Rumors of an expansion of the Christiana (Del.) Apple retail store, the economic recession and the mall’s plans for expansion provide a case study in how bad times for America might actually be good times for the Apple stores. General Growth Properties Inc., who manages the mall, today announced they received an extension on $58 million of debt, but the company is skirting with bankruptcy, analysts say. The company owes over $3 billion during the next two years. GGP already has announced cancellation of a new space at Christiana that would have tried to hook into Internet-based selling. But it insists that a previously-announced 200,000 square-foot expansion is on-track, which could provide a new, larger space for Apple at attractive rates. Or Apple could simply move into vacant spaces will start appearing in the mall.

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Apple has split off the duties related to providing personalized service to retail store customers, with a new position titled “Personal Shopping Specialist.” The new job position recognizes the larger number of Apple customers who are crowding the stores, and Apple’s insistence on providing a superior customer experience. Previously, free personal shopping assistance sessions, and paid One to One and ProCare training was performed by Specialists or other positions as needed. Now, the PSS will take over those tasks. When compared, the job descriptions for Specialist and Personal Shopping Specialist are similar. However, the new position seems to emphasize “connecting” and “relationships.” It appears that all stores have openings listed for the new position. Download (pdf) a side-by-side job description comparison here.

The two-level Munich (Germany) retail store will open this Saturday at 10 a.m. along Rosenstrasse, the first store in the country. Apple has posted an official retail Web page for the country that announces the grand opening, and features the blue-and-white graphic pattern that now covers the glass façade of the store in central Munich. The store’s individual Web page states that 2,500 commemorative T-shirts will be handed out on grand opening day. [If you take grand opening photos, e-mail good ones to to the IFO Munich gallery at: ifoman-nt38@post.me.com. Then surf the gallery here.]

Shoppers seemed to be flocking to Apple’s retail stores on Black Friday, drawn specifically by discounts on laptops and iPods, and perhaps by price-matching. Visits to stores in the San Francisco area confirmed that all employees were on-deck to help provide service to the crowds of people, including about 20 who showed up at 3 a.m. (26 degrees!) to shop at the Jordan Creek (Iowa) store. The stores had a grab-and-go table of iPods, iPhones and laptops to speed purchases, a holiday gift brochure to hand out, and both an iPhone and One to One gift card. Since Apple doesn’t report monthly sales figures, the success of Black Friday will be rolled in to quarterly figures, which aren’t released until mid-January 2009. read more…

Apple has posted special Black Friday discount prices on its Australia and UK Web store site, offering price reductions ranging from just 4.1 percent to 7.7 percent on selected models of iPods, Apple TVs, Macbooks and iMacs. The discounts may be similar to those offered in Apple’s retail stores around the world as they open on Friday. An analysis by the ZDnet Web site show no pattern to the discounts, the highest discount is on the 2.0 GHz Macbook, and there are no price reductions on Macbook Pro or Mac Pro models. Apple is offering higher discounts on certain software (Photoshop Elements 6 is 42% off), speakers, headphones, computer bags and iPod cases. [The Italian on-line store discounts seem to be slightly higher. Update: In-store prices are posted, and they are very similar to the Australia and UK discounts, and are limited to the same set of products.]

Santa Claus and one of his helpful elves will appear in the windows of Apple stores this holiday season to promote the iPod product line. The three-dimensional, five-foot figures are intricately designed and feature neon-lit, glowing headphone cords that were fabricated by the Brooklyn-based company Lite Brite Neon. Store employees receive the figures in pieces, and must install the various parts, including rigging the USB and power wires for the neon and iPod display. The company has posted instructional videos for store employees, explaining the process of pulling the wires through the figures and powering up the neon. Surf Santa and his Elf immediately to watch or download the videos before they’re removed. read more…

The grand opening of the Rosenstrasse (Munich) retail store is imminent, now that the construction scaffolding has been removed and a colorful blue-and-white covering has been installed over the glass storefront that says, “Coming Soon.” The storefront has many of the elements of the Sydney (Australia) store: two levels, all glass front, suspended white Apple logo, glass rain panel over the double doorway, and plastic covering that features iPods. Tipsters say the store will open either December 6th or 10th. Check photos after the break. read more…

Happy Thanksgiving! This has certainly been an amazing year for the United States, Apple Inc. and even for me. The country has endured an on-going war, elected a new president, and then encountered a dramatic economic downturn whose effects are still ahead of us. Apple has opened 46 stores so far this year, including some really block-buster stores in other countries. The company also continues to come up with new and improved products that make my life more interesting and creative. And lastly, I have had a remarkable year: I celebrated the fifth year of the IFO Web site, and also traveled to Boston, Sydney and Beijing to meet fellow Apple enthusiasts and store grand openings. Now, as 2009 approaches, I’m enthusiastic about Apple’s retail success, and look forward to new stores and some product surprises. And yet, my enthusiasm isn’t so focused as to ignore the changes that we all face. As President-elect Barack Obama said, “It cannot happen without you. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.” In that spirit, consider sharing and helping with a couple of great charities, the USO for those in the military who have given so much, and Habitat for Humanity-New Orleans for those who need so much after Hurricane Katrina. Have a great Thanksgiving!

The very first Apple store located in an airport is…a Boutique iStore. The store will debut soon at Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport in Montreal (Canada), in the domestic departure area, followed later by a similar store in the international departure area. Photos snapped by Mike show the white shelving and counters are squeezed into about 225 square-feet of space, announced by a large, back-lit “Boutique iStore” sign. The store will offer free Wi-Fi access, an iPod bar and plenty of accessories, according to the company’s Web site. The company already has a location in central Montreal that is about mid-way between Apple’s own retail stores. Apple retail executives once mentioned that it’s mini-store prototype might move into airports, but the concept was never expanded beyond the original nine stores. read more…

Apple has posted the extended holiday hours for its retail stores, with a few stores opening as early as 3 a.m. on Black Friday to accommodate shoppers. The hours are listed on the Web page of individual stores in a pop-up window, and cover from November 15th to January 14, 2009. All the stores will close Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a few stores will close for New Year’s Day. In general, the stores will open one or two hours earlier than normal, and close one or two hours later, depending upon the venue. As Christmas approaches, many stores will open as early as 7 a.m.

The continent of Australia is nearly 2,500 miles wide, but Melbourne area residents will have to travel just eight miles to visit the second Apple store for the region. The company will open a store at Westfield Doncaster, about 11 miles east of Melbourne’s central business district, and just north of the existing Chadstone retail store. The location, first reported on the MacTalk forums, would be the fifth store in the country.

Apple has thrown its retail dart at the huge continent of Australia, and it’s landed on…Robina? Participants on the MacTalk forum have confirmed that an Apple store will open at the Robina Town Centre on the eastern Gold Coast of the continent, about 50 miles south of Brisbane. The region was formerly swampland, but in 1980 a Hong Kong businessman began the long process to build a planned community there with a full range of residential space, offices and amenities. The shopping center is along the M1 highway, and has its own rail station, which helps attract shoppers from a wide region. The mall is finishing a huge expansion area, where Apple will locate by June, 2009.

Apple has apparently fired the first shot in the holiday shopping battle, by announcing internally that retail store employees have the authority to match the prices of other authorized retailers. The stores have also cancelled all regular presentations on Black Friday, posted holiday buying tips have on Apple’s retail Web page, and created a special iPhone 3G gift card to help bolster holiday sales. Up to now, the stores have not given managers the ability to approve certain “deals,” but there has been no general price matching policy. As well, Apple traditionally never discounts its products except on Black Friday. It’s not clear if the pricing matching will be publicly announced through advertising or Apple’s retail Web pages. The price flexibility does come with some restrictions, including the customer supplying proof of the competitor’s pricing. Last Sunday Best Buy announced $50 to $150 discounts on various computer models, while Amazon.com typically offers year-round discounts on Macintosh models.

The future Munich (Germany) retail store became more official as workers hoisted a large, three-dimensional Apple logo into the building on Saturday, in preparation for its installation  behind the all-glass façade that will overlook Rosenstrasse. The store is rumored to be opening by December 10th, although material over the front of the building blocks a view of the inside that might confirm that date. read more…

An Apple spokesperson has confirmed that the company will open a retail store on Wisconsin Avenue in the Georgetown district of Washington (DC). However, Apple public relations manager Amy Barney told the Washington Business Journal that she had no announcement to make regarding when the store will open. Apple purchased the property at 1229 N.W. Wisconsin Avenue in 2007 for $13.9 milion. The former retail tenant moved out earlier this year, and Apple submitted architectural plans to the Old Georgetown Board last summer. In the meantime, the front windows of the space are covered with paper and there is no construction underway. Barney told the Journal that she had no knowledge of the property’s tax status. District records show that Apple owes $165,000 in unpaid property taxes, penalties and late fees.