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smart phone shops at the mall always seem less awkward...

February 07, 2016 11:49PM
as opposed to visiting a stand alone location. am I the only one who feels like this? when you go to the mall, everyone's mostly walking around aimlessly anyway just looking at things, so it doesn't feel weird to go up to someone and ask "hi, what would you recommend right now for a smart phone?(or something to that extent)", but when you go to a stand alone, it's like everyone's there for a real purpose, so it just feels a little strange going in there to look around. also stand alones always take a lot longer, and the salesperson seems to care a lot more about pushing the plan on you than talking about the phones.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2016 12:06AM by jay225.
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More About Phone Shops
February 08, 2016 12:58AM
The biggest problem I have with smartphone shops at the mall is taking the photo afterward. I find it more difficult to find an unobtrusive spot from which to get a shot of the storefront. The other day, the salesperson who waited on me was standing looking out the front of the store for forever. The only place I could go to take the photo was in the hallway leading to the restrooms, and even then, I could probably be seen from the store (thank goodness the guy went on break just as as I was maneuvering into position in the hallway). Last time I did one in a mall, I had to crouch behind the jewelry kiosk across from the store, without the employees of the store or the kiosk seeing me!

When I do standalone locations, I can go across the street to another parking lot or hide behind my car in front of the phone store.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
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February 08, 2016 01:51PM
I avoid the mall cell phone shops as a general rule because most times only a number is listed and there are so many that I don't want to waste time searching for the correct kiosk. Also, I really dislike malls in general..park..walk...walk...search...store on opposite side of mall...walk some more...forgot where car was parked...walk....search...but that's just me.

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February 09, 2016 03:17AM
I like mall cell phone shops, too. I know the malls in my area pretty well, so knowing where to park and go isn't a problem, and during the extreme weather (both hot and cold) I'll also get in a walk while I'm there.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
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February 09, 2016 06:49PM
I am also a fan of mall shops in general. Only one mall in my city requires paid parking. Also it is easy to pad trips with lots of shops in a mall, though I'm still new and my record is 3 shops in one mall. Shopping has made me for familiar with the mall layouts so I can find anything pretty easily. Only 1 type of location is in each mall, so not too hard to find the shop location.

The worst stand-alone was when I had to wait over 20 minutes. This was a carrier shop, not the smartphone one. I am not a customer of this client. It felt awkward to go there and wait around for that long.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2016 06:51PM by Kakita987.
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February 10, 2016 02:36AM
Here we have international tourists at the malls. They go in and want to buy 10-15 of the latest phone that just came out. They may speak English as a second language and don't want to buy a plan or a warrantee.

A corporate store will not sell them a phone. An independent store will be busy gouging them for at least an hour. Some cell stores are on my 10 ft pole list for this reason. Then there is the parking that can be near impossible. Even in the middle of the week in the morning, the lot can be filled and people are parking on the grass on the side of the street outside the mall.

It's so bad that MF starts the fast casual at the food court at double what they normally do and it just sits there till they start calling and begging people.
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February 13, 2016 04:47PM
I prefer the stand alone stores. Maybe it's my age, I almost never go into a mall. When I was phone shopping last year I stopped by random stand alone stores all the time looking at their phones and asking stupid questions. Biggest difference now is that I'm getting paid to do it.
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February 13, 2016 09:04PM
My answer to the OP's original question is YES. The only difficulty in taking pictures in malls is that there are always so many people in the way that make it difficult to get the shot. Only one shot is needed, and I can easily take several with a smartphone before a security officer notices and gets nosy. The main negative with mall shops is the time involved; parking, walking, finding the store. I treat mall shops like shops on The Strip; I only shop them if I can shop several of them in one trip. I park and walk, which makes them more cost effective than stand-alone stores.
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