Frustrating Apple Store Line experience today

[Retired Cat]

Frustrating Apple Store Line experience today

Basically, these kinds of threads devolve into a fight between these general camps:

Camp 1 says that the way Apple sells iPhones allows scalpers to deny other buyers the chance to purchase a product by buying up supply and selling that supply for a premium (often overseas). The scalpers are making money without any value-add to the iPhone itself. Camp 1 believes the system should change to prevent this.

Camp 2 says that this is just the way the world works, so people should deal with it by outsmarting the scalpers.

Neither side will manage to convince the other that their view is the correct one.

This actually raises a side question for me: if Apple is indeed selling iPhones at below-market prices, leaving the scalpers to pocket the difference, isn't this actually screwing the shareholders of profit? Why doesn't Apple price something like the Gold iPhone 5S at $1,000+ the first week, and gradually drop the price as supply ramps up? I'm surprised that no blood-sucking trial lawyer has started a shareholder class action concerning this.

 

[thelatinist]

This whole issue could have been avoided if Apple had simply allowed contract users to pre-order as usual.

 

[dazedxar]

I don't know why people are getting upset over this. It's a freakin' phone. You guys need to get real and stop obsessing over your first world problems.

 

[Bowsa2511]

This whole issue could have been avoided if Apple had simply allowed contract users to pre-order as usual.

This

 

[Incarnato]

I have heard stories about certain groups of people buying up iPhones for sale in their home country for big money and not for personal use (perfectly legal). Anyway, I was at the Menlo Park NJ mall this morning around 11AM for something I needed and saw a relatively short line (counted 57 people not including myself) of people waiting for a 5S. So I decided to wait so I can get one for my wife since I already have mine.

Of the 57 people in line 49 (counted) were seemingly of the same "group" all seemingly knowing each other in what seemed like one big family and chattering in a foreign language. I was able to watch through he window as virtually every purchase being made while I was standing in line (all were at the front 4 tables). Every person (husband, wife & sometimes "older children") in each group that went in 1 group at a time purchased 2 phones each and all paid by cash with LOTS of large bills pretty obviously buying "no contract" devices.

It took around 55 minutes for the line to get to me and I was finally the next one. With about 3 people ahead of me a rep came out and said all he had left were 32gig Verizon (which is what I wanted) and 64gig ATT only in gray. Well, I finally got "escorted" in and placed my order, waited 3 minutes for the "getter" to bring my phone to the sales guy when .... "sorry Sir, all sold out."

I was pissed. Not so much because I didn't get one (which did bother me somewhat because I wasted an hour) but because it was so obvious what was going on with what I would call these "gangs" of people buying phones simply for sale elsewhere and not for their own use. All legal, can't argue with that, just so dammmm frustrating.

I guess there is no way to fix this problem since (as the Apple guy said when I said that the chances of any of these phones being activated in this country are slim to none) "we're just here to sell phones, doesn't matter what is being done with them." Just so annoying when obviously these large groups who gather keep "real" customers away from a chance to get a device. They must have some sort of "calling system" when they find a store with phones in stock because the vast majority did NOT seem like strangers to each other.

It's worse than trying to get concert tickets. At least you do that by phone.

I completely agree. I've been a lurker here since the gyroscope BS. Now fixed with 7.0.3. Anyways I settled for the space grey on launch and it's has definitely grew on me. Glad I kept it. My wife on the other hand returned hers a few weeks ago cuz she wants the gold, of course.

She's a RN and gets off work at 7am so she's been hitting the apple store (tampa international mall in fl) a few times a week. I went with her on Wed. 3 days ago. There were a group of people ahead of us. Like you said, one big family. About 10-12 and from ages approximately late teens/early 20's to 60's. I didn't think a whole lot to it. I seen 2 of them using the gold iPhones. 1 of the young ones and a middle aged dude. I thought maybe they were like me and were there just to tag along so the others could get iPhones.

The apple staff took 2 customers per employee. The older couple, who I believed to be in there 60's (if not 70's) were the second couple I believe to go in from the group. They were what really caught my attention. They each got 2 iPhones and paid cash. (We were in line looking through the glass like kids at a toy store.) so they caught my attention and I watched the rest of the "family" go in and they each grabbed 2 iPhones. No activation. Back to the older couple, I seen the man pull out a wad of cash to pay for his 2 and the old ladies 2. I couldn't tell with the rest if they paid cash cuz they were all at different tables.
By the time the family was done and the 3 people between us and them were took care of, they ran out of the silver and gold.
So we are driving home and I'm telling my wife to just order the phone (like I said 2 weeks ago) and I told her I think the people ahead of us who weren't speaking English were probably scalpers. My wife loves her idevices but doesn't follow stuff as much as I do. So she didn't put it together. But she put it together when she told me she She sometimes sees the same few people every so often and they're of that nationality. I don't wanna take it there cuz it really has nothing to do with that. It's that these people (Indians/Muslims. Ok I took it there but it still not about race. I'm married to a filipino. And uhhh I had a black friend once) go and take their whole family and friends to buy iPhones to slang. And it seems to be a few go multiple days a week.
It sucks for people like my wife who think they're better off trying the apple store because they want ASAP then to order them. We live in the land of the free. So what can ya do? Just bitch about it.

 

[DanTSX]

I completely agree. I've been a lurker here since the gyroscope BS. Now fixed with 7.0.3. Anyways I settled for the space grey on launch and it's has definitely grew on me. Glad I kept it. My wife on the other hand returned hers a few weeks ago cuz she wants the gold, of course.

She's a RN and gets off work at 7am so she's been hitting the apple store (tampa international mall in fl) a few times a week. I went with her on Wed. 3 days ago. There were a group of people ahead of us. Like you said, one big family. About 10-12 and from ages approximately late teens/early 20's to 60's. I didn't think a whole lot to it. I seen 2 of them using the gold iPhones. 1 of the young ones and a middle aged dude. I thought maybe they were like me and were there just to tag along so the others could get iPhones.

The apple staff took 2 customers per employee. The older couple, who I believed to be in there 60's (if not 70's) were the second couple I believe to go in from the group. They were what really caught my attention. They each got 2 iPhones and paid cash. (We were in line looking through the glass like kids at a toy store.) so they caught my attention and I watched the rest of the "family" go in and they each grabbed 2 iPhones. No activation. Back to the older couple, I seen the man pull out a wad of cash to pay for his 2 and the old ladies 2. I couldn't tell with the rest if they paid cash cuz they were all at different tables.
By the time the family was done and the 3 people between us and them were took care of, they ran out of the silver and gold.
So we are driving home and I'm telling my wife to just order the phone (like I said 2 weeks ago) and I told her I think the people ahead of us who weren't speaking English were probably scalpers. My wife loves her idevices but doesn't follow stuff as much as I do. So she didn't put it together. But she put it together when she told me she She sometimes sees the same few people every so often and they're of that nationality. I don't wanna take it there cuz it really has nothing to do with that. It's that these people (Indians/Muslims. Ok I took it there but it still not about race. I'm married to a filipino. And uhhh I had a black friend once) go and take their whole family and friends to buy iPhones to slang. And it seems to be a few go multiple days a week.
It sucks for people like my wife who think they're better off trying the apple store because they want ASAP then to order them. We live in the land of the free. So what can ya do? Just bitch about it.

Why does it matter if they were Indian? Good for them if they can come here on visas to get paid 1/3 what a similarly qualified programmer or whatever would get paid. It sucks to have to compete in that job market, but you adapt and make do. The same is applied to purchasing the latest luxury tech doodad. Outthink, outsmart, outpace, or outpay. Those are your your options.

 

[Ballis]

McDonalds is not spelled MacDonalds. Go to school... learn something.

Autocorrect will do that to you to if you spend enough time here.

 

[xyzmaestro]

Solution

I have heard stories about certain groups of people buying up iPhones for sale in their home country for big money and not for personal use (perfectly legal). Anyway, I was at the Menlo Park NJ mall this morning around 11AM for something I needed and saw a relatively short line (counted 57 people not including myself) of people waiting for a 5S. So I decided to wait so I can get one for my wife since I already have mine.

Of the 57 people in line 49 (counted) were seemingly of the same "group" all seemingly knowing each other in what seemed like one big family and chattering in a foreign language. I was able to watch through he window as virtually every purchase being made while I was standing in line (all were at the front 4 tables). Every person (husband, wife & sometimes "older children") in each group that went in 1 group at a time purchased 2 phones each and all paid by cash with LOTS of large bills pretty obviously buying "no contract" devices.

It took around 55 minutes for the line to get to me and I was finally the next one. With about 3 people ahead of me a rep came out and said all he had left were 32gig Verizon (which is what I wanted) and 64gig ATT only in gray. Well, I finally got "escorted" in and placed my order, waited 3 minutes for the "getter" to bring my phone to the sales guy when .... "sorry Sir, all sold out."

I was pissed. Not so much because I didn't get one (which did bother me somewhat because I wasted an hour) but because it was so obvious what was going on with what I would call these "gangs" of people buying phones simply for sale elsewhere and not for their own use. All legal, can't argue with that, just so dammmm frustrating.

I guess there is no way to fix this problem since (as the Apple guy said when I said that the chances of any of these phones being activated in this country are slim to none) "we're just here to sell phones, doesn't matter what is being done with them." Just so annoying when obviously these large groups who gather keep "real" customers away from a chance to get a device. They must have some sort of "calling system" when they find a store with phones in stock because the vast majority did NOT seem like strangers to each other.

It's worse than trying to get concert tickets. At least you do that by phone.

Order online and forget about the crowds

 

[iLuvMyMacToo]

Wow. The second closet racist thread in there days in this subforum.
The words you used to describe their association with one another are so the key veiled I don't know why you bothered even trying to cover it up.

Clearly I missed the apparent racist portions of the thread even though I re-read it through a couple of times. Perhaps you're reading too much into it.

 

[ritmomundo]

stand in line for two hours to buy a cell phone?

I've stood in line for more than an hour to go on a 45-second roller coaster, as do thousands of people at Six Flags every day.

 

[MSUSpartan]

I picked up my phone at SoHo in NYC last night for my wife around 8PM and there were already people waiting in line, for the next day? They obviously want the phone more than the people complaining in this thread. That's it.

If you want it bad enough, more than these people, you'd beat them in line. When you're sleeping comfortably in bed, there are people waiting in line for that gold iPhone 5S.

 

[itjw]

I thought the op was quite clear that he wasn't "owed" anything, just that it bugged him. As it would bug ANY of us, even if we waited 5 minutes, let alone an hour.

It was fair and legal what the group did. It's also fair and legal to be upset about it.

Either way there's nothing wrong with anything here

 

[Oui]

Wow. The second closet racist thread in there days in this subforum.
The words you used to describe their association with one another are so the key veiled I don't know why you bothered even trying to cover it up.

Wow. This ranks right up there with the stupid OCD comments. Way to devalue true racism. Not to mention you obviously don't know the meaning of the word.

 

[pikachu2k7]

So you want Apple to do background checks on their customers?

 

[joeshmo2010]

I completely agree. I've been a lurker here since the gyroscope BS. Now fixed with 7.0.3. Anyways I settled for the space grey on launch and it's has definitely grew on me. Glad I kept it. My wife on the other hand returned hers a few weeks ago cuz she wants the gold, of course.

She's a RN and gets off work at 7am so she's been hitting the apple store (tampa international mall in fl) a few times a week. I went with her on Wed. 3 days ago. There were a group of people ahead of us. Like you said, one big family. About 10-12 and from ages approximately late teens/early 20's to 60's. I didn't think a whole lot to it. I seen 2 of them using the gold iPhones. 1 of the young ones and a middle aged dude. I thought maybe they were like me and were there just to tag along so the others could get iPhones.

The apple staff took 2 customers per employee. The older couple, who I believed to be in there 60's (if not 70's) were the second couple I believe to go in from the group. They were what really caught my attention. They each got 2 iPhones and paid cash. (We were in line looking through the glass like kids at a toy store.) so they caught my attention and I watched the rest of the "family" go in and they each grabbed 2 iPhones. No activation. Back to the older couple, I seen the man pull out a wad of cash to pay for his 2 and the old ladies 2. I couldn't tell with the rest if they paid cash cuz they were all at different tables.
By the time the family was done and the 3 people between us and them were took care of, they ran out of the silver and gold.
So we are driving home and I'm telling my wife to just order the phone (like I said 2 weeks ago) and I told her I think the people ahead of us who weren't speaking English were probably scalpers. My wife loves her idevices but doesn't follow stuff as much as I do. So she didn't put it together. But she put it together when she told me she She sometimes sees the same few people every so often and they're of that nationality. I don't wanna take it there cuz it really has nothing to do with that. It's that these people (Indians/Muslims. Ok I took it there but it still not about race. I'm married to a filipino. And uhhh I had a black friend once) go and take their whole family and friends to buy iPhones to slang. And it seems to be a few go multiple days a week.
It sucks for people like my wife who think they're better off trying the apple store because they want ASAP then to order them. We live in the land of the free. So what can ya do? Just bitch about it.

uh why was that even necesarry

 

[joshdammit]

I have heard stories about certain groups of people buying up iPhones for sale in their home country for big money and not for personal use (perfectly legal). Anyway, I was at the Menlo Park NJ mall this morning around 11AM for something I needed and saw a relatively short line (counted 57 people not including myself) of people waiting for a 5S. So I decided to wait so I can get one for my wife since I already have mine.

Of the 57 people in line 49 (counted) were seemingly of the same "group" all seemingly knowing each other in what seemed like one big family and chattering in a foreign language. I was able to watch through he window as virtually every purchase being made while I was standing in line (all were at the front 4 tables). Every person (husband, wife & sometimes "older children") in each group that went in 1 group at a time purchased 2 phones each and all paid by cash with LOTS of large bills pretty obviously buying "no contract" devices.

It took around 55 minutes for the line to get to me and I was finally the next one. With about 3 people ahead of me a rep came out and said all he had left were 32gig Verizon (which is what I wanted) and 64gig ATT only in gray. Well, I finally got "escorted" in and placed my order, waited 3 minutes for the "getter" to bring my phone to the sales guy when .... "sorry Sir, all sold out."

I was pissed. Not so much because I didn't get one (which did bother me somewhat because I wasted an hour) but because it was so obvious what was going on with what I would call these "gangs" of people buying phones simply for sale elsewhere and not for their own use. All legal, can't argue with that, just so dammmm frustrating.

I guess there is no way to fix this problem since (as the Apple guy said when I said that the chances of any of these phones being activated in this country are slim to none) "we're just here to sell phones, doesn't matter what is being done with them." Just so annoying when obviously these large groups who gather keep "real" customers away from a chance to get a device. They must have some sort of "calling system" when they find a store with phones in stock because the vast majority did NOT seem like strangers to each other.

So you waited in line on launch day and are unpleasantly surprised you had a bad experience? Maybe don't subject yourself to that kind of torture, and then if there's a delay in you acquiring your phone it won't feel as frustrating.

It's worse than trying to get concert tickets. At least you do that by phone.

You do know you can order the iPhone online, right? Or at the store on subsequent business days? But you wanted the day-one, launch-day experience. Well so did all of those other people, including those who want to resell the iPhone at higher prices to another wave of "I need it now" consumers: The people who willingly spend hundreds more on a new electronics device because they can't wait a few weeks.