Notebook Shopping at the Mall: Apple vs. Sony vs. Dell

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by Andrew Baxter, Jerry Jackson, and Kevin O’Brien

Few things are more American than than that giant oasis of consumer lust ... the local shopping mall. Here in the United States (and gradually overseas) the most commonly seen stores dedicated to offering notebook computer deals are the Apple Store, SonyStyle store, and the Dell sales kiosks. With Labor Day sales week well underway and the holiday buying season just a few weeks away, three of our editorial staff members went deep inside this suburban jungle to figure out what these stores really have to offer.

Our experieces at the Kenwood TownCenter shopping mall in Cincinnati, Ohio reflect what we believe to be general consumer experiences at these major retail stores. Each of the three members of our undercover shopping team visited the stores alone at three different times during one afternoon in late August. While your local mall may not feature all three of these stores, here is what you can expect if they do.

Apple Store

The first thing a shopper is likely to notice about the Apple Store is the nice layout. The store is bright, open and inviting with cool exterior signage. There are numerous demo units sitting on desks and islands for shoppers to play with. All of the notebooks have wireless internet access setup so you can browse the web. In general, the entire store is setup so customers feel free to experience the products and ask questions.

The bright and open Apple Store. (view large image)

The open and inviting feeling is further reinforced by the sales associate experience. If a salesperson was available it took less than three minutes of using a MacBook or MacBook Pro before being asked if one of us had a question. The wait felt appropriate, so you didn’t feel you were immediately being jumped on inside the store.

All of the sales associates on duty during our visits were in their early twenties, a couple were slightly awkward with interactions but all were enthusiastic. When we asked about installing Windows on a MacBook two different associates suggested Parallels over Boot Camp. Both said Boot Camp was available for free but pulled a copy of Parallels ($79) off the shelf ... indicating that it was easier just to use Parallels.

The sales associates were similarly knowledgable about a range of Apple notebook issues: everything from software to upgrading RAM. When we asked about why the black MacBook costs so much more, the sales associates indicated it was mostly due to higher specs, but also that the black finish is more expensive because it’s more unique and is better for hiding dirt. When we asked about how to access and open MS Word documents the sales reps indicated MS Word 2004 is the latest Office application out for the Mac and costs $399 and that Office 2008 is coming in January. One of the sales associates was quick to indicate iWork 2008 is much cheaper at $79 and lets you do basically anything the Office suite of Word, Excel and PowerPoint offer. Unfortuantely, iWork is not included with a MacBook purchase.

No sales pressure was applied. When Andrew indicated to the associate he’d like to play around on the notebook some more and browse the store the salesperson slapped him on the shoulder in a friendly manner and said to call over to him if he had any more questions. We're guessing the shoulder slap was a little bit too chummy for most people.

One of the key benefits to purchasing a notebook at the Apple Store is that pricing is the same as online, but you can walk out with a notebook in hand and easily communicate with a sales rep face-to-face. Furthermore, Apple offers free classes for some of the software you get with a Mac, so it's good to get to know your local Apple Store anyway if you purchase an Apple laptop.

During our multiple visits to the Apple Store many customers of all ages visited the store with their new purchases to get hands-on training regarding how to use their new computers. Interestingly, sales associates did not divulge the average in-store wait times for appointments at the &quot;genius bar.&quot;

Sony Style

If the Apple Store is warm and inviting, the SonyStyle store is dark and mysterious. Think of it as a 21st century opium den for computer geeks. The dim lighting is clearly for effect in that it makes the notebook screens and TVs seem brighter, but it makes the products themselves harder to see. Several of the new Sony notebooks such as the VAIO CR series come in an assortment of attractive colors but we couldn't see what the colors really looked like inside the store. It was so dark inside the store that we noticed two different customers knock over display stands because they couldn't see well enough.

(view large image)

Speaking of display stands, the layout of the SonyStyle store is a little more cluttered than the Apple Store in that the aisles are much more narrow. On the other hand, Sony uses carpeting instead of hard wood floors, so SonyStyle gets points for being &quot;cozy.&quot; At the time of this writing the main sales displays in the store featured &quot;HDNA&quot; (&quot;High-Definition, it's in our DNA&quot. Most of the notebooks on display also featured a wireless internet connection so shoppers can browse the web.

The sales experience inside the SonyStyle was a bit more &quot;laid back&quot; than what we saw and experienced at the Apple Store. Sales associates greet customers with a simple &quot;Hello&quot; upon entering the store and generally waited five to six minutes before approaching the customer. All of the staff we encountered were well groomed and professional with a reasonable degree of knowledge about the notebooks they sell.

When we asked a sales associate what processor was inside one of the Sony CR notebooks, he said &quot;Core 2 Duo.&quot; When we asked about the speed of the processor he immediately indicated it was a 1.8GHz processor. When we asked about the CR having dedicated graphics, he correctly identified the system as featuring Intel integrated graphics and said the VAIO AR 17&quot; notebook had the best dedicated graphics with an Nvidia 8600 card inside. The sales associate was similarly knowledgable about the VAIO AR and he was helpful on all aspects. When we asked about battery life he laughed and indicated it was poor and at best 2 hours, so he was really quite honest. He gave a nice rundown of all the ports, demonstrated the TV capabilities and explained how the Sony LocationFree device worked. He plugged the LocationFree device as being easier to use than a SlingPlayer, though essentially the same in terms of technology concept. The sales associate didn’t apply any sales pressure.

When we asked a sales associate to honestly explain why we should buy from their store rather than buy online the response was amazingly similar to what we heard at the Apple Store. The Sony salesperson said the primary benefit of buying from the store is getting help from a real human being. He also said that although the SonyStyle store doesn't offer on-site technical support or repair they do offer free classes for customers to learn how to use their new Sony notebooks.

Dell Kiosk

Alright, admittedly it's not fair to compare a kiosk to a full store. However, if you're a mall shopper you're just as likely to purchase a notebook at the Dell Kiosk as the Apple Store or SonyStyle store. In fact, we found Dell had strategically placed posters and other print advertising all over the mall in an effort to draw shoppers to the kiosk.

A view of the surprisingly well-equipped Dell kiosk. (view large image)

The layout of the kiosk is fine for what it is. There is a range of Dell notebooks and desktops on display along with accessories, but it can get a bit crowded if there are more than three or four people at the kiosk at one time. The XPS M1330 notebook we found on display was just a shell, which was annoying. All the other notebooks on display were in proper working condition and had Internet setup, but there was only room for four notebooks (five if you count the M1330 shell) thanks to the desktops and accessories on display.

Space for notebooks at the kiosk is limited thanks to the desktops. (view large image)

Our shopping experiences at the Dell kiosk were quite mixed. Two of us received help in a timely manner but one of us was never helped by the lone sales associate after waiting 15 minutes. Andrew waited the first 10 minutes while the sales associate apparently helped a previous customer setup a return over the phone. He saw Andrew and indicated he’d be over to help after being on the phone two minutes, but after the phone call the salesperson ended up helping somebody else that arrived after Andrew. The obvious downside of a mall kiosk store is that one sales associate isn't enough to service multiple shoppers.

The rest of our undercover shopping team managed to get help from the associate after a few minutes. The sales associate knew the ins and outs of all the machines on display, including all of the customization options. When we asked about Dell's recent shipping delays, the salesperson indicated the fastest way to get a new notebook is to select the black color rather than the customized colors advertised right at the kiosk. He also knew which hardware components would likely delay the shipping date. Oddly enough, when Kevin asked about installing XP on the new Inspiron notebooks the salesperson told Kevin that the Intel T7x00 series processors were Vista only, and Intel did not have drivers that made it work with XP. So either he intentionally lied or just didn’t know.

Every table in the food court featured Dell kiosk advertisements. (view large image)

When we asked why we should buy from the kiosk instead of directly from Dell's website, the sales associate said the only benefits are seeing the products with your own eyes, dealing with someone who knows the configuration options, and a $100 dollar discount off the quoted price (at the time of this writing) when ordered through them.

Conclusion

Overall, your local shopping mall might actually be a decent place to pick up your next notebook. While it's safe to say that you can probably find cheaper prices online using coupons and seasonal deals, there is something to be said for the face-to-face shopping experience. We actually highly recommend trying to test out a laptop before you buy it if you can, so if nothing else these stores offer an opportunity at that, and then you can hunt for the best price online.

 

Nice writeup. I was really surprised by the Intel Processor comment from the Dell rep.. either the guy had little experience or it slipped his mind.

 

Nice read! Very, very interesting.

There's a mall back at home that has an Apple Store and a Dell Kiosk, and I always notice that whenever I pass the Apple Store, I have to go in and mess around with everything.

 

haha a very nice read.

Ive been to both the sony and apple stores and I had a very similar experience as mention in the article. Only thing different might be when I touch the vaio TZ there would always be one salesman looking at me, making me feel uncomfortable. It's feels like they didn't want me touching it cause they think I can't afford it (which is partially true ^^) Thats the only bad thing though.

PS: I'm 18

 

nice read, even humorous at times.

 

Good thread. The Fashion Mall, located in my hometown, has both an Apple Store and a SonyStyle store. While I like looking in both, the Apple Store always has people in it and overall has a more "friendly" atmosphere. The SonyStyle store, on the other hand, is always "dead", and, combined with the dark lighting and a security guard always lurking around, doesn't exactly have what I'd call an inviting atmosphere.

They do have some cool stuff, I'll admit, but it's mostly their high end stuff, which is very pricey. I won't be surprised if they close that store in the next year or so.

 

Whenever i go to the mall i always hit up the Apple and Sony store. Although i think i enjoy the Sony Store more because they also have TV's/speakers/game consoles/other gadgets to look at after you check out the computers and find out they are too expensive.

 

yea i have to add I enjoy the sony store because of their products not what it looks like....

 

My local mall is so run-down it's not funny. It's nearly gone out of business a couple dozen times since the Walmart came down the street and everyone left the mall to move down near it. After changing hands a few times, the mall seems to be coming back. They're building a big Boscov's and Dick's Sporting Goods onto it which is much better than an empty big store and little store taking up 10 times more space than it should. The floor is a mix of beaten up 30-year-old tile, uneven bricks, and a random mix of pastel colors. I really hope they remodel the whole thing. About the only thing buzzing in the mall are the cell phone stores.

I've never actually been in an Apple or Sony store. The story about the Dell employee doesn't surprise me one bit.

 

malls are a dying concept, I'm surprised that apple dell and sony are attempting to win that customer space. Meanwhile HP outsells them all at places like Wal-Mart.

The dell kiosk here is a joke, same fat guy sitting there playing video games and not assisting customers. Plus Dell products are so ubiquitous these days....do you really need to try one out first?

When I pass by the Apple store it reminds me of an arcade, everyone is playing, but I don't see many people buying. It mainly looks full of young kids who barely could afford the gas to drive to the mall. Not exactly the crowd I think Apple is vying for.

We don't have a Sony store, though I wish we did. The one on the Mag Mile in Chicago is swank.

 

Seriously? I live in St. Louis, and the malls around here do just fine. Heck, when I go home to Columbia, SC and head to the mall it seems to be doing well too. To me, it seems like people are leaning more and more towards specialty stores.

 

Frontenac seems to be decent, but in recent years the once clean popular Galleria is looking horrible. The last time I was in there it was overrun with some less then friendly people and most of the better stores had moved out. They didnt even have the wonderful fountain blasting last time I stopped in . Living up in Ladue that was always the place to kill time.

But I have to agree that more people are going to malls specifically for the specialty shops. Another tastey trend are all the highend food/baking stores that have all the samples.

 

again, malls are a dying concept:

http://www.deadmalls.com/

 

At the mall close to me they had the XPS 1330!
Tim

 

Northpark Center in Dallas has a full Dell Store thats pretty cool. You guys should go there to be able to make a fair comparison against Apple and Sony.

 

The reason Sony stores are so dim is the fact that they are displaying many other products besides laptops...namely televisions (something that all other vendors mentioned above do not sell...the monitors that Apple claims to double as a TV is laughable). And, of course, the dimmer it is in the place, the more appealing TVs will look - many of the TVs in the Sony store have glass substrate front panels, making reflections pretty easy to achieve.

 

I think this is why Apple wants stores:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/03/19/8402321/index.htm
Their stores are some of the most successful retailers period. Their 5th Ave store outpaces Best Buy, Sak's, and Tiffany's per square foot, which is the great measurement of a retailer's success. Apple really has hit a home run with their stores.

 

The Dell Kiosk here was the only place that let me install games on the demo machines to see how they run.

 

Wow, that's pretty bold of you to have even asked. Impressive that they let you.

Experience differs greatly based on who's there to help at these places. I will say that at least with the Apple store there's so many associates on hand that you can probably find at least one that will really know their stuff, and in general they all do.

The first guy we saw at the Dell booth was pretty good, the second dude was the one that said the new Intel processors don't support XP that was pretty good I thought.

The people buying in malls are usually not on forums like this if you know what I mean.

 

My mall doesnt have any of those 3 stores

 

Can on the Sony store we buy and leave the store with the computer?

I'm from Brazil and normally just stay for a week or so in US, can not stay waiting for delivery.

That's why i almost always buy my things in best buy.

Thanks,

 

I wish we had an Apple store here in Fargo. I'll have to hit one up in the Cities next time I'm there.

 

Malls within half an hour of me have all three, but I only like the Apple store. Really nice environment, and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I cannot say the same for Sony, where you can't find anything in the store, and nobody has a clue about any of the products. Dell isn't bad, but theres only so much you can do with a kiosk.

Granted, I would never buy from any of the actual stores, since its cheaper to buy online.

 

I'd have to disagree with SonyStyle not having a clue about their products. When my family was looking for a new Laptop for my Mom, the saleswoman was actually quite knowledgeable about their VAIOs, and computers in general. So knowledgeable, in fact, that I had to 'translate' the advantages/disadvantages of certain PC components to meanings that my mom could understand.

Still, she ended up with a Dell; probably because it was a better deal, who knows

 

Speaking of the Apple Store, I just got an email saying that we are getting one in my town. Freakin sweet; it's about time.

 

hey, an enjoyable read! a very interesting story indeed.

i for one would really prefer buying things in store instead of online, you get to see the product, and it is easier to deal with when you were having problem. with online order you usually needs to ship it back. with instore order you can just return an item to the store and let them deal with the problem. though the problem i had with instore order is it is kinda hard to customise, with online order you know what you can customise.

it is certainly is a nice experience when the sales team don't put any pressure when you want to buy a product. it says that they have trust and confidence in their product and consumers.

i must say that like many other gadget loving people in here. i also can't help checking out apple and sony and other nicely decorated one-brand-only boutique shop. just to see if there is something new.

and i also think that no matter what you look like (crummy or cool) or just playing or want to buy. they should always think that everybody is a customer, as this is the truth, everybody is a potential customer, even if you're not right now, you could very well be in the future, if your product left a lasting impression.

 

Nice article, it was an enjoyable read.

I have all three of these at my local mall. I agree that the SonyStyle store is dark but ours has plenty of light to see around in.
The Dell kiosk I don't have much experience with except that it's small.
And finally the Apple store is always a fun place to visit. I like the way they look inside & out.

 

I have 5 malls in my area. 3 out of the 5 have Dell Direct Stores (Including one very large kiosk). Two of them have Apple Sores and there is one Sony Store in the area.

The extremely upscale Mall of Millennia which is a block from Universal Studios Florida is the only one where all three stores are present. The Apple Store is open and cool, but always very crowded. I don't think a sale person has ever once come up to me in the Apple store (The second Mall with an Apple Store, the equally upscare and touristy Florida Mall right next door to SeaWorld Advanture Park of Florida has an indentical store). The Sonystyle store is my favorite. This particular one is large, far larger than the apple store and seems to take up the space of three stores, with three different rooms. I love how the notebooks are unteathered so I can pick them up and turn them around. Thats not all Sonystyle is good for though, off topic... watching Meerkat Manor on a 70 inch High Definition flat panel in the TV room is the real highlight of that store. The Mall of Millennia has a huge Dell Kiosk on the lower level in the middle of a big open area. This kiosk is much better equipt than most with alot more on display. I was able to see a working 1330 their on Monday. The other two Dell kioks are run of the mill. Just thought I'd throw in my experiences here in O-Town.

 

The Dell Kiosk at my local mall in Columbus, OH has had either two or three associates every time I've been by it. Perhaps it is one of the "huge" Dell kiosks, as it is the largest mall in the city. Service there was usually quick, as there were usually enough representatives to serve all the customers.

Another mall in the city has an Apple store, but I've only been to that mall one or two times since it's not especially close, and have never had a chance to tour the store. I don't know of any Sony stores here.