Apple’s shops are actually meeting places: You look at not only the new products of the group, it acquires the same or worries service, but you can also visit free seminars and events. All this has become very different in Corona times: the shop of the same well-secured fortresses in which you only get with appointment. In fact, the maws have recovered again – Apple has a very own system here, in which the respective local COVID 19 numbers and other indicators are calculated.
Nevertheless, it is quite possible to get to his products – if you know how. Using the example of the store at the Berlin Kurfurstendamm, which a Mac I editor could be visited in a short time, the new system reveals itself.
Buy in the app, pick up in the store
We only wanted to acquire only a new Magsafe charger that is currently only available with waiting time. On Kudamm, it should be present how the Apple Store app communicates. However, you can not easily march into the store and take the product. You could try, but is regularly dismissed because you go shopping – even if you do not know what you want to upload – actually an appointment with one "Specialist" need you need to book by app or website beforehand.
Since we knew what we wanted, we were able to order the 43.85 euro part for pickup. That is still the same day in Berlin; You can alternatively deliver products that are on-site in the store, which has been offered at the short term at short notice, which was offered in two experiments with accessories even from the same time (delivery time 19 to 22 o’clock).
Note check-in time
The purchase is completely in the app, including payment via credit card and co. At the time, one obtains a QR code that you can load into the wallet app. All that was already before, but the system of pickup itself has become another in Covid-19 times. So you are looking for a job in the app "Check-in time", which was about three and a half hours in the future. At this time you have to be available at (and first not in). And, very important: a photo card is duty despite QR code.
At the store were several snakes to which we were gel. Spacer markings on the floor should provide for social distance, there is also drug mask obligation (the Kudamm is MNS zone). The snake moved quite fast waiting, Apple had a well-sized logistics on this day. After a good 5 minutes we came to a security officer who scanned our temperature contactlessly – what Apple still does despite privacy criticism.
Sophisticated snake logistics
Then it went to the next snake – the one to the actual pickup. She led us to the side entrance of the former cinema, where the Apple Store Berlin is sitting. Here it went up two stairs and past the Briefing Room. Halfway is a small station where you could watch new products – in this case iPhone 12, 12 Pro and iPad Air 4 -.
After another fun minutes in the social distance queue, we came to a last Apple employee – meanwhile we had to leave our code for at least four times – which pointed us in the direction of a room where the actual pickup at the counter happens. That was not 30 seconds. What did not succeed: enter the actual shop. Here we had to rehearsce again in the snake, strolled it – and without specialist appointment there is no guarantee that it works too.