Really BAD queuing system!
Just to add my Apple queuing experience. The thing to stand out, is how BADLY it is organised; each and every year the same thing!!
- I was outside the Brighton store in the UK from around 4:30am, and was ~50th in line.
(we have to stand outside the shopping centre until it opens at 7am, and then get walked-in in the same order by the Apple staff to queue directly outside the Apple Store itself).
- The Apple staff actually appeared outside the shopping centre at 5am, and we all asked "what is stock like?"... their answer: "we can't tell you!". (also said you can buy upto two 5S's, as per every year, &/or TEN 5C's -- this should have been an advanced warning for everyone in line!!)
- So we are all standing there (no free coffee/food BTW, as I hear the US stores get!) until 7am (yes, TWO hours waiting), and by now there are ~250 people in line, before being lead inside the shopping centre by the staff in groups of 10, until most of the queue is now lined-up inside the centre directly outside the store.
- Now we're directly lined-up outside the Apple store in the centre, at 7:30am they FINALLY start going down they queue asking what people want and handing out the stock tickets! It soon became apparent they had absolutely f*c*-all 5S units in stock!
Out of the first 30 people, I soon saw ~10 leave instantly they spoke to the manager who was making his way down the line handing-out the stock tickets as he spoke REALLY QUIETLY in hushed tones to each person individually inline, many people were rolling their eyes in surprise so I wondered what was going on. Then out of the next 20 just in front of me, another 5 left (one shouting "WTF, NO GOLDS AT ALL LEFT AFTER LESS THAN 30 PEOPLE!" As they stormed off).
I wanted to hear it from the horses mouth, and a couple of mins later eventually the Apple manager got to me at ~50th in line and confirmed all golds had gone before me, as had all the white/silvers too, in fact all they had left was 16 & 32GB Black/Grey's!
I thought about quizzing him about it, but he looked highly annoyed he was having to advise customers, and was apologising profusely about it, so as I wanting a gold 64GB (or at least a white one!) I just left the queue too without wasting time asking him anything more.
However, out of interest I hung around for another 30mins (drinking a nearby self-bought coffee to perk-up a bit) and it was just plainly embarrassing difficult for the Apple staff, as they advised queuers of ZERO 5S's left (after the few people behind me snapped-up the remaining black ones I passed on).
I literally watched as ~90% of the rest of the queue vanished as one-by-one each small group was advised no 5S's left, only 5C's, before I then left.
_________
On watching them all gradually being told 'no stock left', the more forceful queuers were asking the manager TWO questions which were really pissing everyone off:
1.) Why did they not tell people at 5am that they had low stocks?!
2.) Given low stock, why did they not go down the line at 5am to hand-out the stock tickets to the first people in line, so others behind them did not have to waste their time and could have left a lot earlier?!
Another work colleague I spoke to was queuing outside the VERY LARGE London Covent Garden store (at ~300 in line) and he didn't even get ANY to chose from, nor did the previous 50 people in front of him!
Being big, there was ~1200 people still behind him! They were also queuing for much much longer too, and they were mostly VERY PISSED-OFF at being kept in line by Apple staff from 5am (when the staff appeared) until 8am (yes, they had to wait until 8am before the doors opened there!). Only for most of them to leave with ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, given nearly all wanted a 5S!
I also have a friend who works at another London branch of Apple Store, but wasn't working that day. It transpires that Apple HQ clearly advised store managers not to advise queuers that they had low stocks, and to not hand-out tickets until at or near the opening time -- so effectively we all were used by Apple to make their "new iPhone release" look good!
Never again queuing for me, that's all I say. Bad Apple, really bad.
