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Apple Pulling iPad 2 from Best Buy?
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Ok, I am amazed at some of the ignorance some of these people have posted. People here some rumor from an anonymous BB Employee who obviously knows nothing about Best Buy and there out grabbing pitchforks and torches. I do work for BB (almost 5 years) and I can tell you that we do not have a "Quota" for ANY product we sell as well as none of the employees work on any commission. We have been receiving iPad 2s, do we know when we are getting them...NO. But here is the thing, Best Buy had a reserve list for customers shortly after the release. Customers who wanted to get on the reserve list had to leave a $100 deposit toward the iPad (reserve list is now closed). When the shipment comes in those customers who are on the list get contacted and have 48 hours to come pick up the unit. If they do not come within those 48 hours it goes to the next on the list and they get moved to the back of the list. YES that does mean that we are not selling them on the floor until those reserves have been fulfilled. Now if we get some iPad models that we do not have anyone on a reserve list for (like a white/16GB/WiFi) those go straight to the floor for first come first serve. Again there is no Quota. Hope this helps clear up the process understanding.
This is such a B.S. story. Apple to BB is like a minor star in the galaxy; if it goes out few will notice. Remember all those years BB didn't sell Apple products and did fine? Apple just doesn't have that kind of pull with a big box store. And every manufacturer knows that getting stores to behave as they'd like them to is like hearding cats.
Until Apple can get more of its own stores it needs BB more than BB needs it. So I doubt Apple went all hurt or p.o.'d girlfriend on them.
Until Apple can get more of its own stores it needs BB more than BB needs it. So I doubt Apple went all hurt or p.o.'d girlfriend on them.
How exactly is this Apple's fault? BB played shenanigans, Apple called them out on it.
And yes, you have to wait for your order to go through. I bet that's just terrible for all those entitled people out there who feel that world revolves around them, and when they want something, they have to have it NOW. Fact is that there are simply so many people buying iPads that Apple has problem satisfying demand.
Maybe they ate too much magical unicorn dust and it clouded their judgement.
Omg unicorn dust that is so funny! Where do you get this awesome material? Hilarious!
The problem is not the number of retail-locations selling iPads, the problem is number of iPads in those stores. Now that BB is out of the picture, other retailers can receive more units. Now Apple can stop supplying BB-stores, and use those units to supply some other stores instead. You know, stores that actually sell the product to a customer?
Why would this matter.
I would understand it if they were able to raise the prices, but no...
So... the point of this?
Why anyone would ever choose to buy an Apple product at Best Buy over the Apple Store is beyond me.
This story fails the smell test. A reader told MacRumors? You mean a disgruntled fanboy who has gone iPad-less for two weeks has turned conspiracy theorist?
All I can say is that there was an inventory tracker on one of these threads and each time it said "in store only" I was able to walk into that store and buy one.
The second time I bought a unit there were guys carrying boxes of iPads that had just arrived and sold them freely until gone.
All I can say is that there was an inventory tracker on one of these threads and each time it said "in store only" I was able to walk into that store and buy one.
The second time I bought a unit there were guys carrying boxes of iPads that had just arrived and sold them freely until gone.
Granted I work in a different type of retail, it seems illogical to lose a sale at any cost.
Why anyone would ever choose to buy an Apple product at Best Buy over the Apple Store is beyond me.
Because the price points at the Apple store and the Best Buy where I bought my MBP were the same.
The only reason I can think of (and I know nothing down these lines) is to push more revenue into this quarter (the last quarter just ended March 31st). Perhaps BB made their number for the quarter from Jan 1 to Mar 31 and want to get a running start on this current one.
Why anyone would ever choose to buy an Apple product at Best Buy over the Apple Store is beyond me.
no apple stores in the state of south dakota. but we got bb
Coupons and Financing People
I wonder if this has more to do with reward zone coupons and 18 month no interest financing. I always buy at Best Buy for these two reasons. Yes they are sleezeballs with cable pricing etc, but for the informed consumer, thier price/financing deals put them ahead on price controlled inventory like Apple stuff.
FWIW
DLM
I wonder if this has more to do with reward zone coupons and 18 month no interest financing. I always buy at Best Buy for these two reasons. Yes they are sleezeballs with cable pricing etc, but for the informed consumer, thier price/financing deals put them ahead on price controlled inventory like Apple stuff.
FWIW
DLM
Why anyone would ever choose to buy an Apple product at Best Buy over the Apple Store is beyond me.
0% interest on BB credit card? Believe me, it's the only reason I did. Their service was beyond ******. I had to practically haul someone down by the ankles to get them to notice me loitering by the Macbooks.
BBY announced earnings on 3/24 - they operate on a different fiscal year so the quarter ended in February.
I just ordered a Macbook pro from BB with 15% off and a further 8% cashback saving me just over £200.Why anyone would ever choose to buy an Apple product at Best Buy over the Apple Store is beyond me.
My point is that Apple sells BB more products than the iPad. If it gets pissy about how the iPad is sold and holds units back then it's going to strain the relationship and right now Apple needs BBs floor space to show off its other products b/c there are lots of gaps in Apple Store locations.
As I said this story is fantasy and B.S.
Apple at Best Buy sucks anyway. No one in the store knows anything about Apple products. I love eavesdropping on a customer and sales person while they try and answer or explain Apple products to a potential customer. Usually after the sales person walks away, I swoop in and answer any of the customer's questions...correctly.
Have you ever seen an RZ coupon that didn't say "excludes Apple products" along with Bose and a number of other carveouts. Financing may be a different issue.
B
This is common!
Retailers create am impression of demand (as do the vendors sometimes, in particular Nintendo who mastered the art of 'selling out' of gear prior to Christmas) when they had plenty in the warehouse. Retailers also pretend to be low on stock too, so you buy an item because you were told "Ah, the system is showing just one left."
As we say in the UK, "Utter bollocks!"
Retailers create am impression of demand (as do the vendors sometimes, in particular Nintendo who mastered the art of 'selling out' of gear prior to Christmas) when they had plenty in the warehouse. Retailers also pretend to be low on stock too, so you buy an item because you were told "Ah, the system is showing just one left."
As we say in the UK, "Utter bollocks!"
I think this whole mess comes down to this: there is a REAL shortage of the iPad 2, especially since Foxconn can no longer keep up with demand due to the ongoing situation in Japan with several Japanese suppliers incapable of supplying parts to Foxconn for the iPad 2. As such, Best Buy is taking advantage of this situation by deliberately holding back sales of the iPad 2, and Apple call them out on it. I would not be surprised that Apple ends up issuing a recall order to take back every iPad 2 from Best Buy and they end up being sold at Apple Stores instead.
And you wonder why Microsoft is not willing to extend their Signature program of highly-optimized Windows 7 computers (Signature PC's aren't loaded with "trialware" l like normal retail PC's are) to Best Buy, even though such a computer would work extremely well for customers and would end up being huge best sellers for Best buy.
And you wonder why Microsoft is not willing to extend their Signature program of highly-optimized Windows 7 computers (Signature PC's aren't loaded with "trialware" l like normal retail PC's are) to Best Buy, even though such a computer would work extremely well for customers and would end up being huge best sellers for Best buy.
Isn't apple as equally guilty of this exact accusation against BB? Holding stock back until the next day; or is the difference that they sell everything they have available from the previous day.