ifoAppleStore.com

Printed Receipts Now ‘Under the Table’

May 8th, 2008

Apple’s removal of dedicated cashwrap positions to process customer purchases continues to evolve with the installation of small printers beneath some display tables, allowing employees to create hard-copy receipts for customers who cling to old-fashioned buying habits. Apple began using handheld computers during the 2006 holiday sales season to speed up the process of handling credit card purchases, offering to e-mail a receipt to customers. The test was so successful that the procedure was continued after Christmas, leading to the eventual removal of the traditional counter that was used only as the “cash register” or cashwrap position within the stores. New stores now have no dedicated position for purchases, but use the Studio or Genius Bars to process transactions that don’t involve a credit card–only 15 percent of purchases. The new small-sized printers are fixed to the underside of certain wood display tables, usually at the front of the store, allowing employees to print a receipt for customers who don’t want to give their e-mail address to receive the information, or who don’t have an e-mail address. Take a look at a typical installation after the break.

Apple has installed tiny printers (highlighted area) beneath selected wooden display tables to allow employees to make hard copies of receipts, without walking to the rear of the store where receipt printers have previously been installed. In this photo, the printer is installed beneath the front-right display table. Also notice the complex structure of the table, which includes ducts for cables.

Also check the story about the under-table bag dispensers installed in 2008.

printers installed under tables


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Recently bought a MBAir and after asking if they were emailing a receipt, they said they still give paper receipts for large purchases as a policy.

George May 8, 2008 at 5:38 am

This is not at all new. We’ve had under-table receipt printers for a long time at my store. Those are usually the ones that crap out first. I always re-program my EasyPay to print at the Concierge desk, since it’s the most reliable one.

AnonymousE May 8, 2008 at 12:39 pm

The printers themselves are not new, either. Same printers, just mounted differently. I recognize this one from my days there years ago.

~bc May 8, 2008 at 6:22 pm

Blah, this is nothing new.

B May 8, 2008 at 8:55 pm

This is definently not new. They did these along time ago. It was something that some staff thought of and then spread out.

In regards to large purchases, its not policy, never has been, just customers feel “safer” if they have it. It’s all psychological.

When EZPay was first introduced, if one customer said no, the rest would say no and you’d use the cash register on the rest of the line. Now its a normal thing. [IFO -- OK, it's not new. A photo of it is new.]

jardj May 9, 2008 at 1:10 am

Wait a minute! How does the Apple Store operated with no “real” paper reciepts. Now, I’ve never been to an Apple Store, waiting for Pacific Centre to open, so this idea of them just putting in the reciept printers now baffles me. Is like everything locked up and only staff can get at it or something? That’s what I find most interesting about this, I just can’t figure out how that works? [IFO -- Paper receipts were available previously and still are. However, employees at the front of the store had to walk all the way to the back (or other location) to yank the paper receipt off the central printer. Now they can pretty much walk the customer out of the store, grabbing the receipt on the way and handing it to the departing customer.]

jason May 10, 2008 at 5:08 pm

This has been going on for a while now but, it’s great. It certainly helps Apple save some money on staffing — not having to have dedicated cashiers. When Apple tried to staff the stores with dedicated cashiers, these individuals didn’t get trained on anything but cashiering which made them useless when the store got REALLY busy. I was a Mac Genius but, I often went onto the sales floor and helped sell. It’s interesting that I was actually a better salesman after getting promoted to Mac Genius than I ever was when I was a Mac Specialist. I think it was the fact that I was just better at dealing with customers by then.

Howie Isaacks - Former MG May 10, 2008 at 6:42 pm

No more EZ pays – iPod Touches with a 30 Pin card reader attached. It’s coming…

Maybe? May 12, 2008 at 12:29 pm

[...] check the story about the under-table printers. Apple has installed bag dispensers (top) beneath selected display [...]

ifoAppleStore: news and information about Apple Inc.’s retail stores February 9, 2009 at 2:14 am

Sorry for such a long comment/post, but I needed to explain how bad the customer experiences are here in the Maryland and northern Virginia.

So far this new system has yet to work efficiently, I know the 3 stores near me [Tysons Galleria Mall in VA, Columbia Mall and Towson Town Center both in MD are very disorganized when it comes to the new processing of customer's orders. Around here, when you enter the store, you have 2-4 employees hanging at the front door, yet once you get in the staff seem to disappear instead of being helpful [or even useful].

You typically have to follow them around the store for up to 5 minutes before someone will finally help, it is time consuming and irritating trying to figure out who is available and who is working with other customers. I don’t think it is respectful nor efficient for any customer to have to run around the store and find the help that they need, especially when they are busy. A lot of the staff at these particular stores seem to have more than their fair share of attitude, they would rather hang out up front near the door and socialize with the security personnel.

The last purchase that I made at the Columbia Mall location was less than pleasurable, when I arrived, they of course where not stocked well enough so that I could pick the items that I wanted directly off of the shelf. Instead, I had to wander around, trying to find an employee that would locate the items in back-stock. After several minutes I found a free employee, they disappeared for quite some time then reappeared with only one of the items that I asked for, so they went to the back room again, come back after another five minutes with the missing items. The employee then runs the purchase through, handling my credit card in a very busy area of the store, so that any and every person around can hear and see what is going on. They then ask for my telephone and email, again I had to give this information to her in this very busy area [not sure how many idiots were listening to my private info]. She then disappears with my card, going to the front to get a shopping bag for my purchase, then to the other side of the store to get the printed receipt from under the table. After finally getting the purchase completed, instead of handing me my bag, she then lays the bag on the table and walks away to help someone else.

What a bunch of crap!!! I had to wait my turn, the other customers should as well. I wasted quite a bit of my time waiting for someone to assist me, then instead of being given the respect and time needed to complete my purchase in its entirety I am just moved to the side. My order that day was over $300.00 in software, certainly not cheap. I have bought plenty of Apple products over the years, in excess of $14,000 on three laptops complete with laptop bags, one 24″ iMac, one 23″ screen monitor, one Mac Mini, one Airport Extreme, several hard-drives, two iPhones complete with cases, two iPods, many software purchases including: 4 years of iLife and iWork upgrades, OS upgrades every time they are released, 5 years of .Mac and now MobileMe subscriptions, iTunes purchases, and much more. These items are purchased for my business, personal use and for gifts.

I would just love to have one Apple store that is organized, respectful of their customer’s time, and they should leave their attitudes at home.

Matt Unkle February 17, 2009 at 7:27 pm
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