An undercover reported investigated Apple's retail stores, and what did he find? Every little detail that Apple Store customers have experienced for the first time, too, it seems. As a matter of fact, Alex Frankel, the reporter who has spent two years undercover as trainee for the front line retail of several companies, has described the same sense of passion and will to share information that you may have felt from your previous encounters with Apple Store sales personnel.

According to Frankel, it was apparent that from day one, Apple was serious about selecting Apple-inclined employees (if not already huge fans) to man its retail stores nationwide. "Apple is surely a rare bird--few companies have such a broad and committed following, let alone frontline employees who revere its CEO," wrote Frankel.

With that said, Apple's sales process was all about customer approach, though most of the time, Frankel found that they didn't seem to be working hard in selling. "At an Apple Store, workers don't seem to be selling (or working) too hard, just hanging out and dispensing information," he added.

There's actually a three-step process involved, and it required understanding the customers needs (position), getting permission to ask finer details of the customers needs (permission), and continuing to dive into the available products and what satisfied the customer best (probe). And it actually sells. A lot.

Frankel further explained:

And that moves a ridiculous amount of goods: Apple employees help sell $4,000 worth of product per square foot per month. When employees become sharers of information, instead of sellers of products, customers respond.

He also added that the orientation treatment regarded them as responsible adults and didn't begin with programs that belittled first-time employees.

It was reported earlier that New York Times recommended Apple's way of sales for Sony's own retail outlets.