Went to buy MBA and....

harsaphes

harsaphes

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
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left with nothing. Very odd business practice going on here. I went to the Apple store today to buy a MBA, base config. The prices were shown for upgraded ram and or upgraded processors. I said I wanted just the base model, but asked about the price difference with the ram upgrade....100 dollars was fine and I said I would take the model with the upgraded ram. "oh we dont sell those, you have to order that online"?!...Really? So you list the prices of the different models but you dont sell those?...Very odd. So they let a customer walk out with nothing who would have spent 1500 dollars. Bad business in my eyes.
 
If you want anything but the base configuration, you order it online. I think it's always been this way.

Think of it from a business perspective. If every Apple store carried all this extra RAM and hard drives and other components like that, they'd just be sitting on them, I'd imagine. Instead they outsource to China where these parts are already onsite and they build your laptop however you want it and ship it right to you, from a centralized location. It would probably require the apple store to have more space to store all this crap, and more employees and time to get it all installed, when they can outsource it and save a considerable amount of money, while the only con is you have to wait a couple days. Chances are if you are buying a Mac, you've been doing your research for quite some time and either A) already know this, or B) can wait a few days to get what you want. Some upgrades like the higher resolution screen upgrade aren't practical to do onsite in an Apple store for even more reasons than mentioned above.

How is this bad business?
 
because you are letting a customer leave your establishment without a purchase, which lets them change their mind. I didnt know the drill...first mac computer.
 
The customer has however many days to change their mind after the purchase thanks to the generous return policy. I think if the business model relies on "trapping" customers into purchases thanks to stock on hand then your name is BestBuy. Please remind me, how is Apple performing compared to BestBuy?

Maybe be glad you even have the option to order a custom built machine online as well as purchase a pre-built unit today from the same company.

You did order that right? I'm jealous, enjoy!
 
harsaphes said:
because you are letting a customer leave your establishment without a purchase, which lets them change their mind. I didnt know the drill...first mac computer.
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Well for the MBA it's a whole other SKU since the memory is soldered on the motherboard and you can't exactly just change it out. Plus with all the configs out there, it'd be too many to carry.
 
blah blah blah...yes I know...No I didnt order anything yet. It was just odd that the prices are listed in store for different models yet only one is available for purchase. I'll make my mind up this week.
 
You're better off ordering it from MacMall anyway. You can get up to 3% fatwallet cash back, and often times a free printer after rebate and up to $150 off a machine (no rebate here/$ off depends on the machine pricing) which equates to the student discount pricing on a lot of stuff. Also no tax for a lot of folks.

I've done this for 5 apple products thus far and the rebates for shipping/printer work out every time.
 
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Weird, I bought my 11" Air from an Apple store. They had several configurations available, and I chose the fully-spec'ed one. Maybe each store is different in what they carry...?

This is the Apple Store in Santa Clara, if that makes any difference. A short drive to Steve's house, I guess...
 
aznx said:
Well for the MBA it's a whole other SKU since the memory is soldered on the motherboard and you can't exactly just change it out. Plus with all the configs out there, it'd be too many to carry.
Click to expand...
Yep, that's it. They can't do upgrades on-site, and if they don't carry them, you can always just order them right from the store.
 
Zinn said:
Weird, I bought my 11" Air from an Apple store. They had several configurations available, and I chose the fully-spec'ed one. Maybe each store is different in what they carry...?

This is the Apple Store in Santa Clara, if that makes any difference. A short drive to Steve's house, I guess...
Click to expand...

Common specs are usually carried, things like fully loaded configurations. "In-between" configs, especially in things like the MBA where the RAM is soldered onto the logic board, are another story.
 
When's the last time you went to an electronics store and they had a bunch of different configurations for a specific laptop? I understand your frustration, but it's just not logical to have all of the configurations in stock. Perhaps the MBA is a little bit more complex than say, a MBP. At the time, I just needed one of the base model MBPs, and it was a smooth transaction. In and out in 10 minutes.
 
I have 3 Apple stores in my area and from what I noticed Some carry models with extras and some don't. Think I see one carry the 15" with the better display and random other minor things. Honestly tho they should carry the MBA with the upgraded ram. At least with a short supply cause not everyone will buy that one due to cost imho.

Buying a Mac is like going to the dealership. If you want extras sometimes you gotta order it and wait....least shippings free at apple.com :)
 
Ok...so it goes like this....according to the store I just called the base model and the High end model are always carried in store. So thats that.
 
Yeah, the problem with the MBA is that it's size/battery required certain things to be unupgradable (RAM is the biggest example obviously).

With a MBP/MB, you could say "I want the base, but upgrade the ram" and the Genius bar can pull a base outta the box and upgrade the RAM for you in store.

But with the MBA, there isn't a RAM socket, because those take up space, instead the RAM is soldered directly to the board, and that means not upgradable.

Apple stocks the base and the max upgraded, because those two models are by far the most popular choices. There isn't exactly a whole lot of stock room in an Apple Store, and I'm betting there isn't enough demand to keep even a "short stock" of other options on hand, and keep the turned over regularly.
 
Sounds like you don't understand how Apple stores work. It's the same way in ANY large electronics retailer. You go into a Best Buy and you have a limited choice of what Dell, HP, Asus carry....I don't see why you are so upset that Apple Retail "let you walk"....if I worked there I would be laughing as you left the store. Any Apple retail employee would have gladly helped you order it online, in their store, and been there to assist you. So...you are impatient and can't wait a few days? Well that's YOUR problem for not being informed and not being a patient person.
 
Appa said:
Sounds like you don't understand how Apple stores work. It's the same way in ANY large electronics retailer. You go into a Best Buy and you have a limited choice of what Dell, HP, Asus carry....I don't see why you are so upset that Apple Retail "let you walk"....if I worked there I would be laughing as you left the store. Any Apple retail employee would have gladly helped you order it online, in their store, and been there to assist you. So...you are impatient and can't wait a few days? Well that's YOUR problem for not being informed and not being a patient person.
Click to expand...

Thanks for stopping by and contributing nothing to a discussion that was solved three days ago.
 
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harsaphes said:
because you are letting a customer leave your establishment without a purchase, which lets them change their mind. I didnt know the drill...first mac computer.
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They didn’t “let” you leave. They couldn’t sell you the product you were requesting. The MBA’s RAM modules are soldered directly to the motherboard PCB: there are no expansion slots to insert or remove a RAM stick. They literally cannot install or remove RAM in the store, so they couldn’t comply with your request.
 
Terpfen said:
They didn’t “let” you leave. They couldn’t sell you the product you were requesting. The MBA’s RAM modules are soldered directly to the motherboard PCB: there are no expansion slots to insert or remove a RAM stick. They literally cannot install or remove RAM in the store, so they couldn’t comply with your request.
Click to expand...

Well, it's more like the OP didn't want to get the product he wanted but wanted to bitch about the experience instead. He could have easily ordered the MBA online, from where he was in the store with an Apple rep helping him through the process if he really wanted too.

I'm just not understanding this thread. This is how ALL brick and mortar stores operate.The have very limited stock on hand and the rest needs to be ordered from their warehouses and shipped out to their retail store. Now, for a specialty product like the MBA which needs an entirely separate SKU for something like extra memory because it's all integrated into the motherboard any retail store is only going to stock just enough of the most popular configurations. For anything beyond those you'll have to wait for it to be shipped out to either you or the store for pick up.

This is all pretty standard practice.

In summary, the only one that let the OP walk out of the store empty handed was the OP.
 
Sorry if the way I operate isn't to anyone else's standards. To me, displaying a product with a sign next to it that lists different configurations and prices is certainly setting up an expectation that said product is available in those possibilities in the store. Also, yes, the HARD group and Apple faithful know the ram is soldered on board, but the average consumer and someone who has never bought an Apple computer, me, doesnt know that, so really that argument is mute.
The entire time I spoke to the sales person about the MBA he never mentioned that the upgraded ram was only available online. He told me that the model I was buying was not upgradeable once I buy it. He went in the back and brought out the MBA. He then told me that for an extra hundred I could upgrade the ram. OK great. I said yes. He THEN told me that option wasnt available in store only online, he never offered to order the product for me in store. So...I left with nothing. Sorry, thats a strange sales experience in my book.
 
harsaphes said:
<snip> He THEN told me that option wasnt available in store only online, he never offered to order the product for me in store. So...I left with nothing. Sorry, thats a strange sales experience in my book.
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With only my 1 B&M Apple Store purchase as reference, this is the part that surprised me. That's just poor salesmanship and customer service. There should have been a "We don't have that here, but I can help you pick out the perfect model to be shipped to you in X-days!"
You know... something to defuse your disappointment, explain a bit about their process, and then try to get you what you want.

When I bought my Mini last year it seemed like they ran the whole transaction through the online Apple Store anyway. Not like it'd be outside of their comfort zone or anything.
 
Frobozz said:
With only my 1 B&M Apple Store purchase as reference, this is the part that surprised me. That's just poor salesmanship and customer service. There should have been a "We don't have that here, but I can help you pick out the perfect model to be shipped to you in X-days!"
You know... something to defuse your disappointment, explain a bit about their process, and then try to get you what you want.

When I bought my Mini last year it seemed like they ran the whole transaction through the online Apple Store anyway. Not like it'd be outside of their comfort zone or anything.
Click to expand...

Have to agree that this was just someone that wasn't really interested in selling you a MB. Sorry to hear about that but our multiple purchases and multiple Apple stores have proved quite the opposite of your. From what you are saying, hopefully you will not want anything other than a specific model/line of car because 75% of the time you will go to the lot and they won't what you want. The difference being the Car Salesman will do everything in their power to get you to purchase the more expensive unit on the lot, and thus move inventory. Apple does not operate that way, you don't see what you want in stock, here is the website and you can configure what you want. You can choose to leave at any point in time and purchase from someone else because Apple/Mac is not for everyone and they are not interested into forcing you into something that you do not want. I would be an easy sale to force everyone into a Mac of some sort but then their customer service would go down. Sorry but Apple has one of the best customer service models in our generation/world.
 
It could be worse....

I worked at a Gateway store (remember those?) back in college about 10 years ago.

You walked in... looked around... played with all the computers...

Then you walked up to the counter and ORDERED a computer.

We had no stock on hand. We were simply a showroom.

At least you can take most products home from an Apple Store...
 
I like the show room! Get to see what you are getting! I went in the other day and ogled the 11 inch MacBook Air.

I will get a new laptop this calendar year. I really hope they update the 13 inch MBP. Otherwise 11 inch air. Need to replace an aging 15 inch Mbp.

Edit. This calendar year for tax benefits.
 
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MScrip said:
It could be worse....

I worked at a Gateway store (remember those?) back in college about 10 years ago.

You walked in... looked around... played with all the computers...

Then you walked up to the counter and ORDERED a computer.

We had no stock on hand. We were simply a showroom.

At least you can take most products home from an Apple Store...
Click to expand...

They lost a sale when I walked in and discovered it was just a showroom. Started building my own PCs shortly after that.
 
Apple's sales model works for a great majority of consumers (also providing excellent service and gadgets people want). Witness the stock price.

It didn't work for you. Not unheard of. No model works for 100% of consumers.

Of course they hate to lose a sale, but you did walk out a satisfied consumer. I think that is also important to Apple. Good luck with your new build.

Edit: curious. Did you buy all your components for your build locally off the shelf? If you did, kudos for supporting local business. If not, why not?
 
from my point of view 'harsaphes' is right, it might be little awkward to read and understand what he wrote (had to read it three times before i can figure the problem out) but it's apple's fault.

Why would they put the mac book air basic model and put the price of upgraded ram/hd? they should just put the base price and put note or something by saying contact the technical personal for upgrade option. why put base MBA and put price of upgraded one that's confusing and wrong.

and since it's apple store they should keep least 5 or so upgraded MBA/other macbooks with ram and HD both upgraded, the sells representative's job there is to sell those, they are good at communication and customer wants the best which they should keep
 
scbjmshpv said:
and customer wants the best which they should keep
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Uh, costumers want "good enough" and for nearly all of them the base configurations are more then enough for them. Do you really think the average person knows how much ram they really need? Or even how what "ram" means?

Anyone who has ever worked retail knows the vast majority of people are just dumb.
 
Well Im happy to say I went back to the Apple store, spoke to a great sales girl, I mean she was amazing, and walked out with the top of line MBA. Happy ending.
 
I think it makes sense for them not to have every model in the store, but rather bizarre that they advertise models they don't have. The guy was prolly having a bad day and didn't really care about making a sale.

Glad you got what you wanted in the end!
 
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