Experience the AT&T Experience

Personally, our favorite Experience is that of Jimi Hendrix. Then again we’ve never been to the new AT&T Experience Store, so maybe that decision is incomplete (ed. note: no matter how good the store it, it won’t beat Jimi). Anyway, the place is over 5,000 square feet, and it’s not just about wireless: broadband, video, and wireline voice products and services will also be available in this mega-store. Best part of all: you can use everything in the store. Kinda like Sharper Image, except with cell phones instead of quirky gadgets. Apparently, this isn’t brand new. There are a handful of Experience Stores in Texas, but this new one — housed in Atlanta — is the first outside the state. It won’t be the last, either: AT&T plans to convert many of their corporate stores.

“The AT&T Experience Store in Atlanta is what AT&T is all about,” said Stan Sigman, president and chief executive officer of AT&T’s wireless unit. “All of the communications and entertainment products that consumers want are in one place and under one roof.”

It’s certainly a novel idea. People are attracted to big, flashy things, and we’re sure this store will flash like the bulb on your camera. Since this comes from a press release, we’ll continue to quote liberally:

The more than 5,000-square-foot store will feature several new retail concepts, including six integrated “customer experience” stations that encourage customer interaction with cutting-edge wireline, wireless and converged services. In addition, knowledgeable store personnel will be on hand throughout the store and within each of the stations to guide consumers through product trials and purchasing decisions.

Have you ever been to an AT&T store? If so, would you ever describe the personnel to be “knowledgeable?” We sure wouldn’t.

“From the moment customers enter to the moment they leave, they will be able to experience AT&T’s full suite of services for the first time,” said David Scobey, president and CEO, AT&T Southeast. “The move is part of a key initiative in the company’s ongoing commitment to integrate its wireline and wireless operations and give consumers greater convenience and a streamlined approach to the way they purchase and interact with our products.”

Okay, we take exception to the bolded area. That may be a convenience of having this store, but it’s not the reason AT&T opened it. See, they want to crush Verizon, their No. 1 competitor. In Verizon stores, you can get your cell phone, your home phone, your TV, and your Internet. So obviously this is a piggybacking move, except AT&T added some bells and whistles — and flashing lights. In fact, we guarantee there’s a strobe light of some kind in the AT&T Experience Store. It’s not a bad idea, but we hate the fact that AT&T is saying it will benefit consumers. No, it will benefit AT&T much more. You’ll walk in, minding your own business, just looking for a cell phone. After the un-knowledgeable sales associate finally gets you what you want, he’ll take you to the counter…so he can give you the AT&T broadband pitch. You’ll say no, you’re not interested. But he’s trained to not take “no” for an answer. And since he can’t go against his training, he’ll continue to pester you about all the other services they have available. By the end of your transaction, you’ll want to throw him through a plate glass window. How do we know this? It seems that’s how all sales interactions go nowadays. Sales people are trained to push further sales, and are given a list of things to say when the customer objects. We had a Verizon Fios guy at our door a couple of weeks ago, and nearly had to slam it in his face. We told him that we weren’t interested, and that we were busy watching a baseball game, but he kept going on his sales pitch and list of responses to objections. It’s unreal. So yeah, this is just one more way that AT&T can force you into high-pressure sales situations. And that’s not cool. [CNN Money]]]>