At & T store vs Apple Store for camp out

[shankin11]

I've gone through a couple of pages looking for information on this, but couldn't find anything so forgive me if I've overlooked the answer all along.

Anyway, from what I've gathered At & t may or may not have an allotment of first come first serve iphones but the Apple store is almost guaranteed to. The predicament I face is that my access to an At & t store is much more convenient than the Apple store, but if I get there and they have nothing, my time will be have spent in vain.

I also predict that many more people will elect to camp at the Apple store and they will show up much earlier. With that in mind can anyone provide information to help direct me towards the right decision.

I'll hang up and listen

 

[sfwalter]

If I was camping out I would do it an Apple store. At this point I just have no clue if ATT will have any phones for walk ins. They probably will, but who knows.

Apple will definitely have phones for walk ins. So even if you go to a busy Apple store I can imagine there would be more than 20 people camping out.

 

[Adisah]

Call both stores wednesday afternoon.

Ask for inventory information, how many people have pre-ordered, and etc.

Pick whichever one has a higher success rate of iPhone purchase.

 

[hansenc]

Call both stores wednesday afternoon.

Ask for inventory information, how many people have pre-ordered, and etc.

Pick whichever one has a higher success rate of iPhone purchase.

Thats my plan.

 

[Irish Rose]

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If I was camping out I would do it an Apple store. At this point I just have no clue if ATT will have any phones for walk ins. They probably will, but who knows.

Apple will definitely have phones for walk ins. So even if you go to a busy Apple store I can imagine there would be more than 20 people camping out.

AT&T will have phones for the walk in customers, but I don't know what the exact number is going to be.

 

[hansenc]

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AT&T will have phones for the walk in customers, but I don't know what the exact number is going to be.

I talked to the ATT Store MGR directly and he also said they will have them for walk-ins but to get there early. I think its still too early for them to know how many they will get but Wednesday I hope they would have a good idea.

I could see ATT figuring out Wednesday that they oversold the pre-orders for pickup on the 25th and take their walk-in inventory and use it to fulfill.

 

[treyjustice]

AT&T is usually closer and has less people. So you can get there later and still have a spot in line!

 

[splashnader]

Every phone that ATT stores have on Thursday will be for walk ins only. ATT did not accept pre-orders or reservations for in store pickup on the 24th. They only accepted in store pick up, via pre oder, for the 25th. Apple on the others hand will hundreds of people with reservations that will be in front of you.

I would not camp out in front of an Apple store, unless i had a reservation. If I were you I would head to the ATT store just as early as I could on the morning of the 24th. If you get in line first, you will get a phone. Simple as that.

 

[itsvdiddy]

Apple on the others hand will hundreds of people with reservations that will be in front of you.

I don't think this is true. For the last two iPad preorders, there was a separate line for pre-orders, another one for general pick-ups/walk-ups. I'm pretty sure it's the same way with this.

Why would they make pre-orders wait in the regular line with all the other people who didn't pre-order?

 

[Staindsoul]

Every phone that ATT stores have on Thursday will be for walk ins only. ATT did not accept pre-orders or reservations for in store pickup on the 24th. They only accepted in store pick up, via pre oder, for the 25th. Apple on the others hand will hundreds of people with reservations that will be in front of you.

I would not camp out in front of an Apple store, unless i had a reservation. If I were you I would head to the ATT store just as early as I could on the morning of the 24th. If you get in line first, you will get a phone. Simple as that.

+1

 

[splashnader]

I don't think this is true. For the last two iPad preorders, there was a separate line for pre-orders, another one for general pick-ups/walk-ups. I'm pretty sure it's the same way with this.

Why would they make pre-orders wait in the regular line with all the other people who didn't pre-order?

I am sure there will be separate lines at Apple stores. One for pre order and one for first come, fist serve. The thing is that Apple will only allocate so many phones for walk ins. They will set aside all the stores reservations in one room, and the rest of the units, which will be very few, set aside in another room. So while there will be two lines, those people with reservations will still have an advantage to the people who are waiting in the walk in line, regardless of how short or how long the walk in line is. And in years past Apple stores have had more of their associates helping the people in the reservation line, than in the walk in line. For example there may be five or six employees helping fill the orders in the reservation line, while there may only be one or two employees working the walk in line. Therefore reservation line is going to go faster.

At least if you go to an ATT store and you are one of the first ten or twenty people there in line, you feel pretty good that you are going to walk out of there with a phone.