According to Bestbuy.com, a Best Buy about 45 minutes from me has a Gold 64GB 5s. Before coming up with an excuse to call in sick, does anyone know if the online inventory is accurate? Thanks in advance!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is "Find It At A Best Buy Store" accurate?
- Thread starter smokeyjoe14
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It usually is, it will reflect exactly what they have on their inventory, or, more specifically, what the computer has recorded as being received.
Sometimes though, things don't arrive on shipments, and so it thinks there is one when there is not, or it may take a couple hours for the inventory to update after a sale.
Ultimately, call ahead. And if they say no, ask (politely) if they've checked any recent shipment, as stuff sometimes gets hidden on pallets, and employees may say it's not there, since tearing down a pallet is arduous.
It was accurate for me this morning. Only 1 store in the Houston area showed stock for the model I wanted and it happened to be the store 1 mile from my office. The salesperson said they had 2 others of the same model and the stock checker showed them unavailable an hour after I bought.
I have found it to be rather accurate re: what stock they have, however, I would warn you before you make the drive that the models that are listed as having stock may already be "claimed" by someone as part of Best Buy's Pre-Order/Reservation process.
For example, a Best Buy near me received a shipment with 10 VZW Gold 32GB 5S' today, but all of them were claimed by Pre-Order people (who have 72 hours to pick them up), so they said to not even bother coming in.
For example, a Best Buy near me received a shipment with 10 VZW Gold 32GB 5S' today, but all of them were claimed by Pre-Order people (who have 72 hours to pick them up), so they said to not even bother coming in.
Thanks for all the responses! I'm going to show up and try to be first at the store. I will update everyone tomorrow morning!
I'd call them and confirm. Then when your halfway there, call again to confirm. You should be gold
If you try and call, you will be put through to a national call center. Make sure you ask the person you talk to to call the store and talk to real person directly. Otherwise they'll just do the same thing you did, look online and then verify that way. Sometimes events in the store move quicker than the computer.
Just make sure when you call as to be connected to BB mobile. The people answering calls have no idea of inventory. This is how I got my iphone (technically I was in store on a whim and they had gold and also listed as i looked it up while I was there). The next day I told my co worker and they would not patch him through to mobile saying there were 0 phones in stock. The website still listed a version in stock so we went and it was there. I scored a 64 att gold and he took a 64 silver.
If the phone is being held for somebody who pre-ordered it, that store will still show as "available" even though you won't be able to buy it when you get to Best Buy.
Not in my case. Best Buy had no problem selling my pre-order to someone else on launch day. Best Buy had my money but no iPhone to give me. YMMV.
Was that for an order you placed early AM on the 20th on their website? Or one you made in-store after the launch?
I'm guessing it was the former because I've heard those horror stories, but either way that sucks. I'm sorry to hear that.
I've seen cases where 3 out of the 10 or so in my area have listed stock for the iPhone I was looking for. I went to one and got it, turned out it had some issues and went to another and exchanged for a new on the next day. After I left that store, they listed it as out of stock.
Although now it appears that every store has stock for everything near me. Not sure if I believe that.
Although now it appears that every store has stock for everything near me. Not sure if I believe that.
I'm seeing the same for everywhere I've checked and for every model. I just called a store in Hawaii (the only ones still open) and they told me that the online inventory is inaccurate right now because "their system is down" so for whatever reason that fed availability of all models into their website.
So: Do not rely on the current inventory of Best Buy. Earlier tonight it was accurate (as much as it normally is), but there is an error now.
+! I had a real bad experience with my iPhone 5s online order and ended up having to cancel it after a day of hassle.
Best Buy in Maple Grove, MN said it had Verizon Gold 32GB instock online. I called first thing when they opened, said they had 6. Canceled my apple.com order, drove over, and am now sitting at home with my new phone!
FYI - The people working at Best Buy in LIGHT blue shirts are Samsung reps...they can't help you get an iPhone 5s
FYI - The people working at Best Buy in LIGHT blue shirts are Samsung reps...they can't help you get an iPhone 5s
No, it's not. I know friends who were screwed over by Best Buy claiming to have stock in- store, and that not being the case. Even standing IN THE STORE, the site would show phones in stock and it being a lie. The website isn't updated in real time, and definitely not fast enough to be accurate as the day goes on.
Best Buy has never managed to get online ordering right.
Best Buy in Maple Grove, MN said it had Verizon Gold 32GB instock online. I called first thing when they opened, said they had 6. Canceled my apple.com order, drove over, and am now sitting at home with my new phone!
FYI - The people working at Best Buy in LIGHT blue shirts are Samsung reps...they can't help you get an iPhone 5s
Congrats on getting one!
I have to say - that's extremely frustrating because I saw yesterday immediately when Maple Grove's stock of the VZW 32 Gold went to "In Store Only" - I called and they even "checked" with Mobile and claimed none were in.
Ugh. I guess the moral of the story may be that you can trust the online inventory (more than the store reps)