The coronavirus impact continues to be felt far and wide around the US, with industries, governments, and everyday Americans having to dramatically change their daily routines to accommodate the reality of the COVID-19 virus.
I had to buy a replacement for my MacBook Air this weekend, the kind of thing that would require a pretty simple transaction during normal times — but which, it should go without saying, is far easier said than done right now as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The experience, overall, was less onerous than I thought it would be, but it was nevertheless unusual enough to remind anyone who’s forgotten that we are still living in a strange and extraordinary time.
For starters, there’s only one Apple store here in the Memphis area where I live, and a visit there was out of the question. Even though a number of Apple stores have started reopening around the country, the store here wasn’t among them. What I ended up choosing instead was a visit to a Best Buy near my apartment, given that I saw this particular store had a few MacBooks in stock and in my price range. I knew, as a result of seeing headlines like this one, that the experience here would be a bit different because of the coronavirus — you know, the pandemic that people seem to be trying to ignore now instead of comporting themselves like the continuing threat that it is — and it’s with that in mind that I’d like to share a bit about what greeted me at this Best Buy location almost as soon as I got out of my car.
To begin with, there was a line of customers (socially distanced from each other, of course) stretching from the front door of the store and snaking down the length of the front of the building.
