I asked that same question at my local AT&T store when I bought my black 64G iPhone 5 and they said they'd bring out another one for me to inspect, Hopefully, your Verizon store will do the same. Good luck.
I'm sure they would. I did that very same thing with a blackberry tour I bought a few years back. They opened probably 5 boxes for me there in the store until I was happy. If they don't, just return it and go to a different store and try the same thing there.