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Japanese Apple Stores Again Selling Annual 'Lucky Bags' on January 2
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And it'll be considered gambling. Texas Hold'em without real money is considered an 18+ game in the US. I wouldn't want my kid NOT knowing how to play that game.
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I think it's similar in the US. Who would take the imperfect box? Oh boy, this reminds me of the defective iPhone 5s that were shipping. When someone complained on MR about a yellowed screen, he got bombarded with replies saying that he was greedy for returning it and costing Apple extra money.
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You're right. I even found a picture:
Yes, are you?
I was in one only yesterday.
I think you missed my point. I was speaking about how Japanese stores generally use these bags, hence "They're often just an excuse for retailers to get rid of a load of old stock" - I wasn't being specific about Apple stores - just giving some background to Japanese culture.
I queue'd up at the Osaka Shinsaibashi Applestore last year, got lucky and bagged myself a MBA 11".
I was in the queue for 25 hours in whole.
All the bags were specially designed incase messenger bags, black with red polka dots. They all had mophie juicepack power stations, beats solo HD's, a t-shirt, either an MacBook air 11", iPad with retina display or an iPod nano with some accessories for the main prize you got. In my case a Magic Mouse, special edition cover for the MacBook Air and a sleeve for transportation.
In all about 300 bags were available at Shinsaibashi, but 700+ people turned up. Most of which were told to go home around 9pm. The MBA was the lowest end stock configuration.
I felt it was a bit cheap of them to include a nano of all the iPods.. At least a touch would have been nice for the lowest of the prizes...
They brought us Starbucks coffee around 7am and stores opened around 8. They had all the bags lined up on the Genius Bar counter at the back, and you got to grab one like a lucky dip. All the accessories were in there, and a card folded up, you opened it to reveal the prize. But you could kind of guess what you got because of the accessories you had in the bag already.
Out in the winter cold, on a fold out chair over night... It was tough. I think I was around number 30
Good luck to people going for the overnighter this year, especially the people in Sapporo..
I was in the queue for 25 hours in whole.
All the bags were specially designed incase messenger bags, black with red polka dots. They all had mophie juicepack power stations, beats solo HD's, a t-shirt, either an MacBook air 11", iPad with retina display or an iPod nano with some accessories for the main prize you got. In my case a Magic Mouse, special edition cover for the MacBook Air and a sleeve for transportation.
In all about 300 bags were available at Shinsaibashi, but 700+ people turned up. Most of which were told to go home around 9pm. The MBA was the lowest end stock configuration.
I felt it was a bit cheap of them to include a nano of all the iPods.. At least a touch would have been nice for the lowest of the prizes...
They brought us Starbucks coffee around 7am and stores opened around 8. They had all the bags lined up on the Genius Bar counter at the back, and you got to grab one like a lucky dip. All the accessories were in there, and a card folded up, you opened it to reveal the prize. But you could kind of guess what you got because of the accessories you had in the bag already.
Out in the winter cold, on a fold out chair over night... It was tough. I think I was around number 30
Good luck to people going for the overnighter this year, especially the people in Sapporo..
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I've heard it's opposite, all the bags are worth more than the price and there are a few which are worth a lot more than the price, that's why people get in a line in the cold weather, although personally I've never bought one.
I'm so not into these pot luck sales going in blind buying a bunch of **** your don't even need even of it is discounted. It's never worth it.
iPhone already accounts for 74% of total smartphone sales in Japan. This can help apple gain considerable share in iPod and iPads too
Worth in sum of money is another matter. Yep it might worth quite a lot if you deliberately buy it. But the value of an item might be different for different people. It might contain an iPad smart case worth $69.99 but if you don't have an iPad then it's worthless to you.
Close but no cigar. It will never happen in the US b/c a "grab bag" is considered a game of chance in most states, which is illegal w/o a gaming license or charity waiver (where permitted). So, blame the lawmakers not the lawyers.
Some additional info / confirmation from someone who actually stood in line in Ginza in 2007 and got that bag
They hand out an information leaflet before that states that the sum of the included items in the bag (by list price) is more than double what you pay for the bag AT LEAST, can be significantly more ... (I paid 52.500Y and the promised value was 120.000Y)
The thing is that they also include localized software titles (back then, do they still sell boxed software at apple stores?) and so I got a 70$ tokyo subway map / scheduler software box (and you are allegedly not allowed to resell)
But overall, it was fun and a great deal .. here is my actual account : http://nacken.com/blog/?p=1797
They hand out an information leaflet before that states that the sum of the included items in the bag (by list price) is more than double what you pay for the bag AT LEAST, can be significantly more ... (I paid 52.500Y and the promised value was 120.000Y)
The thing is that they also include localized software titles (back then, do they still sell boxed software at apple stores?) and so I got a 70$ tokyo subway map / scheduler software box (and you are allegedly not allowed to resell)
But overall, it was fun and a great deal .. here is my actual account : http://nacken.com/blog/?p=1797
You must be someone that doesn't understand that other cultures have different customs... It's ok... we'll take it as you being not very cultured yourself.
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I'd try this once if I were in Japan.
I would be happy if I got an MBA or an iPad.
Good luck to everyone who waits in line.
I'd try this once if I were in Japan.
I would be happy if I got an MBA or an iPad.
Good luck to everyone who waits in line.
Good, cause we Americans are such *******s that we don't deserve something like this... like someone posted earlier, if someone gets a bag they don't like they'll probably sue.
Wow. & a book is worthless to a blind person, a jet pack worthless to somebody that is afraid of heights.
Can we be done with pointless off-topic nonsensical posts now & get back to talking about Apple fans that own Apple products, that stand in line at an Apple store to pay over $300 for Apple accessories... or should we pretend some more like they would be there standing in line to buy a Apple goodie bag, but don't own any Apple products or realize that the accessories in said goodie bag are for Apple products?
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So..... a majority of people on this board inferred the exact opposite as you?
Umm.. what a stupid presumption. Those kooky racial stereotypists.
Oh.... I suppose that should be singular. Nobody else but you made any racial comments at all.
Absolutely! And a special holiday should be declared.
Maybe some sports entity should wear pink bows for it?
Really?
These bags earn money for the stores, which is not a crime, but puts it into perspective to why they don't do this in the states.
Some bags are worth less than the value paid, some are more. If there are 3 11" MBA's with headphones, a bag and t-shirts, with a case and 10 iPod nano bags with accessories a bag and headphones, if all paid $360, they simply pooled their money together and hoped they were the person that got the big ticket item that they paid for.
In essence, if you get a crap bag that may retail for the $360 you paid, theoretically, you simply helped pay for the low level big ticket item that someone else got.
These bags are fun to buy if you have the spare change, but as someone else stated, it is like playing the lotto or a scratch ticket.
Some bags are worth less than the value paid, some are more. If there are 3 11" MBA's with headphones, a bag and t-shirts, with a case and 10 iPod nano bags with accessories a bag and headphones, if all paid $360, they simply pooled their money together and hoped they were the person that got the big ticket item that they paid for.
In essence, if you get a crap bag that may retail for the $360 you paid, theoretically, you simply helped pay for the low level big ticket item that someone else got.
These bags are fun to buy if you have the spare change, but as someone else stated, it is like playing the lotto or a scratch ticket.
but then you tied it to apple and the chance of getting a MBA, or ending up with useless junk. so his response was good -- apple's JIT inventory prevents old crummy stock in the bag, and the rest of the prizes are pretty solid. so your entire point is rather moot.
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please quote where it says that.
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how many of these Japanese bags have you purchased? what, exactly, was in it?
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as noted by another, relative worth is not how we measure value in retail -- all things are worthless to somebody. we measure based on retail price, in dollars and cents. anything else is just trying to move the goalposts.
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can you cite where this is stated? posters here said the opposite -- all the bags had a retail value higher than the price, and some much, much higher.