Apple in Edinburgh on Princes Street is one of the most poorly reviewed Apple stores, I've come across on Yelp, with an average rating of 2.5 stars from 10 reviews as of March 2023, it seems something at this store is going wrong, and after a couple of visits here during my trip to Edinburgh, it's fairly easy to tell why.
Apple Stores have become a go-to tourist attraction in their own right for me, when visiting a new city, there's often a real buzz around the store, with many things to do, this Apple Store's location is good, being along the city's main shopping street, Princes Street, while being right by the entrance to St James Quarter Mall, with the Princes Street Gardens nearby.
This location is over two floors, but I do think the second lift is slightly hidden, as the staircase and elevator aren't as prominent within the store, on the ground level you have Apple's flagship devices from iPhone to MacBook Pro, and the upstairs focuses on accessories and the genius bar.
It's a reasonably nice building but nothing impressive overall, but one thing that let me down, compared to other stores, aside from the appearance of a few minor visual aspects, was the service. I visited this store twice during my time in the city and didn't receive a greeting, not a smile or a "welcome".
I originally came in for some advice on cleaning my MacBook, looking for a specific product they would advise me to use, and I was told I could bring it into the store, after telling them I was going to my hotel to get my laptop and return, I was then told they would be unable to do this without an appointment, and they would have no appointments for over 24 hours, with no walk-in service offered, which really annoyed me as they knew I was coming back and could have told me then.
I ended up finding the cleaning equipment myself and asked another staff member if I could use it, and he nodded, I'm not sure why the person who originally refused it and booked me an inconvenient appointment didn't make me aware of this option.
I also dislike how the store closes much earlier than pretty much any other shop nearby, and does not open evenings, closing at 6 pm daily, and even earlier on a Sunday. Most other shops are open until 8 pm, including in the St James Quarter Mall nearby, which is more reasonable.
Good location, but a big letdown compared to other Apple Stores, I'm afraid. 2* read more