That is the most annoying thing I’ve ever seen.  They are trying to seem hip, yet it is just sad and stupid.

please make it stop

Maybe they were just bored out of their skull’s because nobody was buying anything and they don’t work at the ‘problem’ counter?

Did they all get into the routine, leaving customers to wait until they were done, or was it just the ones who did not have customers? If it was the former, that is bad salesmanship. Never walk away from a customer you are helping to do something else. If it was the latter, what does that say about how few customers they had in the store compared to the number of employees?

Could be worse, at least Ballmer wasn’t dancing with them.

To be fair a few years ago I danced Shake a Tail Feather with the Blues Brothers impersonators at the Universal Studios tour. I suppose a lot of tourists took video of that, but I have yet to see it on YouTube.

Next they’ll be serving quiche and singing happy birthday.

There is so little people in the store when compared to AppleStore, no wonder they have room to do the dance.

I wonder if they’ll be wearing “flair” next?

I think they do this every time they sell a premium version of Windows 7 or actually solve a problem at the guru bar or sell a computer that isn’t a netbook

On a more serious note, depending on the time of day it was, there weren’t a lot of people in the store. Would they be doing this if the store was busy? Is this a desperate attempt to try to attract attention and get more foot traffic into the store? Will they count the people who just came into the store to dance as part of their foot traffic? They would seem to have a lot of time on their hands to practice this. If things really aren’t busy, I wonder when we will hear about the layoffs? Will who gets retained be related to how good a dancer they are ?

Neal

You’ve GOT to be friggin kidding me. Please tell me you wrote this article, tongue firmly planted in proverbial cheek. That is the tackiest, scariest event that’s likely happened in any tech store. I’d be tempted to dial 9-1-1 if I was anywhere nearby *that* sickly event.

There’s a 50s style hamburger diner joint called Johnny Rocket’s that used to do this. The staff would break into a 50s doo-wop dance/song thing every now and then, and I thought it was kind of cool. Of course, it kind of fit with the place and atmosphere instead of being a poor attempt at co-opting the flash mob idea.

If you consider “cool” or “hip” as successfully getting the soccer mom and retiree crowd to join in your line dance, then I guess they are wicked cool AND hip.

Is it just me or does the staff look like they are right out of Star Trek with their Yellow, Blue and Red shirts?  Watch out Red Shirts you know what’s coming!

“If you consider “cool” or “hip” as successfully getting the soccer mom and retiree crowd to join in your line dance, then I guess they are wicked cool AND hip.”

Retiree crowd! Hey I was retired when I danced at Universal Studios.

“Is it just me or does the staff look like they are right out of Star Trek with their Yellow, Blue and Red shirts?  Watch out Red Shirts you know what’s coming!”

The Apple Retail Store staff wear T-Shirts, usually all them wear the same colored ones though. They also do the clapping and cheering thing when we enter the store at grand opening, release a new OS or something.

They’re all doing the monkey dance!

Retiree crowd! Hey I was retired when I danced at Universal Studios.

No offense intended Harry, I’m not that far off myself.

No offense intended Harry, I’m not that far off myself.

No offense taken, this is all in fun.

When someone buy a computer system there, everyone of the employees start clapping and cheering.
now THAT is really embarrassing.

That is scary. This is the first microsoft store I have seen and I am amazed at the extent they have tried to duplicate an Apple store. Is there not one creative individual in that company? In addition I wonder how many windows users are going to say Apple is trying to copy microsoft with their stores.
I feel sorry for the the employees who are told to dance like they work at Coyote Ugly. Just sad.

Looks like there are way more staff than customers. Maybe they just needed something to keep the staff from suffering a terminal case of boredom.

Steve Jobs said it best: “The thing about Microsoft is…they just have no taste.”

Be afraid. Be Very very afraid.

I am ever so glad I live on a different continent to the Ballmer and it’s clone army.