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Has your Best Buy reservation come in yet?

I was reading this thread as I'm in the same boat on waiting for a reservation and wanted to throw my two cents in; shocked I haven't registered for this board yet or posted to it before, but oh well.

The BB that I placed my (late) reservation with has actually received three shipments thus far (that I could tell). I went in on Monday mid-day and they were fulfilling reservations and again today the front cage and customer service area appeared to stocked w/ iPad2s, but I couldn't tell which configurations.

If the fulfillment for BB is anything like Apple's policy for distribution to WalMart and Target, it is all based on prior sku sales volume of Apple product. I have a WalMart store manager in the family who has a former colleague that works as a Target manager that confirmed the same policy to me last weekend for both retailers. If said location didn't retail significant numbers of iPods, iTouch, iPhones, etc...in the past, they weren't getting much initial stock or restock of launch product.

I assume this holds true for BB due to the number of restocks the location I went to appears to have received. This is a high-volume, large floor plan location in an affluent Atlanta suburb that was also one of the first BB to have the in-store genius bar/Apple-whatever dedicated floor space. Total shot in the dark applying the Walmart/Target model to BB, but thought I'd pass it along to (perhaps) answer some questions about which stores are getting shipments and why.

That said, I'm not holding my breath to get my 32g white wifi anytime soon.
 
I wish there was something I can do. I feel like no matter where I try, there is no possible way to get one.

And Best Buy at least is taking reservations. I just hope I went to the right Best Buy.

They seemed like they had a lot of initial launch units, but I can't be certain.
 
benine said:
I was reading this thread as I'm in the same boat on waiting for a reservation and wanted to throw my two cents in; shocked I haven't registered for this board yet or posted to it before, but oh well.

The BB that I placed my (late) reservation with has actually received three shipments thus far (that I could tell). I went in on Monday mid-day and they were fulfilling reservations and again today the front cage and customer service area appeared to stocked w/ iPad2s, but I couldn't tell which configurations.

If the fulfillment for BB is anything like Apple's policy for distribution to WalMart and Target, it is all based on prior sku sales volume of Apple product. I have a WalMart store manager in the family who has a former colleague that works as a Target manager that confirmed the same policy to me last weekend for both retailers. If said location didn't retail significant numbers of iPods, iTouch, iPhones, etc...in the past, they weren't getting much initial stock or restock of launch product.

I assume this holds true for BB due to the number of restocks the location I went to appears to have received. This is a high-volume, large floor plan location in an affluent Atlanta suburb that was also one of the first BB to have the in-store genius bar/Apple-whatever dedicated floor space. Total shot in the dark applying the Walmart/Target model to BB, but thought I'd pass it along to (perhaps) answer some questions about which stores are getting shipments and why.

That said, I'm not holding my breath to get my 32g white wifi anytime soon.
Click to expand...

Yikes.

I think I picked a bad BB in that case....
 
Another day with no call, I was really hoping for this week but thats looking slimmer and slimmer each day. :(
 
I bet there will be shipments tomorrow or Friday. I saw 1 shipment on Monday so don't lose hope!

Keep in mind - they were for wifi only. Not sure how often the 3G will ship.
 
9OOYO said:
I bet there will be shipments tomorrow or Friday. I saw 1 shipment on Monday so don't lose hope!

Keep in mind - they were for wifi only. Not sure how often the 3G will ship.
Click to expand...

Uggghhh. 64gb 3G here waiting impatiently. Who knows what's going to happen.
 
Stopped in at my local Best Buy (small college town in the south) today in the afternoon and each employee SWORE they were getting some Thursday (tomorrow), even a manager verified. I put down a pre-order (32gb Black) and will cross my fingers. Luckily the whole town is pretty much vacant this week due to spring break.
 
As long as apple cannot fulfill their customer's demands. There is no way best buy will be able to fulfill their orders...

Apple will take care their online stores and retail stores first.

Fools hope.
 
hcho3 said:
As long as apple cannot fulfill their customer's demands. There is no way best buy will be able to fulfill their orders...

Apple will take care their online stores and retail stores first.

Fools hope.
Click to expand...

Except that if this were true, then NO BBs would have gotten ANY more stock yet, since there are unfilled online orders and Apple stores who aren't getting in expected shipments.

And yet some BBs have gotten shipments in. Explain?
 
qpid said:
Stopped in at my local Best Buy (small college town in the south) today in the afternoon and each employee SWORE they were getting some Thursday (tomorrow), even a manager verified. I put down a pre-order (32gb Black) and will cross my fingers. Luckily the whole town is pretty much vacant this week due to spring break.
Click to expand...

I'm glad that they gave you hope but like BBYemployee said...no bb employees, no managers know when they will be getting ipads in till they actually show up at their store.

To tag on to other posters about the pre-order system...I think bb has done the best job of trying to get people their ipads. They could easily say line up every day at 5am and maybe we will have some like the apple stores are doing but they haven't.

It would be nice if Apple shared to bb and other retailers when they would be getting ipads but Apple can do whatever they want and still get great results...must be nice to be on top ;).
 
The BB im reserved at was supposed to have an incoming shipment on saturday between 10-2 the manager said. He also said that if Apple decided last minute to change the shipment to the local apple store they could. I left BB and headed out to the apple store just to browse around and suddenly a small shipment of 16gb 3g ipads came in which is exactly what I dont want unfortunately. I later went to the BB again and they said they never got their shipment in. I'm imagining that it was diverted to the apple store. I'm still waiting as patiently as possible for my 64 black wifi as is my fiance for her 32 black wifi. Both pre-ordered on saturday. I was about 4th in line and she swung by later and was most like more like 40th or so. I have a bunch of errands to run after work today so I can feel it deep down in my core that today is the day it'll come in, soley for the fact that I'd have to wait until tomorrow to pick it up lol. Here's hoping
 
benine said:
The BB that I placed my (late) reservation with has actually received three shipments thus far (that I could tell). I went in on Monday mid-day and they were fulfilling reservations and again today the front cage and customer service area appeared to stocked w/ iPad2s, but I couldn't tell which configurations.
Click to expand...

May I ask which Atlanta store? I'm guessing not Kennesaw as that's where I have my reservation and I'm one of the first couple on the list.

I'm feeling optimistic today, I think I'm going to get my call. There's another post on here that shows you how to check Target's inventory. Looked a little while ago and the one close to me shows a Black 32GB wifi only as available now. If I didn't already have $300 worth of Best Buy gift cards (besides my $100 reservation) going towards the purchase, I'd probably head over to Target this morning.
 
There are reports from some people that Best Buy is no longer taking reservations. Dont know if this is good or bad news
 
CerealKillers said:
There are reports from some people that Best Buy is no longer taking reservations. Dont know if this is good or bad news
Click to expand...

When I got my reservation they had photocopied print outs of the exact model you wanted with a barcode for presale and another barcode for pickup. It seemed like there was a diff't number of sheets per folder and I was right up in front. I could be wrong but it seemed to me that BB had finite allotments for each model to presale which would suggest that those numbers are factored in to apples big picture. If they're not doing it anymore I think they simply ran out. I'm trying to be as optimistic as I can.
 
What are the chances for a call today? I'm feeling slim to none. Isn't it crazy? You want to give someone a $1000 bucks but yet, they can't produce enough of it. Why didn't the newton have this problem? LOL :)
 
yeah im trying to make myself think theres no way i'll get it today. my problem is im going away on friday and wont be back to pick it up within 48 hrs if they call in the morning.
 
porcupine8 said:
Except that if this were true, then NO BBs would have gotten ANY more stock yet, since there are unfilled online orders and Apple stores who aren't getting in expected shipments.

And yet some BBs have gotten shipments in. Explain?
Click to expand...

Look at this..
Trying to take out his anger on me for saying the truth. Some best buys have gotten shipments in? How many did they get? 3? 4?

Sure, that's a lot.

Best buy will get ship shipments like 3-4 a week. If you want to call that a shipment, then cool. Be prepare to wait 3-4 months. At least apple gives you time frame on when you can expect your shipment online, does best buy do that? No No No.

Fools hope continues.
 
hcho3 said:
Look at this..
Trying to take out his anger on me for saying the truth. Some best buys have gotten shipments in? How many did they get? 3? 4?

Sure, that's a lot.

Best buy will get ship shipments like 3-4 a week. If you want to call that a shipment, then cool. Be prepare to wait 3-4 months. At least apple gives you time frame on when you can expect your shipment online, does best buy do that? No No No.

Fools hope continues.
Click to expand...

Actually I think it's been reported that when they receive a shipment, the iPads come in bundles of 5. If true it would be impossible for them to only receive 3 or 4. When did you place your order with Apple? If you did when delivery was 2-3 weeks or longer it wouldn't surprise me if I had my Best Buy iPad before you as many others already have gotten theirs. It really depends on where you are on their reservation list.
 
hch03: while I agree that it seems hopeless if you are way back in line at BB, some of us posting in this thread are actually top 5 or even first in line and i think our chances of getting one quicker than we would've from apple online are ok. personally I am in Canada and will just get in line at my local BB (no apple store here) on launch day if my ipad from BB in detroit has not arrived by that time.
 
hcho3 said:
Look at this..
Best buy will get ship shipments like 3-4 a week. If you want to call that a shipment, then cool. Be prepare to wait 3-4 months. At least apple gives you time frame on when you can expect your shipment online, does best buy do that? No No No.

Fools hope continues.
Click to expand...

As of Friday afternoon, we had no reason to think that lining up at a Target (like I did) rather than ordering online was a particularly bad idea - then a lot of Targets didn't get their shipments, and most others only got 5 of a single model, which meant that those of us who didn't want that model lined up for nothing. Yes, I'm kinda angry about that, because the least Apple could have done was let those Targets know what they'd be getting rather than letting people who could easily have lined up elsewhere wait for nothing. I'm not taking that out on you, though - that's all Apple's fault.

But by the time I was done waiting at Target, online orders were very definitely at the 2-3 week shipping point (actually, I checked before I left for Target and they were). By the time it was clear on Saturday that nobody in my area (I called three Targets, two BBs, and an Apple store) had gotten any more in that day as many had expected they would, shipping was up to 3-4 weeks. I could get near the top of my BB's reservation list for the model I want, and I still don't think it's completely unreasonable that they might happen to get in a shipment of 5 of those within four weeks of launch.

Is it possible they won't? Sure. It's also possible that in those 4 weeks one of the Targets nearby, which I'm monitoring online, will get them in first and I'll grab one of those and get my deposit back. Or maybe I'll even feel extra-motivated one day and camp out at the apple store at 6am.

Either way, I don't think that ordering one NOW - with a 4-5 week shipping estimate - has a terrific chance of getting me one sooner than BB. If Apple happens to reduce their shipping estimates, I'll order one. But until then, I don't really see what use it is taunting those of us who have 100% refundable deposits just in case our Best Buy gets in our model before the other stores.
 
brettatk said:
May I ask which Atlanta store? I'm guessing not Kennesaw as that's where I have my reservation and I'm one of the first couple on the list.
Click to expand...


Alpharetta. Kennesaw, if I'm remembering that one correctly (off of 75 just after the 575 split?) is a mid-sized footprint location. I have no clue what their other Apple product sales volume has been like or what sort of store that is; last time I was there had to be 2 or 3 years ago. Alpharetta seems to be still a thriving BB location, which can be rare. For pointless example, they still have actual video games on the floor and not pieces of paper that you have to take to a claim location, like the old Service Merchandise days. Now there's a reference I never thought I'd make again...
 
benine said:
Alpharetta. Kennesaw, if I'm remembering that one correctly (off of 75 just after the 575 split?) is a mid-sized footprint location. I have no clue what their other Apple product sales volume has been like or what sort of store that is; last time I was there had to be 2 or 3 years ago. Alpharetta seems to be still a thriving BB location, which can be rare. For pointless example, they still have actual video games on the floor and not pieces of paper that you have to take to a claim location, like the old Service Merchandise days. Now there's a reference I never thought I'd make again...
Click to expand...

I'd consider Kennesaw to be a relatively thriving BB location. I went there specifically over the Cumberland location because I figured I would be higher on the reserve list. Oh well, I guess time will tell. I havent bothered calling them, I'm sure they get enough of those calls every day. It would be nice to have it now, but I'm not in any immediate rush. I am going out of town over Easter and would like to have it by then but that is still a month off.
 
i guess another day has gone by with no BB shipments huh. hoping i dont get a call tomorrow as i wont have time to pick it up within 48 hrs!
 
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