Snippet: On AT&T’s Revamped Stores ☇

Ina Fried:

The new-look stores, which are rolling out nationwide, feature lots of wood, lots of products to try out — and no check-out counters. Instead, workers with tablets will be able to help customers face-to-face throughout the store…

…The wood in the store is reclaimed teak, which Roth said is both environmentally friendly and helps provide the warm feel AT&T is going for.

A wall on the back contains the full scope of devices, while pedestals throughout the store focus on specific experiences, such as music or the digital home. The music section has a full-size electric guitar on display, along with various headsets and speakers that customers can try out. Other potential experiences include fitness and photography.

My first reaction upon seeing the photo of the new store design is that someone took a current AT&T store, an Apple Store, a DVD box set of The Rockford Files, and the set from The Merv Griffin Show, threw them in a blender, and this is the result. It’s retro, futuristic, and I kinda like the direction they’re taking it. My only question is if the company will go to the old Saul Bass Bell System logo.