Apple stores allow users to try AirPods again as a sign of normalcy
Apple Inc. stores are once again allowing customers to try AirPods before purchasing them, another sign that the company’s retail operations are headed for normalcy, according to employees.
Apple stopped letting customers try headphones when Covid-19 started to spread last year. The company now allows testing in the United States and other regions in stores open to customers without an appointment, with or without an appointment. The ability to try AirPods has been available in sites in Asia for months now.
Some stores still operate using a system known as Apple Store Express, which essentially replaces the front of the store with bank teller type windows. These stores still do not allow buyers to try AirPods. This is an important part of the in-person sales process, as some consumers want to determine how well the headphones fit or choose between regular AirPods and AirPods Pro.
While Apple Stores have opened and closed based on local conditions over the past few months, Apple’s 270 stores in the United States all reopened for the first time earlier in March. However, some stores have always kept the Express configuration.
