Since we’re talking about Apple stores, here’s an anecdote about competing on service: My iPhone was rebooting at random, in the middle of use, with some regularity. I was in an area with no Apple store, so I swung by an authorised Apple repairer/reseller. I explained my problem, and the guy around the counter, while very apologetic, explained there was no way I was having my phone swapped out. He didn’t have stock of my particular model, but even if he did, he said, if he swapped it out and Apple determined it to be non-defective, they’d make him eat the cost of the device, which he couldn’t afford.
A week later when I was back home I took it to the nearby Apple store. The lady there looked at it, shrugged, walked out back and came out with a new phone. This isn’t because she cared more, it’s because she cared less.
Apple authorized repair shops are the worst. They have so many rules imposed by Apple that they can't provide good service.
An iPhone battery swap at an authorised reseller can take a week (!).
Non-authorised repair shops can often offer better service -- often they can replace a battery in 20 minutes. That's faster than at the Apple store. (but of course, if something goes wrong, there's probably no warranty)
A week later when I was back home I took it to the nearby Apple store. The lady there looked at it, shrugged, walked out back and came out with a new phone. This isn’t because she cared more, it’s because she cared less.