The year I was a sophomore year at Drexel University the school made history by requiring incoming freshmen to own a personal computer. This is a common practice today but at the beginning of the 1980s it was pretty radical. We used Macs at DU, my experience for the most part was limited. Admittedly, I quickly learned that clothing alteration services could be exchanged for typing services so I avoided that computer at all costs.

Fast forward 20+ years and I am back in the world of Apple computers, which are frequently used in the publishing world. Podcasts are a new feature at www.cnamag.com and I am learning how to record and edit the podcasts to prepare them for posting. So I contacted my local Apple Store to sign up for a class.

The Apple Store was an unusual and fascinating experience for me. When I first walked in, I wasn't sure what to do or where to go but within seconds a staffer had greeted me and directed me where to wait. that same person checked in with me every few minutes to let me know they would be starting soon (showing me I wasn't being neglected). No worries. I took advantage of the time to observe.

I am not what you'd call an "early adopter" of technology, in most cases I have learned new skills only after being thrown off the deep end.  Just "overhearing" other conversations showed me there were a lot of folks like me in the store. For the most part, the staff of men and women were young - 20s and early 30s but the clientele was diverse on all levels.

When an associate greets you they determine the need and get you signed up for help. You can take the next available appointment, but if you need to run an errand you can sign up at any available appointment. So, you can go grab lunch and know at 1:20p.m. someone will greet you by name and help you.

Clearly this staff was trained to put people at ease and not make them feel stupid because they didn't understand something.   Lucky me, I got a (free) private podcasting lesson which turned into "what did you want to do," and the young man who helped me walked me through and patiently answered my questions. Gauging my uncertainty, he asked a lot of questions about how I used my computer. Now I am signed up for an annual education support program that for less than $100, I get 50 hours of staff time for training or repair. Money well spent aready.

Other neat things-There was a very high staff to customer ratio. Employees were constantly moving and engaging people or checking equipment displays. No hanging about chitchatting.

Employees used handheld credit card scanners, no need to wait in line at the counter, they come to you, do the transaction and boom, you're done. A children's area was set up low to floor so that little ones could just sit down and play a computer game. What better way to show future customers that Apple products = fun.

How can I best describe the mood at that store? Fun and upbeat, not in a silly way but in a "hey I like the people and I got what I needed done kind of way." I felt more confident when I left the store. 

Looking back I have to smile at the savviness of selling me that "help" package. When they sold me that customer service, they also earned dozens of return visits to their store. Sure, I go there with the intent to learn, but then I remember my niece's birthday is next week and she'd love an iTunes gift card and so on and so on-Beth