On Saturday, September 1, AT&T will open its first flagship mega retail store at a strategic location on the famous Michigan Avenue in Chicago. The 10,000 square-foot AT&T retail store will not only sell products, but will also focus on consumers.

With an across-the-street location from Coach Inc. and Cartier Ltd. stores in Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" shopping mecca, the new AT&T retail store will be three times the average size of the carrier's 2,300 retail outlets.

Boasting cement floors, white plastic and reclaimed teak furniture, and over 100 video displays, the design of AT&T's first flagship store underscores the promise of a much better customer-focused experience vis-a-vis the usual retail outlets of the carrier.

The product runway of the store will give the customers an opportunity to check out the newest smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices; while an Explorer lounge will give them a chance to test different mobile apps according to their interests.

The opening of AT&T's flagship Chicago store will give the carrier a leading edge over its competitors - Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile USA - and also apparently take on Apple, the trend-setter in consumer-electronics retail.

However, noting that AT&T's store will be "different" from the Apple store where the "product is the hero," Paul Roth - President of retail sales and services at AT&T - said during an interview that the AT&T store is "all about the experience."