Page 11 - The Apple Experience

Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and into Virginia. Now get this. Allen didn’t
even know how Apple would celebrate the anniversary. He just knew how he

would celebrate—by making a pilgrimage to the place where it all began.

After Allen’s final long night of driving and getting just four hours of

sleep, Allen arrived on the sixth day of his journey at 9:40 a.m. No special

event had been scheduled. No reporters were present, and no banners

unfurled. But since Allen had been blogging about his journey, the Apple

employees knew about his arrival, gave him a tour of the store, and even
treated him to cake. Allen was filled with the Apple spirit. For Allen, visiting

an Apple Store is a religious experience. Religion gives meaning to people’s

lives, and for millions of Apple customers and thousands of employees, the

brand gives them a sense of meaning, providing deeply emotional experiences

that improve their lives.

A Puddle of Water Turns to a Pile of Panic

One early morning I awoke to find a puddle of water at the base of our

refrigerator. It had stopped working overnight, and the freezer’s ice had

completely melted, not to mention the ice cream and other products. In my

attempt to be a good husband, I decided to troubleshoot before my wife and

kids woke up. I called the Sears customer service number placed on the inside

of the unit, peaceful in the knowledge that all would be well soon.
The Sears phone tree took me through a menu of options, but I was still

relatively calm until an automated voice informed me that the next available

day for repair would be “Thursday,” a full week from the time I was calling.

A small panic began to set in. Finally I reached a live human being, and my

panic began to subside until he put me on hold… and that’s when my peace