Apple Store limiting iPhone sales

[m3nphls]

I already have a 6+ 64GB and decided to buy 2 more 6+ to ship overseas for family members. Before going to the Apple Store, I checked their store stock online and the 64GB and 128GB were available for the last 2 days. I went in and ask for 2 phones to 3 different sales reps and they said that they were all sold out and that the inventory availability online is not real time with their store, even though it shows they have it in stock.

Well, I decided to purchase 2 from the Apple Store app at full price since I have 2 lines that are not elegible for upgrade and selected in store pick up. Little you know, 30 minutes later I get a email saying I can go and pick them up. They're probably restricting sales to only people with accounts or want to set up new accounts with carriers.

 

[mercuryjones]

I already have a 6+ 64GB and decided to buy 2 more 6+ to ship overseas for family members. Before going to the Apple Store, I checked their store stock online and the 64GB and 128GB were available for the last 2 days. I went in and ask for 2 phones to 3 different sales reps and they said that they were all sold out and that the inventory availability online is not real time with their store, even though it shows they have it in stock.

Well, I decided to purchase 2 from the Apple Store app at full price since I have 2 lines that are not elegible for upgrade and selected in store pick up. Little you know, 30 minutes later I get a email saying I can go and pick them up. They're probably restricting sales to only people with accounts or want to set up new accounts with carriers.

No. Online inventory is different from in store inventory. This has been discussed many times before.

 

[WaveGawd]

Good. Thousands of people still trying to get 6 pluses. I'm glad their stopping flippers and people who send them overseas from from keeping these devices out of our hands.

Get what you can but in glad you don't have Carte Blanche to buy everything else when people are waiting 3 months to get one

 

[deeddawg]

This has been discussed many times before.

Need a bit more emphasis on that...


As to the other comment, I find the ethnocentrism a bit off-putting. Why do people judge domestic iphone buyers as superior to overseas buyers? Whether m3nphls is buying for family members or to sell to strangers, the phones are ending up in the hands of people who want an iPhone. OP took no unfair advantage in buying those two phones; they were available for anyone else who wanted to buy them badly enough to be paying attention to the stock levels.

 

[Newtons Apple]

They are STILL lining up in front of our local Apple store trying to get any 6+ and some of the model 6 units.

Glad I ordered early and not having to go though that!

 

[bunnicula]

I already have a 6+ 64GB and decided to buy 2 more 6+ to ship overseas for family members. Before going to the Apple Store, I checked their store stock online and the 64GB and 128GB were available for the last 2 days. I went in and ask for 2 phones to 3 different sales reps and they said that they were all sold out and that the inventory availability online is not real time with their store, even though it shows they have it in stock.

Well, I decided to purchase 2 from the Apple Store app at full price since I have 2 lines that are not elegible for upgrade and selected in store pick up. Little you know, 30 minutes later I get a email saying I can go and pick them up. They're probably restricting sales to only people with accounts or want to set up new accounts with carriers.

Which carrier did you order from at full price through the Apple Store app?

The Apple Store app only allows contract purchases through AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint.

Care to clarify?

 

[Gav2k]

You have to reserve and collect from stores you can't just walk in.

The above information is incorrect. Apple has switched to a live inventory system so what the employee told you was incorrect.

What the employee should have told you was 'I'm sorry we are only able to sell to reservation customers at this moment and time due to stock restraints. Would you like me to show you on this 5k iMac?'

 

[m3nphls]

Which carrier did you order from at full price through the Apple Store app?

The Apple Store app only allows contract purchases through AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint.

Care to clarify?

It allows contract purchase but you can still check out at full price if you are not elegible for upgrade yet. Whatever upgrade fee and plans that shows at check out, has no effect on your account since you are buying at full price w/o being elegible.

While I agree that this is probably a way to stop flippers it's kind of annoying. Yes, I probably should've just ordered during the day and pick up later but family members weren't decided yet until late.

@mercuryjones if I see they have it in stock in the store through the Apple Store App or on Apple.com, I don't see why it's different stock system. It shows the inventory they have in the store, not what they have in whatever warehouse they ship out from.

 

[mercuryjones]

It allows contract purchase but you can still check out at full price if you are not elegible for upgrade yet. Whatever upgrade fee and plans that shows at check out, has no effect on your account since you are buying at full price w/o being elegible.

While I agree that this is probably a way to stop flippers it's kind of annoying. Yes, I probably should've just ordered during the day and pick up later but family members weren't decided yet until late.

@mercuryjones if I see they have it in stock in the store through the Apple Store App or on Apple.com, I don't see why it's different stock system. It shows the inventory they have in the store, not what they have in whatever warehouse they ship out from.

Because, by the time you have seen the inventory and then made your way to the store, they may have already sold out of the "stock".
I'm just going by what I was told by several different employees in numerous stores. They have a walk in inventory (usually available in the morning) and then an online inventory that gets replenished during the day.
I'm pretty sure they also have stock set aside for replacements. Do you want them to include that in the overall sales stock too?

 

[bunnicula]

It allows contract purchase but you can still check out at full price if you are not elegible for upgrade yet. Whatever upgrade fee and plans that shows at check out, has no effect on your account since you are buying at full price w/o being elegible.

While I agree that this is probably a way to stop flippers it's kind of annoying. Yes, I probably should've just ordered during the day and pick up later but family members weren't decided yet until late.

@mercuryjones if I see they have it in stock in the store through the Apple Store App or on Apple.com, I don't see why it's different stock system. It shows the inventory they have in the store, not what they have in whatever warehouse they ship out from.

Actually, you aren't just paying cash. You are signing up for another 2-year contract and paying full price to do it.

Which seems odd, because it means that you'll keep having to pay full price every year to upgrade.

Would make more sense to reserve that way, go in, cancel the uograde, and pay straight cash with no upgrade.

----------

Also, online inventory is indeed not from the same pool as in-store inventory.

 

[noekozz]

Good. Thousands of people still trying to get 6 pluses. I'm glad their stopping flippers and people who send them overseas from from keeping these devices out of our hands.

Get what you can but in glad you don't have Carte Blanche to buy everything else when people are waiting 3 months to get one

IMO they should have done this from the very beginning. I'm sure Apple didn't have a problem with scalpers galore lining up during the first two weeks buying multiple iPhones with no problem.

 

[KdParker]

If you pay with a credit card why should it matter if you buy online or at the store?

I think that if the inventory is at the store you shouldn't have to only order it online.

 

[mercuryjones]

If you pay with a credit card why should it matter if you buy online or at the store?

I think that if the inventory is at the store you shouldn't have to only order it online.

I would agree, if the inventory was at levels where no matter where you were, you could purchase it. However, Apple still can't keep up with demand, and so they have to limit it in someway.
You see inventory online and you have a credit card, why not purchase it then and there? Why the need to drive to the store and try to purchase it?
Also, if you do go in store, and find out that they don't have inventory for you, why not just reserve a phone at that time, either for that day or just purchase online for shipment?

 

[rockitdog]

The only time you can actually trust the online Apple Story inventory is in the middle of the night. It's so fluid that is fluctuates all day long. They aren't restricting sales.

 

[bunnicula]

The only time you can actually trust the online Apple Story inventory is in the middle of the night. It's so fluid that is fluctuates all day long. They aren't restricting sales.

They are, actually.

They stop handing out reservations at the store when they reach the point that they know they cannot complete any more activations that day. Each store varies, but they know roughly how many they can activate in a day.

 

[macfacts]

No. Online inventory is different from in store inventory. This has been discussed many times before.

Apple should provide better service by having in store employee also check their "online" inventory for the customer then.

 

[newellj]

Actually, you aren't just paying cash. You are signing up for another 2-year contract and paying full price to do it.

Which seems odd, because it means that you'll keep having to pay full price every year to upgrade.

Would make more sense to reserve that way, go in, cancel the uograde, and pay straight cash with no upgrade.

----------

Also, online inventory is indeed not from the same pool as in-store inventory.

I may be misunderstanding your post, but I bought one of my iPhone 6 phones out of contract and put it on an existing line, and the contract date remained as it was. But you are probably right that if you buy an out of contract phone and put it on a new line, you are stuck with a two year upgrade cycle, which makes no sense at all - in that case you should just sign up for the new line up front and get the discounted hardware price.

 

[mercuryjones]

Apple should provide better service by having in store employee also check their "online" inventory for the customer then.

Because you can't do that yourself? I'm pretty sure that they will direct you to one of the open Macs, so that you can do ti yourself. Or, you can do it direct from your iPhone that you already have, via the Apple Store app.

 

[Tyler23]

Actually, you aren't just paying cash. You are signing up for another 2-year contract and paying full price to do it.

Which seems odd, because it means that you'll keep having to pay full price every year to upgrade.

Would make more sense to reserve that way, go in, cancel the uograde, and pay straight cash with no upgrade.

----------

Also, online inventory is indeed not from the same pool as in-store inventory.

No, if you choose your phone and your carrier (at least on Verizon), and you are not eligible for an upgrade, it will change to showing the price as the full price of the phone. At that point, you can buy it, activate it, etc. and your contract stays the same. It does not force you to sign a new 2-year contract.

However, if what you're saying is that if your contract is UP, and you want to buy this way, it will force you to sign a new 2-year agreement. If that's what you meant, my apologies for misunderstanding as that is correct.

 

[m3nphls]

Actually, you aren't just paying cash. You are signing up for another 2-year contract and paying full price to do it.

Which seems odd, because it means that you'll keep having to pay full price every year to upgrade.

Would make more sense to reserve that way, go in, cancel the uograde, and pay straight cash with no upgrade.

----------

Also, online inventory is indeed not from the same pool as in-store inventory.

Not actually, I've check and I've done this since the iphone 5 and my contract stays the same. If you are not elegible for an upgrade, the summary page before check out tells you your plan, upgrade fee, 2yr contract and device full pricing. Nothing changes on your contract and you don't pay any upgrade fee just because you are paying full price.

 

[bunnicula]

Interesting. The checkout message is full price, but states that it's 2-yr contract. I wonder if all carriers handle that the same way.

 

[stasha]

Good. Thousands of people still trying to get 6 pluses. I'm glad their stopping flippers and people who send them overseas from from keeping these devices out of our hands.

Get what you can but in glad you don't have Carte Blanche to buy everything else when people are waiting 3 months to get one

I dont like your comment i need to write this so you know

 

[Supermallet]

Apple should provide better service by having in store employee also check their "online" inventory for the customer then.

I'm guessing the reason they don't do that is because of this scenario:

Customer: Hi, I'd like to buy an iPhone 6 Plus.
Employee: Sorry, we're sold out today.
Customer: It says you have it available online.
Employee: Oh, okay! Let me just grab it for you from the back.
*employee leaves, returns with phone*
Employee: Okay, let me just scan this and...oh.
Customer: Oh?
Employee: Well, turns out I can't sell this to you.
Customer: Why?
Employee: In the time it took me to grab this, someone ordered it online for pickup.
Customer: Seriously? You have it in your hand and won't sell it to me?
Employee: I'm really sorry.
*customer starts swearing, security is called in, a child gets a cone of ice cream knocked out of his hand*

 

[lordofthereef]

I'm guessing the reason they don't do that is because of this scenario:

Customer: Hi, I'd like to buy an iPhone 6 Plus.
Employee: Sorry, we're sold out today.
Customer: It says you have it available online.
Employee: Oh, okay! Let me just grab it for you from the back.
*employee leaves, returns with phone*
Employee: Okay, let me just scan this and...oh.
Customer: Oh?
Employee: Well, turns out I can't sell this to you.
Customer: Why?
Employee: In the time it took me to grab this, someone ordered it online for pickup.
Customer: Seriously? You have it in your hand and won't sell it to me?
Employee: I'm really sorry.
*customer starts swearing, security is called in, a child gets a cone of ice cream knocked out of his hand*

While your scenario is probably accurate, it would be incredibly easy for them to set up a system where they check on their iPad for availability, hit a specially made reserve button which holds the device for a maximum of 15 minutes (or insert a timeframe you think is appropriate) and the phone is then sold (or not, taking it back to inventory).

I ran into this same issue too. I was happy buying outright but didn't have the option with ATT since I had upgrades available. I couldn't reserve the device because I didn't want to use an upgrade, I wanted Next (since an upgrade would have caused me to pay nearlt $300 more for the phone over the life of the contract). To further complicate the issue, I had people on Apple's hotline tell me that looking at online inventory was an accurate representation of actual inventory. Every single one of them told me that and I talked to at least five people. Ended up finding it in best Buy... whole situation was dumb. lol

 

[Supermallet]

While your scenario is probably accurate, it would be incredibly easy for them to set up a system where they check on their iPad for availability, hit a specially made reserve button which holds the device for a maximum of 15 minutes (or insert a timeframe you think is appropriate) and the phone is then sold (or not, taking it back to inventory).

I ran into this same issue too. I was happy buying outright but didn't have the option with ATT since I had upgrades available. I couldn't reserve the device because I didn't want to use an upgrade, I wanted Next (since an upgrade would have caused me to pay nearlt $300 more for the phone over the life of the contract). To further complicate the issue, I had people on Apple's hotline tell me that looking at online inventory was an accurate representation of actual inventory. Every single one of them told me that and I talked to at least five people. Ended up finding it in best Buy... whole situation was dumb. lol

Yes, it's possible that could work, but then if someone is checking out, and just before the clerk hits the reserve button, then that customer gets screwed. It's kind of a no-win scenario, you know?