Question(s) about buying on opening day..

[(Spencer)]

In your personal experience how long does it take the Apple store to sell out of iPhones on opening day? How early do you have to be there if you want to get in and get out?

Also wondering about the carrier's stores as well.. there is an AT&T store close to my house and I have the same questions as stated above. Verizon customers feel free to share your experience as well.

 

[ZBoater]

Depends on the location, it can literally be within the hour. And it is usually referred to as Launch Day. Opening Day sounds like the start of baseball season...

 

[dontwalkhand]

When I lined up for my AT&T iPhone 4 at the San Tan Village Store (now sold that iPhone ), I waited in line from 10PM the night before and got my phone at around 2PM.

 

[rockyroad55]

I would say somewhere in the range of 1-6 hours. Last year, my friend got his device around 12PM.

 

[MustangJoe]

How many phones do you think stores like Verizon gets? I live in a small town and planning on heading down to Verizon around 6:30 A.M.

 

[Si1en7]

I've not done a release day purchase since my current iPhone 3GS. However, I hadn't pre-ordered, but I walked in at 8:30am and even told the guy I didn't have a pre-order. I still walked away with a shiny, new iPhone 3GS. Your mileage may vary.

Not only did I walk away with my iPhone, I also got the $18 activation waved and got a free iFrogz case in exchange for purchasing an Apple Care plan.

 

[rgarjr]

How long does the transaction take the moment u walk in the door?

 

[Si1en7]

How long does the transaction take the moment u walk in the door?

Assuming the store isn't having any issues with the computer systems, I would imagine 10-30 minutes from the moment you get in line until you walk out the store. Assuming that there isn't an extremely long line. If the line is long, 30min to an hour at best.

 

[Geckotek]

None of these questions are really answerable. They vary per location and per customer. One customer will be out in 10 mins while it takes the next an hour. Heck, even my own experiences vary from year to year in the same store.

Your best bet is to go to the iPhone launch meetups forum and ask people from your area.