Originally Posted by robb
Hmmm, I'm slightly suspicious that we've an apple employee in our midst.
At any rate, someone told me that the Chicago store closed, and that apple was closing others on the basis that they were not profitable--that people were coming in and visitng/playing, but not buying.
Sorry if I was mistaken.
nope, the stores are doing great. The Chicago store is a flagship store, and those are known to do gangbusters. According to
IFOAppleStore,
53. Chicago, IL - North Michigan Avenue - (June 27) - flagship - free standing, city street, 3-story, glass staircase, skylight, rooftop garden, 24,000 square feet. Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. It's the highest-trafficked store in the chain, with 30,000 weekly visitors. The building includes a 2-story retail space at the front, and a 3rd-story training facility at the rear, with a podium, rear projection screen and kitchen. The garden is planted with bright-green ground cover (not grass) within plastic holders instead of dirt.
Not really sure what that bit about the "ground cover" means.
sounds like astroturf.
More financial information on the Retail initiative available
here