Personal shopping discontinued in Apple Stores

Personal Shopping was taken away partly because of fewer people using it. The main reason is that you are now able to reserve any Mac, iPod, iPhone iPad or Apple TV. Once you choose a time and arrive at the store, You can check in with the App and will be automatically be added to the queue where a specialist will arrive to help you out.

Download Apple Store App. Request shopping assistance and then wait in a virtual queue.

I'm not such a fan of Apple shops. I always get told-off for something whenever I go into the London one... "don't stand there", "don't touch that" etc... :-(

Amazing, isn't it?
Whatever happened to customer service at these retail outlets?
When you do finally find someone chances are they do not know the information you are asking them about.
Really makes online shopping more advantageous. No cues, no searching for a carpark, no trying to find unreliable assistance.
Sit in the comfort of your own home and shop at your leisure.
You can shop online at http://top-selling-christmas-gifts.blogspot.com

Solved, use the Apple Store app on your iPhone, etc to ask for help as soon as you walk in the door if it is very busy to be put on a queue

I tried to use this service once, as I had to run to pick up an MBP on my lunchbreak and get back to work. Really, all I wanted was the exact thing I needed sitting at a cash register, but of course that doesn't exist.

Anyway, I got to the store, and they looked at me like I was insane and they had never heard of a personal shopping appointment.

Apparently it's barely ever used.

Personally, I like it, it rewards people for calling ahead, much like making reservations at a restaurant. Apple's store model is more Restaurant- than Retail-based to being with, so I'm sad to see it go.

I second the notion that it's only for the holidays. Of course, knowing Apple, they may have something better in the works.

Having worked at a Genius Bar personally, and having access to the scheduling system, it's more likely that the service was discontinued because of lack of use. The most personal shopping appointments I ever saw as 2 in a month.

Perhaps Apple is simply discontinuing the service for the holidays. Most Apple stores I have been to now have more than a hundred (literally) staff members and still have trouble keeping up with in-store traffic.

With the holiday shopping season nearly upon us, perhaps preventing these types of appointments will help to provide a smoother, more affable traffic flow situation for everyone.

"The only difference is that they'll now need to stand in line"

no that's the problem there is no line you have to hang out a drink koolaid to just buy a new power plug.