Apple will soon be opening a new Apple Store at the Garden State Plaza, about ten minutes from where I live. I won’t have to hike south to Short Hills Mall or north to Palisades Center once this opens. This makes me happy. It means I’ll have a Best Buy and an Apple Store sharing the same parking lot. Pure heaven.

I used the Apple Genius Bar recently when my monitor gave me troubles. I went straight after work and only had to wait about ten minutes for someone to take care of me. It was a mechanical problem (faulty power supply) that needed fixing, so the unit had to be repaired off-site, but it didn’t cost me a thing and I got a phone call as soon as it was ready a week later.

Prior to that, I used it one other time for a fidgety iPod. That was corrected right away, although the wait on a Sunday morning was a little longer. Still, it didn’t cost me anything and the problem was solved with a smile.

Both times, the geniuses were polite, spoke fluent English, and were friendly despite being horribly busy. While some people will complain about the Genius Bar, I’m not going to be one of them.