It is the evening right before my last shift in March, and I am in the market for something from Apple.

I had wanted to get this thing since last year but had only hit my savings goal that day. That evening was my only chance to buy it. I was all set to go back to my hometown after work the next day for Eid. 

It was a big purchase (it is an Apple product, after all). It was still Ramadan, and I had little time after breaking fast before the stores closed. But it was a special occasion, so I took the extra time to bring my best friend along.

We have been to the Apple Store at The Exchange TRX before. It was the first official Apple Store in Malaysia.

The Apple Store had three floors: a top observatory floor, a middle experience floor, and a lower sales floor. The walls of the bottom two floors showcased Apple products and were filled with rows of tables where visitors could experience them. The middle floor also had a stage with a big display. It was where they would hold workshops, tours, and even performances. 

We did not know the function of each floor at the time, so we entered through the lower floor and headed towards the middle floor, where we knew the item that I wanted to buy was.

Because the store’s layout was unlike any other we had been to, with no counters or obvious place to get service, we did not know how to buy something. 

Everyone looked busy doing something. After a minute of looking helpless, we had to approach someone in an Apple uniform who was in the middle of something. The mall would close in a couple of hours, and we were worried that the purchasing process would take time. 
We were told we needed to go down one floor to buy stuff as if we knew. I was a little annoyed, but we went downstairs and began our hunt for someone to help us again.
I felt that we looked too much like the many window shoppers in the store. Looking like we needed help was not working, so we approached the first staff member who looked remotely free. That was when we met Lee.

Lee was awesome. He was doing something on one of the shelves on the wall when he approached him. He dropped everything and took us directly to the display of the device I wanted to get.

Lee knew what to do and what to say. He gave us a genuine, personalized service and put me at ease. He ensured we understood the process and did not make it feel awkward or out of place when I said I would like to trade in devices for the purchase.

Using a small device that looked like a modified iPhone with a companion module, Lee checked if what I wanted was in stock and had someone deliver the device to where we were. It was like magic.
Effortlessly, he did what he needed to do with the devices that I brought, showed us the value, and even got excited with us to see how much we would save. Lee even took the extra effort to give us the best value and explained to us why we got what we got—all while making small talk.

He explained that the store only stocked certain variants and surprised us with the Apple Store’s 14-day return policy. In case we changed our minds and wanted a different device, we could just bring what we bought back. 

Lee is so good at what he does that he moved seamlessly to payment by explaining the instalment payment option to us without making it awkward.

Since I already have an Apple ID, registering the purchase was as easy as scanning a QR code with my iPhone. Lee even explained what data the Apple Store is accessing and the privacy implications. 

We left the Apple Store feeling special and appreciated—at least I did. It was almost closing time.
My friend and I agreed that no other brand could do what Apple did at the Apple Store. It was so far ahead in the retail game that we do not think any other tech company could even come close to Apple’s refined retail experience. 

So, what did I purchase from the Apple Store? I will save that reveal for a future write-up.