It might look kinda like an Apple store and its employees might act kinda like they work at an Apple store, but don’t call AT&T’s first flagship store, located on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, an Apple store wannabe. The company says its 10,000-square-foot shiny and brand new location is all about the customer and not its actual products.

“We are very different than Apple,” Paul Roth, AT&T’s president of retail sales and services, said, according to Bloomberg. “In their stores, the product is the hero. This store is all about the experience.”

The store will open on Sept. 1 and welcome shoppers into its white plastic, cement floor wonderland decorated with more than 100 video displays. Customers won’t have to search for someone to help them with their electronic needs, as sales staff will be required to greet visitors within 10 seconds or 10 feet after they enter the store, but then hang back and not stalk them about.

AT&T’s failed Experience store concept, which it tried out in Houston in 2007 and included sales kiosks and product demos, is a thing of the past. This new attempt will not only feature behemoth video screens, but an App Lounge for customers to test out products made for Apple or Android devices on 55-inch monitors.

“Customers are overwhelmed by technology,” Roth said. “They want to know less about the device and more about what it can do for them.”

It will be interesting to see how “100 video displays” translates into “not being overwhelming.” If you’re in the Chicago area and check it out, let us know how you feel about it.

AT&T To Take On Apple, Verizon With Flagship Chicago Shop [Bloomberg]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.