Quote:
Originally Posted by stonetools
I wonder if the Apple Store model is an alternative. They do really well.
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The Apple store sells a very small range of devices, all from one company; they can afford to stock the store with experts in those devices. They can have a functional sample of almost every device they sell on display.
A store selling wide-screen TVs from multiple manufacturers might not have space (or money!) to display one of everything, and has no access to training to explain fine nuances of differences between them.
Desktop copier/printer/scanners are another problem. They take up a lot of table space, need to connect to a computer, and often have multiple options--TWAIN vs ISIS drivers for scanning; different print drivers for PCL or PS; single- or double-sided copying; collated or not; ink cartridge prices & availability; ADF or flatbed only; and so on. Most customers won't know these options exist, but some will, or know about at least some of them, which means the sales staff needs to know which options are relevant to which devices.
Small devices are even worse... why are some 4gb USB drives $15, and some are $35? Or rather: how would a sales person learn & explain that difference to a customer?
Apple can absorb the cost of training sales staff into their overall business model; a third-party store doesn't get to push those costs back to the manufacturer.