Joining the queue on Friday after work, worth it?

[LTrunnor]

Guys, I'm thinking about going to a store on Friday at lunch time and/or after leaving the office to see if I can get an iphone 6s rose gold 64GB. I can go to any store in London BUT I wanted to know if anyone here knows about the state of the queues at around 6pm? Does Apple manage to get everyone in on the first day? Is it worth trying for the rose gold or might as well come home - do you guys think they will have stock at the end of the day? Which store should I go? Thank you so much!

 

[mattopotamus]

Honestly anything we tell you will be a guess. I think the lines are going to be crazy long. They usually do not manage to get everyone in. Depending on your store, if you are not there in the AM hours of Friday your odds are very low.

 

[Gryfter]

From everything Im reading Rose Gold is a very popular color option; most new colors usually are. It'll be tough to get one by 6pm without a pre-order. Heck, it may be hard to get any 6s's, PERIOD by 6pm.

 

[LTrunnor]

Oh dear! Thanks guys, I think I will have to come home and watch the news instead... I wonder how long apple takes to receive new stock...

 

[MH01]

Rose gold, don't like your chances. Thursday evening you will get reports on the lines in the three London stores.

 

[MH01]

Oh dear! Thanks guys, I think I will have to come home and watch the news instead... I wonder how long apple takes to receive new stock...

Check after midnight each day to reserve a pick up in store

 

[mattopotamus]

Oh dear! Thanks guys, I think I will have to come home and watch the news instead... I wonder how long apple takes to receive new stock...

In the past they have done online reservations at 10:00pm for pick up the following day. Basically at 10 each night the stock gets updates online, and you can pick the model you want for in store pick up the next day.

 

[andy9l]

Check after midnight each day to reserve a pick up in store

As I understand it, UK iPhone reservations are closed and have been since about midday of the 12th September. The link I used to reserve mine is now dead, at least.

@OP, unless you're at Regent Street or Covent Garden at ~5am, I don't like your chances of getting a 16GB Gold, let alone a 64GB (most popular size) Rose Gold (most popular colour). You MUST reserve if you want to get one. I wrote a script last year that checked stock every minute of the day and emailed me when there was availability in London. It still took me about 4 days to reserve one. Last year, stock updates happened around 10pm-12am, and you've got to be up at that time.

If you can code, you can use this link to scrape their stock: https://reserve.cdn-apple.com/GB/en_GB/reserve/iPhone/availability.json

I'm sure there's websites that does this for you. If not, happy to set it up for you.

 

[masotime]

Just order it online, wait for it to be shipped, and worry less.

When Apple was lesser known, it may have been viable to pop by on launch day. With the advent of millions of scalpers / flippers... good luck.

 

[MH01]

As I understand it, UK iPhone reservations are closed and have been since about midday of the 12th September. The link I used to reserve mine is now dead, at least.

@OP, unless you're at Regent Street or Covent Garden at ~5am, I don't like your chances of getting a 16GB Gold, let alone a 64GB (most popular size) Rose Gold (most popular colour). You MUST reserve if you want to get one. I wrote a script last year that checked stock every minute of the day and emailed me when there was availability in London. It still took me about 4 days to reserve one. Last year, stock updates happened around 10pm-12am, and you've got to be up at that time.

If you can code, you can use this link to scrape their stock: https://reserve.cdn-apple.com/GB/en_GB/reserve/iPhone/availability.json

I meant check each day after the 25th. That is how I got my 6 plus

 

[LTrunnor]

If you can code, you can use this link to scrape their stock: https://reserve.cdn-apple.com/GB/en_GB/reserve/iPhone/availability.json[/QUOTE]
I can't code but my husband can and I'll ask him! Thank you!

 

[andy9l]

I meant check each day after the 25th. That is how I got my 6 plus

Righto. Sorry, I wasn't trying to be pedantic - I genuinely don't understand the difference between 'reserve', 'pre-order', 'online reservation', 'reserve to pre-order'.

 

[LTrunnor]

Just order it online, wait for it to be shipped, and worry less.

When Apple was lesser known, it may have been viable to pop by on launch day. With the advent of millions of scalpers / flippers... good luck.

These scalpers... Can you believe there is a guy selling on gumtree a 128GB rose gold Plus for £1200???????? Like, for real, for real!

 

[MH01]

These scalpers... Can you believe there is a guy selling on gumtree a 128GB rose gold Plus for £1200???????? Like, for real, for real!

Sadly yeah, scaplers are what I hate the most about a new iPhone launch. I bought a rose gold 128 6s plus, though if I don't like the colour I'll just sell it at rrp to whomever will enjoy it.

 

[andy9l]

I can't code but my husband can and I'll ask him! Thank you!

To help him, the London store numbers are (from my script last year):

"R245" => "Covent Garden",
"R092" => "Regent Street",
"R226" => "Westfields"

And a UK 64GB Rose Gold iPhone 6S is model # (worth double-checking):

MKQR2B/A

 

[MH01]

Righto. Sorry, I wasn't trying to be pedantic - I genuinely don't understand the difference between 'reserve', 'pre-order', 'online reservation', 'reserve to pre-order'.

You were spot on. It's too late to reserve instore for launch day.

 

[LTrunnor]

To help him, the London store numbers are (from my script last year):

"R245" => "Covent Garden",
"R092" => "Regent Street",
"R226" => "Westfields"

And a UK 64GB Rose Gold iPhone 6S is model # (worth double-checking):

MKQR2B/A

Andy, have you heard about websites like the http://www.istocknow.com/uk which track the stock online? If you have heard, do you think it's reliable?

 

[andy9l]

Andy, have you heard about websites like the http://www.istocknow.com/uk which track the stock online? If you have heard, do you think it's reliable?

I have indeed. Their site looked very US focused last year, and I preferred to write my own script so I could be sure I would be first to know, too.

It's a super simple website/system, so I'm sure their service is reliable!

You were spot on. It's too late to reserve instore for launch day.

Ah, so the service will launch again on Saturday?

 

[mypyh4ooo]

How early is to early? Bearing in mind the local Apple store won't open until 8am.

 

[andy9l]

How early is to early? Bearing in mind the local Apple store won't open until 8am.

Depends what store. The London ones? Very, very, very early. If not the night before.

It depends though - it's an 'S' launch, and they're generally not quite as manic...perhaps I'm overestimating. I'm going to get there for at least 7:30am and I've got one reserved for 8:30am...

 

[d123]

How early is to early? Bearing in mind the local Apple store won't open until 8am.

I always say you would need to be queuing between 2am and 3am if you are hoping for a reasonable chance of getting your chosen size and colour, especially if you are after one of the more popular choices.

 

[mypyh4ooo]

I always say you would need to be queuing between 2am and 3am if you are hoping for a reasonable chance of getting your chosen size and colour, especially if you are after one of the more popular choices.

Thing is the shopping centre it's in wont open till 8am

 

[d123]

Thing is the shopping centre it's in wont open till 8am

Many AppleStores are in shopping centres, the queues normally form at the nearest entrance and move in to the actual centre when security open the doors in the morning.

 

[andy9l]

Bring your best running shoes!

 

[d123]

Bring your best running shoes!

If the security do their job properly it shouldn't be needed, they pick up the front of the queue and walk it in slowly, I've heard them actually threaten that they will eject anyone from the centre who tries to run ahead when I've previously queued.