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While all 270 Apple Stores are open, many have severe limitations on what customers can do
It was March 13th last year when Apple started closing Apple Stores outside of China. Originally, the shutdowns were supposed to last only two weeks and end on March 27th. However, as the pandemic continued unabated it was obvious that the lockdown would last for months, not weeks. And while all U.S. Apple Stores are now considered to be open, there are still 12 in France and two in Brazil that remain closed. A pair of Mexican stores will reopen tomorrow.
When Apple first opened its stores, some were converted to an Express storefront layout with a limited display covered by plexiglass, and severely curtailed operations. Orders were placed online. Earlier this month, a few dozen U.S. stores brought back in-store shopping followed by 40 stores and another 50 the following week. Today, two dozen stores including those in states such as California, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, and Utah brought back shopping sessions for customers.
Some U.S. Apple Stores resorted to an Express format
While Apple closed all of its U.S. stores at the beginning of the pandemic, the tech giant reportedly continued to pay Apple Store employees including some who were asked to handle support queries from the safety of their homes. While online sales helped the firm recoup some of the business lost to the virus, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that the strong holiday quarter that Apple announced last month would have been stronger had the retail units been open.
