in Best Buy with these hired sales consultants, Apple would need to hire 2,000 more of these consultants in order to sell computers at stores that currently doesn't have any pc shopping foot traffic.



    Like I said, Target could sell iOS devices (heck they already do!) and maybe some computer peripherals. Full-blown Mac computer shopping experience though? I think that's unlikely to happen.
  • Reply 32 of 79
    kenckenc Posts: 195member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kresh View Post


    is that why the display case in the picture is 3/4 full, hehe nice try



    So, I guess the stories of 3rd-party retailers being unhappy with not getting enough product is not true?
  • Reply 33 of 79
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mark Dodel View Post


    Exact same situation here. This is really big news if it is true. I have a Best Buy nearby also, but they carry no Macs, just iOS devices. I'm sure the trolls will pound on this until Microsoft invents the idea of putting a store in every Dollar Store to promote their latest Zune type products. That would be fitting.



    What Zune type products?
  • Reply 34 of 79
    ssquirrelssquirrel Posts: 1,196member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ferazel View Post


    Like I said, Target could sell iOS devices (heck they already do!) and maybe some computer peripherals. Full-blown Mac computer shopping experience though? I think that's unlikely to happen.



    I think if they actually sell computers we would see them selling Minis and maybe the Air and iMac. You know, basically what Best Buy has. I can't remember if our local BB even sells the MBP or not. They have iMacs, iPods, iPads and Airs for sure, as well as the usual peripherals and ATVs.
  • Reply 35 of 79
    djmikeodjmikeo Posts: 180member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mark Dodel View Post


    Exact same situation here. This is really big news if it is true. I have a Best Buy nearby also, but they carry no Macs, just iOS devices. I'm sure the trolls will pound on this until Microsoft invents the idea of putting a store in every Dollar Store to promote their latest Zune type products. That would be fitting.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dasanman69 View Post


    What Zune type products?



    Haha @dasanman69: good point!! But then I thought of the Win7 Phones.
  • Reply 36 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by djmikeo View Post


    Haha @dasanman69: good point!! But then I thought of the Win7 Phones.



    That would be the Windows Phone 7 phones. An idiotic name for an idiotic product. The Zune for the 2010's.
  • Reply 37 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    Target is a discount chain. Apple will damage their brand by associating with them.





    Have to agree with this. Even as an Apple shareholder interested in increasing Apple sales, which this most certainly will, over all it just seems to cheapen the brand a little. Look at Mossimo, Paul Frank, Thomas O'Brien, Michael Graves, Phillip Starck, etc... billionaires sure, but the brands they built are now more associated with a discount retailer than a high-end product.
  • Reply 38 of 79
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    Target is a discount chain. Apple will damage their brand by associating with them.



    Well then you certainly don't want to walk by the electronics department at Walmart and see the iPad's displayed for sale there.
  • Reply 39 of 79
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Morky View Post


    If Brooklyn were not part of NYC, it would be the fourth largest city in America. I'm baffled we don't have an Apple store yet when there are five enormous ones across the river.



    The problem is that the places that are high traffic are not the places that are "hip" and vice-versa. So where do you put the store?



    Borough President Marty Markowitz was pushing for an Apple store on Court Street, but that particular shopping district can be kind of seedy, even though it's surrounded by wonderful cast-iron towers and brownstones. Park Slope's 7th Avenue or 5th Avenue would target the right market, but it's not high density. Same for Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. In spite of expensive housing and some fine restaurants, Williamsburg is still kind of seedy (main drag looks a lot like Berkeley) and it's relatively low density except for those new buildings on the water. DUMBO might be a good place and has such stores as West Elm and Bo Concept, but it probably wouldn't attract a lot of consumers from outside the neighborhood.



    Even though there is an Apple Store on 9th Avenue and 14th street, Jobs once killed a potential store that was going to be farther east, either on 14th street or 23rd street (I forget which) because he didn't like the way the neighborhood and surrounding stores looked (although they also tried for a store near the Flatiron Building, which was killed because idiots on the community board didn't like Apple's modern architecture in close proximity to the Flatiron.)



    If Apple still cares about the way neighborhoods look, most neighborhoods in Brooklyn aren't going to appeal to them in spite of how expensive housing is in those areas.



    Same issue in Queens which has about 2.3 million people to Brooklyn's 2.5 million. The Queens Center Mall had the highest sales per square foot of any mall in America before it was expanded, but it's not exactly "high end". There's the old COMP USA building in Rego Park which would be a perfect building for Apple (especially if they made it look similar to the Lincoln Center store), but there's nothing around it that's consistent with Apple's branding and quality. They could go to Bayside, but it doesn't get a lot of shoppers from outside the neighborhood. Astoria and Long Island City are hipper, but I can't see Apple going there either.
  • Reply 40 of 79
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    Target is a discount chain. Apple will damage their brand by associating with them.



    I AGREE! And yes, I yelled but that is only because of all the people disagreeing. It's hard to fathom why anyone would think this makes good sense for Apple in the long term.



    The Apple Store, and by extenstion Apple products, has always been about the experience...both visual and tactile. Look at the picture of the Target display. Cheap looking, standard metal shelves painted black with no products out in the open for the customer to experience. No one around to ask question or point out features. It is the exact opposite of the image Apple tries to give off. If you want to charge a premium price for your product you must sell it in the appropriate surroundings. It would be like Rolex selling watches at target. They can put all the Rolex experts there they want but it is still a diluted experience. (And having been in a number of Best Buys and never seeing any employees around the Apple products, I doubt Target is going to get more.)



    Anyone that knows anything about marketing could tell you this is horrible idea. It is a money grab that will pay off in the short-term but dilute the brand in the long-term. And once you dilute the perceived value of your brand, it is extremely hard to get it back up. Apple leadership has made a huge mistake by entering into this deal. I'll bet you if Steve Jobs saw the picture attached to this article he would have nixed the deal then and there.



    Well, I'm off to go buy a Mercedes SLS AMG at my local Kia dealer. They sell new ones there now and one of their salesmen is Mercedes certified! His cubicle even has Mercedes posters on it!
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