The only Apple store I've visited is the one at 1 Infinite loop. It was typical 'on-site store', probably not indicative of the chain. No other Apple store was yet open at the time I visited.
It's frustrating to see Apple opening more and more urban stores in the Bay area and the LA basin, but never closer to our Central Coast home. We're still 3 hours from the nearest Apple store!
On the other hand, we DO have an excellent reseller in San Luis Obispo (www.macsuper.com) that gives fantastic customer service and has enough registers to go around...so maybe we're better off without an Apple store?
James
The Apple Store: Bad Customer Service at Your Local Mall