Apple Shortening the Process of Making a Buy

ifoAppleStore, the source dealing exclusively with news and information about Apple retail stores, reports that the Mac maker has adopted yet another strategy to speed up the process of making an acquisition in its stores – placing shopping bags under the display tables.

“Apple now have a complete purchasing solution hidden beneath the display tables of their retail stores. When the company migrated from dedicated purchase counters to Specialists toting portable computers, it raised the issue of how to print receipts and bag the customer’s purchase,” ifo explains. “The first solution was to mount small thermal printers beneath the display tables so employees wouldn’t have to walk to the rear of the store to retrieve the print-out. They also began e-mailing receipts to eliminate printed copies entirely.”

Now, ifo posts this picture revealing that Apple has bag dispensers placed beneath selected display tables so employees can complete a purchase transaction quicker and easier than ever before.

“Now the stores have installed shopping bag dispensers beneath certain product display tables, shortening the process of completing a purchase transaction,” the report ends.

In May, last year, Softpedia reported that Apple retail stores adopted the use of under-table printers. Sometime during 2006, Apple decided to drop traditional counters used only as the "cash register," swapping them for a more efficient, e-mail-based system handled by the Studio or Genius Bars at the store. However, Apple didn't drop the printers for the receipts, but simply hid them underneath certain wood display tables around the store.

Check out the second picture (also available courtesy of ifoAppleStore). Click on it for a better view. The highlighted area shows the new small-sized printer used to print a receipt for customers who either don't want to give their e-mail address to Apple or who simply don't have an e-mail address at all.