AT&T opens first ‘experience store’ in Maryland

Mobile giant AT&T opened its “experience store” in Columbia, Md., its first in the state, last week.

The store, according to an AT&T spokeswoman, marks a subtle shift in the company’s retail strategy. As more people purchase AT&T products online, she said, the company is more interested in showcasing AT&T products and creating “interactions” with customers.

Call it AT&T’s version of Apple stores, which hide their registers in the back of the store and push their technology right to the front. Although there aren’t any cash registers in AT&T’s Columbia store, that doesn’t mean making a sale isn’t on AT&T’s mind.

According to the Baltimore Sun, “products will be sorted into a music area, a home security zone and other zones, with displays to show how products work at home and the workplace.”