Apple Store: computer outlet or car dealership?

Tom Yager compares his

recent experience at the Apple Store to visiting a car dealership: "pleasant, if a bit sterile." He notes the oddness of the *lack* of sales pressure and how, in the end, that atmosphere is more effective at generating sales than the hard sell method.

What's your Apple Store experience like? Is it like Yager's "spooky quiet... pristine white surroundings," or do you find more warmth at Apple's retail outlets than evidenced by this article? Is it a "mixture of a museum, a church, and the waiting room at the Mercedes-Benz dealership" or... give us your best metaphor or descriptor.