New Santa Monica Store, the Beginning of the End

Wired News: Stars Take a Shine to Apple — I was amused to find this puff piece in Wired News about how all those celebs we worship apparently flock to Apple stores. According to the article some of them go in and out of the place all the time. Why? How many times do you need to go into such a store? What are they selling that needs revisiting so often? Repairs?

Whatever the case, the celeb anecdotes are amusing.

Melanie Griffith threw a tantrum when she was unable to buy a pink iPod mini early last year, according to the sales associate who tried to serve her.

The associate, who asked to remain anonymous, said Griffith came right up to him and “pretty much demanded” a pink iPod mini. The mini was in short supply, and the associate told her there were none in stock.

“She then proceeded to get pissed off at me personally because we didn’t have any in stock,” the associate said. “She said we have a special stock of iPods for people like her…. I hadn’t seen any celebrities there up until then, so at first I was like, ‘Oh wow, cool, Melanie Griffith.’ But then she opened her mouth and used me as a doormat, and I was like, ‘What the fuck is this shit? Milk Money sucked.'”

Another sales associate said he got a tongue lashing from LeVar Burton, presenter of Reading Rainbow and a member of the Star Trek crew.

The associate, who also asked to remain anonymous, said he made the mistake of asking Burton for some ID when the actor was making a big credit card purchase. The associate said he recognized Burton, but wanted to reassure him he was doing a thorough job of checking credentials.

Burton “began shouting at me to ask anyone in the store who he was, all the while telling me that he left his ID in the car and he didn’t want to have to go get it,” the associate said. “I finally caved in, only because I could see a vein pulsating in his forehead and I didn’t want to be the one responsible for causing the blind dude from Star Trek to have a stroke.”