Intel, Palm, Sony and Mall Kisoks

Joe Wilcox | December 22, 2003, 10:25 AM

This weekend, I took the dangerous expedition to my big, local shopping mall, Westfield Shopping Town Montgomery, in Bethesda, Md. After all, shopping malls and the weekend before Christmas can be a bad mix for the anxiety-prone, claustrophobic or, in my case, flu-stricken. But, I couldn’t find everything I wanted online this year, or at least not in time for Christmas Eve delivery.

The mall had two surprises mixed in among the typical booths found throughout this kind of monument to consumption: On the lower level, Intel and Sony had a big booth, providing Centrino-powered notebooks with wireless Internet access. (Shopping tip: Knock back a Cappuccino and price-compare online at the Intel-Sony booth). At the other end of the mall, on the upper level, Palm had a big booth hawking handhelds, cases and all kinds of company-branded gear and extras.

Both booths appeared to be company operated, with helpful and knowledgeable sales people dressed in the trade-show typical polo shirt and company logo. I have to admit to a fair amount of mall grazing throughout the D.C. area (my wife makes jokes about following the mooing herd). This is the first time I had seen large booths dedicated to a single company’s (OK, two with Intel and Sony) technology products.

When it comes to retail stuff, I defer to colleague Patti Freeman Evans. But, I can’t resist making a few observations. Apple’s very first retail store opened in the D.C. area, at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va., in May 2001. About a year later, Dell started setting up kiosks (Dell Direct stores) at select malls around the United States. Maybe other high-tech companies are seeing something to the concept of putting company-owned stores or kiosks in high-traffic malls in well-to-areas, like Bethesda, Md. and McLean, Va.