When you hear about knock off or counterfeit goods (sometimes even referred to as “shanzai”), it’s not exactly the most shocking thing in the world. After all, there are financial gains to be had when imitating a popular product, especially when selling to people who otherwise may not be able to afford said product. But when it comes to a counterfeit Apple store that mimics an actual Apple store in terms of layout and design and the products that they carry, that’s just weird.
Now if the picture above did not look like there was anything out of place, and you thought it was just a regular Apple store, you would be wrong. In fact it’s a counterfeit Apple store that has been opened in Kunming, China. In fact there’s not just one, but several that have popped up as of late. While Apple does have some stores located across China, Kunming is definitely not on the list.
It seems that interior wise, store layout, furnishings, etc, it pretty much copied Apple right down to the last detail, and even dressing their staff in the trademark blue t-shirts sported by genuine Apple employees. However upon closer inspection it seems that the staircase was made out of poor quality and the paint job wasn’t exactly stellar either. The thing is, according to some reports, when asked about their employment these employees actually think they are working for Apple as opposed to a counterfeit store.
It appears that they are selling Apple products, or perhaps really, really good knock offs; it has not yet been confirmed. We’re not sure what their reasons are for opening a counterfeit Apple store, and we can’t be sure if the products they’re selling are genuine Apple products that have valid warranties, or perhaps they might even be stolen goods. So what do you guys make of this?
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