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John Musbach

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 8, 2007
182
0
I'm in Japan right now, but will be back in about 5 days and am hoping to be able to pop into our local Emeryville Apple Store without a line and get a iPhone before I go off to college ...is this realistic at this point or are there still lines?
 
Hi,

Does anyone know if the lines at the Stonestown and Burlingame stores have become "reasonable" now? :D
 
I drive all over the bay area and from what I've seen these past couple of days, most stores average about 15-20 people in line anytime during the day and no more than that.

So you guys should be good when you get back. People are discovering that they can just do a direct fulfillment at AT&T, but don't realize that there are hundreds of people awaiting theirs ahead of them, so they're stuck waiting for AT&T because they have their money already
 
Bay Area

I got mine at the apple in Palo Alto on University this morning. Wait time was 30 min. They had plenty of phones!!
 
This morning I drove to the Burlingame store. I arrived at about 9:10 AM, drove past the store, and did not see anyone in line outside. However, to my disgust, I realized that not only did I did not have any change for the parking meters, but I also did not have any bills to make change, period. I drove around the block one more time trying to find any free public parking area, and there was a line of 5 people...in just 2 minutes.

So, I decided to drive to Stonestown, where I could park freely and not have to worry about freaking meters. I got there at about 9:35, and there was already a line outside of the mall consisting of about 15 people. Heck no, I said!

I returned home, grabbed some change, and decided to drive back to Burlingame at about 11:30. I figured that those early morning people would be done, and I would get there before the ones getting in line during their lunch hour. When I got there, there were four people ahead of me. An orange shirt employee grabbed people in line to get their information (current vs new ATT users), and she gave us tickets for the number of iPhones we wanted. We had the option of staying in line, or coming back before 6:00 PM tonight. I opted to stay, and I waited about 45 minutes before a blue shirt genius came and assisted with the purchase and activation.

The process was relatively painless, and when I exited the store at about 12:40, there were about 8 people in line.

:D
 
7 days ago it took me 2.5 hours to get my 16gb white in Pleasanton Stoneridge Mall.
 
After two other failed attempts, I finally snagged a 16GB black yesterday (Monday) at the Walnut Creek store. Got there a little after 10AM - 20 people were in front of me. After about 1.5 hours, I finally got in the door. At this point there were 25+ people behind me. The Apple guy said that this was the shortest line since the launch. This store was using the claim ticket system but only a couple of people left the line to purchase an iPhone later in the day.
 
the LA area stores are still utterly ridiculous. Fanboi city. Would really like an iphone but don't have time for a damn line, nor can I handle 30 mins face to face with an AT&T employee :D
 
Has anyone gone to the Emeryville store recently? I'm hoping of going there in 2 days to get my iPhone 3G and assume by now that the lines have died down there? Thanks! :)
 
I plan to hit it as early as possible tomorrow, crossing my fingers -- perhaps the lack of response to this thread also means a lack of a long line :p :D
 
I got to the emeryville apple store at 10AM today, they were sold out! :mad: We're biting the bullet with at&t stores out of stock and at&t orders on backorder, going to try getting in line at 7AM and hope for the best tomorrow! Mandatory in store activation has to be one of the worst decisions apple has made, it is making what would by now usually be a easy to obtain product very difficult to obtain and are inadvertently creating a very lucrative market for sellers of 3G iPhones who can make quite a profit from this mess. Why just getting them on the phone is difficult, I called several times a few of which they picked up the receiver but must've put it down on the table or something because no one was on the other end ...they just hung up after a while. Finally after spending ~30mins waiting and redialing I got someone to speak to.
icon13.gif
 
The Wotash (means Chief in Otoe Language) didn't make it home for the first time in 15 years. She loved the trips to the Apple Stores. I've attached my first iPhone photo of her.

She loved posing for the iPhone, b/c there was no flash. She stood in line with me for my first iPhone. She'll be dearly missed...:(
 

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The Wotash (means Chief in Otoe Language) didn't make it home for the first time in 15 years. She loved the trips to the Apple Stores. I've attached my first iPhone photo of her.

She loved posing for the iPhone, b/c there was no flash. She stood in line with me for my first iPhone. She'll be dearly missed...:(

rest in peace wotash
 
if you want to get a phone for sure in the bay area ONLY go to the apple store in San francisco the one on Stockton street....that is there main store for Cali......I bought mine in santa clara on launc date and 3 days ago I went to the apple store on Stockton street to exchange mine at 7pm there was no line but plenty of people inside........I needed to exchange mine and the mac genius guy called downstairs for another 16gb black one and no problem at all.

Don't waste your time anywhere go to the one in San fran if they had some at 7pm they will in the morning
 
Valley Fair little wait plenty of phones

On the 29th at 11:45 am I called Apple Store in Pleasanton -- sold out. Called Walnut Creek -- sold out. Called Valley Fair -- "plenty" -- really? expect to run out within an hour or two? -- "no, have plenty and don't anticipate running out today" -- okay, how long is queue time? -- "approximately 20 minutes".

I arrive at the store at 1:45pm. The place was hoppin'. I ask if they had 16GB black -- no problem -- handed a ticket -- I waited in a line behind about 10 people.

Seemed to be processing ~ 10-15 customers at a time just for iPhone (not to mention dozens of other customers, genius bar, etc. -- I mean it when I say the place was hoppin!)

Anyhow, I was back in my car 30 minutes after setting foot in the Apple Store -- with a 16GB black at my side.

Compare that experience with standing in line for 2 hours in Pleasanton on the 21st -- behind ~150 others -- only to find out that delivery never arrived and nobody had been served -- worse for the people who had been in line for 4 hours.

Had signed up for DF at local AT&T, but that queue is moving approximately 0-2 places per day and I'm back at ~#160. Will decide what to do about that unit if/when it ever arrives.

Valley Fair was a great experience. Easily worth the 30 minute drive from my locale in East Bay.
 
Went to the Valley Fair store this afternoon at around 6pm. About 20 people in line and about an hour wait. Still didn't think it was worth it so I didn't get it. I'll try again another time. I'm not in a hurry
 
Thanks for everyone's support and kind words for "The Wotash" she will be missed.

Emeryville, California Apple Store this morning August 4, '08, at 8:15 a.m. I drove up to the store and witnessed about 12 people in line. Store Manager was working the line and passing out White Tickets for the Black 3G 8GB and White 3G 16GB to everyone in line. Luckily, I was in line for the 3G 16GB iPhone and I received my White Ticket for such, and was grinning ear-to-ear. The line moved rather quickly since we all wanted 3G iPhones, and the few Genius Bar appointments walked past us with MB or iMac in tow. After a 10 minute wait in line, I walked in the Apple Store, to the cheers of the Store Manager and the Genius assigned to my purchase; walking in to the store I noticed about (10) 3G 16GB Black iPhones being activated, and the SM said that was the last of them for the day. Five minutes later I was hitting the sidewalk with my third 3G iPhone for another Family Plan member. I noticed that they asked for the last (4) of my SSAN, I entered my iTunes account ID and password, and my new iPhone was activated in the store, and they had me go home to load the back-up for this new iPhone. I love that Emeryville Apple Store! Pretty smooth and quick...:p
 
I just got my iPhone today :D, went to the Apple Store at 7AM and was #5 in line. They opened their doors at 7:50AM let us all in at once and I was able to get my 16GB black iphone right away. I'm amazed that there still are lines, the trick seems to be to come in early and to do it during the week when most people are working.
 
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