I've seen it myself. Where they're from is irrelevant but the fact stands is people are grouping together to take unfair advantage over other people. they skip each other through the queue and it means people who were genuinely buying for themselves couldnt get one while stock was constrained. talked to one of the employees who said they were monitoring the faces and refusing to sell to the same guys who came back but now it isnt worth the bother as they have enough stock.
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iPhone 4 Buying to Sell
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God i wondered how long it would be until the racist card was out!!!!!
Only took 2 posts, geez your what's wrong with this country man, why does everything have to be damn racist. You cant mention almost any colour here now without being branded racist. You the one who was offended at baba black sheep by any chance
As for the op, fair play to them they're not doing anything illegal so good luck to them.
Only took 2 posts, geez your what's wrong with this country man, why does everything have to be damn racist. You cant mention almost any colour here now without being branded racist. You the one who was offended at baba black sheep by any chance
As for the op, fair play to them they're not doing anything illegal so good luck to them.
I think identifying groups of people by their collective "race" is not racism. It's like saying, "a group of English/Irish/Jamaicans were noisy on the plane to Spain". If you are offended by this you need thicker skin!
In saying that though, I feel it's unfair on UK consumers to be left without iPhones due to greedy people from other countries purchasing them all. I don't mind people making money of an object in high demand, if the recipient is willing to pay that much, who cares. I see this all the time, and it's the same kind of people that sell illegal cigarettes in London, or cheap booze or single drinks which state 'multipack' on the side. That has a negative effect on the economy. Selling an iPhone for a few hundred pound more to someone who can't get it easily is just an opportunity to make some cash. I actually sold my 32gb iphone4 for £850 in Chinatown and went and bought the exact same one for £550 on Gumtree. Thus making £300. Is this
illegal? No, just smart....and, no, i am not Indian.
In saying that though, I feel it's unfair on UK consumers to be left without iPhones due to greedy people from other countries purchasing them all. I don't mind people making money of an object in high demand, if the recipient is willing to pay that much, who cares. I see this all the time, and it's the same kind of people that sell illegal cigarettes in London, or cheap booze or single drinks which state 'multipack' on the side. That has a negative effect on the economy. Selling an iPhone for a few hundred pound more to someone who can't get it easily is just an opportunity to make some cash. I actually sold my 32gb iphone4 for £850 in Chinatown and went and bought the exact same one for £550 on Gumtree. Thus making £300. Is this
illegal? No, just smart....and, no, i am not Indian.
Congratulations. You played the racism card first.
Honestly, your attitude exemplifies everything that's wrong with this country. Mentioning a race - relevant or not - is not racist. If OP had said there are often groups of tall people in the queue, presumably you'd be offended by that? I took his "certain groups" statement to mean exactly that - there are certain collectives in this country involved in somewhat nefarious activities. He didn't mention anything about their country of origin.
I'll say nothing else, other than it's very easy to tell when somebody has no close friends of a different ethnicity to their own. I'm absolutely certain you don't, or you'd have a more normal reaction to the OP's post.
To the point; while I agree it's a bit pants for those who want one, it's legal, and I guess in the grand scheme of things, it's not so bad.
That must be one of the most dull jobs going! Queueing for money? On the other hand, you've got to be fairly well-off to have someone queue for you. A high-street butler?
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Hey guys sorry this is off topic but I wanna ask do we still need to reserve iphone if we wanna buy it in store? The last time I visit the store in London Regent Street I was told that I needa reserve it to buy it from the store?
Then I tried to go to Apple's page but can't find anything about reserving iphone to pick up at store?
Then I tried to go to Apple's page but can't find anything about reserving iphone to pick up at store?
i actually saw this today also, at the grand arcade store in cambridge. This guy was buying 3 iphone 4's, all in cash. the employee didnt actually check the notes. i was going to say something but couldnt be bothered as i didnt think much of it, but now you have posted this it does sound a bit fishy
Nothing wrong with this - he's an enterprising person, and satisfying demand in an artificially restricted market. If you remember your economics lessons, it's called arbitrage. Read more about it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrage
That said, it might be illegal if he's avoiding import/export duties (in itself, an artificial restriction on trade).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrage
That said, it might be illegal if he's avoiding import/export duties (in itself, an artificial restriction on trade).
Somebody must inform the BNP!
Nah seriously, I lined up for an iPad, if I saw someone who got an elderly person to wait in line while they had a layin for themself, I'd be pretty irked too. I'd be incandescent if I was behind this group and they had bought the last phones in stock that day though....
Nah seriously, I lined up for an iPad, if I saw someone who got an elderly person to wait in line while they had a layin for themself, I'd be pretty irked too. I'd be incandescent if I was behind this group and they had bought the last phones in stock that day though....
D@mn that b)tch Rachel!
Everyone always seems to be calling out her name, seems she's everywhere. All I ever here is "Ra-chel Ra-chel Ra-chel."
That's a Ra-chel statement!! "You're being Ra-chel!!!" "Ra-chel Ra-chel Rac-hel.
Geeez, she gets around!!!
Everyone always seems to be calling out her name, seems she's everywhere. All I ever here is "Ra-chel Ra-chel Ra-chel."
That's a Ra-chel statement!! "You're being Ra-chel!!!" "Ra-chel Ra-chel Rac-hel.
Geeez, she gets around!!!
And the race card has been drawn. I concur with the OP, on launch day there was two persons [guess ethnicity as to not offend] in front of me that, over the course of the eight hour wait grew to SEVEN persons purchasing iPhone 4!
The dozen or so people behind them reported the activity to the security and manager and they still let all SEVEN make purchases. It was infuriating because they ran out of iPhone 4 for everyone behind me.
Oh I'm sorry, but your now a racist! Your a horrible terrible man who'll burn in hell
Unfortunately it's things like what kernkraft posted that only fuels racism. That's why there will be problems aslongas groups of people are danced around the others will cry special treatment!
I have seen a person stealing from a marks and Spencer, hiding items in their clothing, Reported it to manager who did nothing!!!!! Saw him pounce on a couple of teenagers very quickly the day before though.....
Ethnic origin is actually of reasonable relevance here, from a cultural perspective. Asian communities are much more tightly intertwined than us naive English folks; they'll have no trouble getting the whole family in on a money-making operation whereas bit UK families would be full of excuses and can't get anything together to save their lives.
For the record:
Indian comes form the word India
Paki comes from the word Pakistan
Jap comes from the word Japan
Brit comes from the word Britain
etc etc etc...
None of the above are inherently racist, it's the context in which they are used which can cause offence.
In either circumstance, there's something far more offensive than the use of a few choice words abbreviated from country names.... that's the PC numbskulls with their heads stuffed firmly up their own rectums who scream blue murder about everything under the sun whilst the targets of the alleged insult could give a hoot.
For the record:
Indian comes form the word India
Paki comes from the word Pakistan
Jap comes from the word Japan
Brit comes from the word Britain
etc etc etc...
None of the above are inherently racist, it's the context in which they are used which can cause offence.
In either circumstance, there's something far more offensive than the use of a few choice words abbreviated from country names.... that's the PC numbskulls with their heads stuffed firmly up their own rectums who scream blue murder about everything under the sun whilst the targets of the alleged insult could give a hoot.
It is interesting how we all seem to mention the race of someone if it's other than our own. I do it myself without thinking. But if we are honest with ourselves, we are really making a stereotypical comment about people of the race/ethnicity in question. If someone of our own race cut us off on the freeway, we wouldn't say: "some white guy cut me off", if we were white. But...
That's why I try not to do that, but I do catch myself at times.
Who cares? You can't go around trying to stop every act you consider immoral. If their actions prevented you from getting an iPhone 4, then I would complain. But if they aren't, then let them be. Personally, I have better things to do than stop people that do this kind of thing. For you, I'm sure you have better things to do as well. Let bygones be bygones.
It's also not a scam if you use the dictionary definition.
It's also not a scam if you use the dictionary definition.
It's tribalism. It's been hammered into society that we are separate groups of people and we shouldn't interact.
It's easier to control people when you can divide them and keep them fighting amongst themselves.
it's called divide and conquer!
Is that because you are racist and don't like the company of anyone other than your own race?
I was going to add no more but comments on this topic, which has been hijacked as some kind of race discussion....but stupid comments like this are too much... and deserve a stupid response.
Grow up and read what I said, if it had been a group of young Indian men I wouldn't have paid any attention, I would have associated them as kindred Apple fans. It was the elderly age, and number of them associating together which was the trigger. Maybe I am guilty of stereotyping what an Apple fanboy is and who is willing to queue for hours to buy an iphone maybe I am also being ageist. But my father is in his seventies and has an iMac, but the last thing he would do is queue for hours to buy an iphone, even if he did he is not going to take his entire bowls club with him to get one.
Also before I get anymore smart comments I have lived and worked in the East end of London for my entire life, I am white but I have many friends and work colleagues who are British Asians of Sikh, Bengali and Pakistani origins. So I am not some white boy from middle England looking down his nose at people who I don't associate with.
In my eyes it was unusual event and to see it two weeks running was a trigger, these guys weren't queuing for fun of it or to buy their own phones. They looked like they needed the cash and were either being well paid (good luck to them) or being exploited.
Just to re emphasis, in my opinion this isn't some small time entrepreneurial venture, which I have no issue with and I taken advantage of other Apple shortages myself in the past, good luck to you if thats your game. It is also not about paying someone to queue up for you to buy your personal phone either.
I strongly believe this is a large scale organised operation, which I have no doubt involves a lot of money and a Mr Big getting very rich. Such operations on the surface appear perfectly legal, but scratch below it and you often find organised criminality and at the very least high level tax evasion, and before I get accused of stereotyping or racism again that comment is made immaterial of race or culture.
Well, I read the comments and I don't think that I am too sensitive. I don't feel that when I see a comment like this, I shouldn't feel that the author has a dislike towards "certain groups" (such as the Indians mentioned by the OP and the landlords he's talking about):
I don't want to repeat myself. Whatever I wanted to say, I already put in the first post. If, instead of Indian and 'certain groups', people would have put 'black', it would be obvious that the man's appearance and racial characteristics had nothing to do with the fact that he purchased these phones. Of course, with blacks, the whole landlord thing wouldn't have come up.
Also, we don't even know that the men in question really had Indian background. What we know is that the OP, by their appearance thought that they were Indians (for some reason associating them with India, ruling out the possibility that they were British Asians), but just as well they could have been from a Pakistani or Sri Lankan background. So no, just because India is a nation, the argument is not about the nationality. It's about judging people by their racial characteristics. It's pretty much the same thing as policemen stopping the black guys on the basis of their racial difference, without giving any thought to their other defining factors.
I stick to my point that there is racial stereotyping here.
Anyway, now the title of the thread had been changed, so it's a small victory not to suggest that these people commit a crime just because they buy more than one iPhone.
I don't want to repeat myself. Whatever I wanted to say, I already put in the first post. If, instead of Indian and 'certain groups', people would have put 'black', it would be obvious that the man's appearance and racial characteristics had nothing to do with the fact that he purchased these phones. Of course, with blacks, the whole landlord thing wouldn't have come up.
Also, we don't even know that the men in question really had Indian background. What we know is that the OP, by their appearance thought that they were Indians (for some reason associating them with India, ruling out the possibility that they were British Asians), but just as well they could have been from a Pakistani or Sri Lankan background. So no, just because India is a nation, the argument is not about the nationality. It's about judging people by their racial characteristics. It's pretty much the same thing as policemen stopping the black guys on the basis of their racial difference, without giving any thought to their other defining factors.
I stick to my point that there is racial stereotyping here.
Anyway, now the title of the thread had been changed, so it's a small victory not to suggest that these people commit a crime just because they buy more than one iPhone.
For your info I have never mentioned landlords so you are confusing me with someone else, so get your facts straight or are you too intent on stirring rubbish.
As for whether I can tell what an Indian is, well forgive my alleged ignorance but these guys were a) Sikhs and b) elderly (at least in there late 60s too mid 70s) and c) not talking in English, so I guess that it highly unlikely they are British Asians by birth and they probably originated from the Indian sub continent.
But I guess a thick whitey like me cannot make such an assessment, without stereotyping them as being criminals, or mistaking Sikhs for muslim fundamentalist terrorists planning martyrdom operations in the Covent Garden Apple Store.
I really am sick of this pap, can a moderator lock this thread please it is going nowhere.
As for whether I can tell what an Indian is, well forgive my alleged ignorance but these guys were a) Sikhs and b) elderly (at least in there late 60s too mid 70s) and c) not talking in English, so I guess that it highly unlikely they are British Asians by birth and they probably originated from the Indian sub continent.
But I guess a thick whitey like me cannot make such an assessment, without stereotyping them as being criminals, or mistaking Sikhs for muslim fundamentalist terrorists planning martyrdom operations in the Covent Garden Apple Store.
I really am sick of this pap, can a moderator lock this thread please it is going nowhere.