It is good to see a small retailer with some brains.
This is a very smart move on their part.

Is this legal? Isn't the Apple store design part of Apple's IP - Resellers have a specific relationship with Apple Inc that gives them the rights to brand usage - particularly the Apple logo in the form they have used in on thet exterior. As far as I know there are limitations to the use of the logo 'on its own' and resellers are obliged to use the logo in conjunction with the words "Authorised Reseller". In Central Europe, Middle East, Africa (Apple calls this trading area CEMEA) Apple resellers are known as International Marketing Companies (IMC) and can only use the Apple logo in conjunction with the Words "Apple IMC". The Apple Logo cannot be used on its own, to imply Apple Inc corporate endorsement. Mad as it all seems it's Legal Stuff... so the question that springs to mind is "Is this Alabama store operating within its reseller agreement?". If any one can shed some light on this...

That shop is not the first/only one doing something like this.

Situated between the Apple Store in Columbus and the one in Cincy, an Apple Reseller in Dayton recently relocated their shop to a more visible location and modeled it much like an Apple Store.

The shelves were quite bare when I visited but that is understandable as the new location is probably 5X the original location and they had never really had much on display or for sale at the old location -- mostly special order or service.

The sad thing is I'm not sure the new location is really "better." The old shop was small -- just a little store front on a warehouse space. It had a unique and memorable name (anything with "Gallery" in the name sounds special, I guess) and the staff was the most knowledgeable and friendly group of Mac-people in town. You felt like you knew a secret when you drove past CompUSA, Circuit City and the other "Mac" store in town to the nearly impossible to find old location.

Now they've changed the shop name to Mactown and have a pretty store with Apple Store-like fixtures and Apple Store-like people. It is a great idea, but even though the location is more convenient, and the shop is larger and brighter, your "average Joe" is still more likely to be browsing CompUSA or Best Buy (both less than a half a mile away) and notice the Apple offerings before they ever notice the new location of this shop and decide to stop in.

I found out about the old location by word-of-mouth, and offered this piece of wisdom to every Mac-person I met. They all either already knew about the shop, or visited it shortly after learning about it. The most brilliant move they made was to open an iPod kiosk in our mall when the Video iPod was released -- selling the hard to find iPods and raking in some serious cash on the accessories from the likes of Speck and some little known companies. I think this kiosk was a magnet for Mac-people and helped direct even more people to their old shop.

I really don't think the new shop's style or location will make a lot of difference -- and don't want to suggest "old-timers" won't go to the new locations because it has gone "commercial". But, unless they really set themselves apart from the CompUSAs and Best Buys (where the only thing the sales people know about the Macs are where the boxes are kept in back), I'm afraid the new store only might help potential switchers decide on buying a Mac, only to have them leave the shop, go across the street and get the computer at CompUSA or Best Buy after signing-up for a credit card and getting six (maybe 18) months same as cash. That is fine for the Apple Stores because Apple still gets the sale. But for the stand-alone reseller, I could see this new approach quickly backfiring.

You can see Mactown's showroom on their website at www.applesales.com.

I guess I just miss the days of shopping the numerous small Apple-focused stores in Akihabara in Tokyo, and this shop's old location reminded me of one of the ones in Japan. The new look and location seems logical, but if I'm looking for an Apple-Store experience, I'll drive the 40 minutes to one of the Apple Stores. Otherwise, I'll probably do the same thing I did when I bought the MacBook I'm typing on right now -- look at the Apple Store online, make my decision, drive to Best Buy, pick up my product and pay for it over six months.

I really hope the good, small resellers survive. There are two in Dayton, and I've taken misbehaving Macs to both. One deserves to be shuttered, the other still has hope -- but I'm not sure copying the Apple Store's look and feel was the best, or even slightly better, thing to do.

MacResource,6485 University Drive, Huntsville, AL. 35806
has gave me the impression they were an Apple Store, from the design of the store and continual reference to the affiliation with Apple Inc. I purchased an iMac intel 20'2.4GHz serial number C2D/1GB/320GB/SD/APX/BT Ma877LL/A
xxxxxxxxx, which was damaged out of the box, having flaws under the screen and would not eject a CD, the screen went blank and failed repeatedly with in 2hr of use. I wanted to return it or exchange it for one that worked and wasn't damaged. They would not let me return it and insisted on fixing the screen, but the computer continued to fail, the reloaded the operating system and still the problems persisted. When I returned it last time and they wanted $150 to fix it. Under threat of American Express inquirery they agreed to return it but charged me $375 restock fee. The store also behaved in a prejudices manner to my black friend who is an intelligent computer person and who helped me carry it back; they said he would not be allowed into their store ever. He was at all time pleasant and informed. I was horrified by their behavior and I realized that stores which charge 25% restock fees, are doing this so they don't have to take the risk when selling damaged equipment. I've learned my lesson never do business with a store which charges unrealistic restock fees, they are selling shoddy goods which they are not willing to stand behind. Several customers came up to me and said they had similar interactions with the MacResource store. This can’t possibly be good for Apple Inc.

EDIT: serial number deleted by Intruder

Quote

Anonymous wrote:
MacResource,6485 University Drive, Huntsville, AL. 35806
has gave me the impression they were an Apple Store, from the design of the store and continual reference to the affiliation with Apple Inc. I purchased an iMac intel 20'2.4GHz serial number C2D/1GB/320GB/SD/APX/BT Ma877LL/A
xxxxxxxx, which was damaged out of the box, having flaws under the screen and would not eject a CD, the screen went blank and failed repeatedly with in 2hr of use. I wanted to return it or exchange it for one that worked and wasn't damaged. They would not let me return it and insisted on fixing the screen, but the computer continued to fail, the reloaded the operating system and still the problems persisted. When I returned it last time and they wanted $150 to fix it. Under threat of American Express inquirery they agreed to return it but charged me $375 restock fee. The store also behaved in a prejudices manner to my black friend who is an intelligent computer person and who helped me carry it back; they said he would not be allowed into their store ever. He was at all time pleasant and informed. I was horrified by their behavior and I realized that stores which charge 25% restock fees, are doing this so they don't have to take the risk when selling damaged equipment. I've learned my lesson never do business with a store which charges unrealistic restock fees, they are selling shoddy goods which they are not willing to stand behind. Several customers came up to me and said they had similar interactions with the MacResource store. This can’t possibly be good for Apple Inc.

1. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER post the serial number of a computer, iPod, etc., in public.

NEVER

2. If your friend was discriminated against, he should file a complaint with the local district attorney or consult a private attorney. At the very least, he should contact the nearest chapter of the NAACP, the ACLU, or similar organization for help. If he is not willing to do this, he is inviting further discrimination against himself and others. If one does not stand up for one's rights, one stands the good chance of losing them, as we've seen demonstrated all too clearly in the past few years.

3. It is very usual for a dealer to repair a computer rather than replacing one, as it usually costs less in the long run. (See below.) FWIW, iPods are different, as Apple does not authorize local repairs, for the most part.

4. Restocking fees vary a lot. Retailers charge them because, by law, they cannot sell a returned electronics item as new if the box was opened--it must be sold as used, even if it was never turned on. (This is one way that Apple gets the stock for their "refurbished" sales.)

5. Posting here does no good. Instead, write a reasonable, calm, factual letter (NO emotion, no highly charged words like "horrified by their behavior") describing the incident in as much detail as you can. Send that letter to Apple and send a copy to the store and to the store's owner, if it is owned by another corporation. Be FACTUAL, not judgmental, as you have been here, to avoid possible actions for libel and/or defamation.

Last, be prepared to defend yourself. You have posted your version of the incident; the merchant will probably have a different story.

they can't go the NAACP because this person is obviously a troll.

Strange store-clean look mimicking Apple Stores, but with large bare shelves and little merchandise. Prices are high: I got suckered into 2GB of Crucial memory for five times what you can buy it directly from Crucial. Good if you need Adobe education buys, but otherwise, I'd avoid.

But, if you need something ordered from Apple (and I guess Adobe), A Macintosh Store is good -- and there's not much difference in the pricing. The 3rd party stuff is out of control expensive and the selection is very limited -- unless you are looking for cases for old iPods.

Funny thing is, now CompUSA is gone -- this store just became a lot more valuable to the Dayton Mac crowd.