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RESERVE online PICKUP IN Apple STORE currently live and working

Doc Evils said:
Does this mean stock levels will be getting worse?!:eek:
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Oh damn. It means they don't foresee having enough in stores to merit using in store pick up. Probably they were selling online faster than they could keep up in store with along with selling to customers. Or even people in store asking for a model and it selling before the Apple employee gets to the warehouse to get it. Not sure how their system works.

Yesterday my mother and I ran to an apple store after seeing our model up online. We didn't buy online because we had to return the gray/ 16 ones we got at launch. It was stressful waiting for an employee to help us when we knew people not even there could be buying them out from under us.

My question really is if you aren't doing in store pick up, fine. Why not still let us check stock on the website? At least then you don't have to call or stop by just to see what they have but preserves the first come first serve in store aspect of it.
 
Yesterday when i went in to pickup my in store pick up there was still a long line of people just waiting to get one without the pickup option. And I happened to be at two apple stores yesterday and it was the same thing lines lines and lines. I guess they are just going to make people wait now or just wait till they amass a stock for in store pickup. Its weird that they would take it down without notice though.
 
mightygitis said:
My question really is if you aren't doing in store pick up, fine. Why not still let us check stock on the website? At least then you don't have to call or stop by just to see what they have but preserves the first come first serve in store aspect of it.
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This is what I don't understand, people just lining up hoping to get anything takes an enormous amount of time to be dealt with. Whereas with in store pick up, you know that they have what you want and you're in and out in 15 minutes. It has to be more efficient than having everyone standing around and having store employees constantly answering the same questions. You still get the foot traffic....I just don't get it.
 
BConvery said:
This is what I don't understand, people just lining up hoping to get anything takes an enormous amount of time to be dealt with. Whereas with in store pick up, you know that they have what you want and you're in and out in 15 minutes. It has to be more efficient than having everyone standing around and having store employees constantly answering the same questions. You still get the foot traffic....I just don't get it.
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I've avoided the madness at the Apple stores, but how did this online in-store reservation system work? Were you allowed to bypass the line?
 
Online reservation for in-store pickup of the 5S no longer available in NYC :( I thought they might just be waiting to update their stick in store when the delivery arrives or the store opens. Still may be the case. 5C available for reservations though.
 
fender57 said:
I've avoided the madness at the Apple stores, but how did this online in-store reservation system work? Were you allowed to bypass the line?
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Yes, you bought it online just like an order for home delivery but selected the a collect from store option, then selected the store you wanted to get it from. Obviously it checked the availability of the stock in that store prior to your purchase. It was available for 24hrs for the 5s and now it's gone.
 
fender57 said:
I've avoided the madness at the Apple stores, but how did this online in-store reservation system work? Were you allowed to bypass the line?
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My experience yesterday at the Apple store was one line for iPhones, whether you ordered online or showed up and took your chances.

I ordered online and was paid and good to go but had to wait in the line for a "specialist." Should have been a quick grab and go experience but it wasn't. Took about an hour and fifteen. Still, staff were helpful and nice per usual and I left with the new shiny so I'm not too concerned.:)
 
This worked great for me.

I was able to get a 64GB Silver (Gold was available too) yesterday.
Just drove to the store and it had my name on the box.

No getting up at 3AM EST to order, no lines, nothing.
 
I ordered one online for in store pickup around 3pm yesterday and I never received a "ready to pickup" email. I went to the store anyway since I drive by it going home from work and they said the phones sold out before the online inventory system could catch up. He told me I would get one by the end of today, since they are expecting shipments every day. We will see...
 
BConvery said:
This is what I don't understand, people just lining up hoping to get anything takes an enormous amount of time to be dealt with. Whereas with in store pick up, you know that they have what you want and you're in and out in 15 minutes. It has to be more efficient than having everyone standing around and having store employees constantly answering the same questions. You still get the foot traffic....I just don't get it.
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I was at Apple yesterday chatting with an employee about this concern. He said his coworkers announced multiple times to people in line that they could reserve online, but no one seemed to care (even if they would be standing in line for 30mins - 1hr). Perhaps people were exchanging a phone for a different color or size and therefore were unable to reserve online, but there were so many people in line that I can't imagine that ALL of them had that reason.
 
Glad I was able to get in on this last night. Ordered 3:45 PST. First one I was too slow and it was unavailable in Fashion Valley and then quickly changed to Otay Ranch. Whew!
 
BConvery said:
This is what I don't understand, people just lining up hoping to get anything takes an enormous amount of time to be dealt with.
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They have employees with a basket of reservation cards designating color/capacity/carrier. When you get on the line you find out if they have what you're looking for and if they do you get the card for it. Then just wait for them to work through the line. Employee yesterday said they'd had a line all day line of varying lengths; at 5:30pm it was about 40 people.

fender57 said:
I've avoided the madness at the Apple stores, but how did this online in-store reservation system work? Were you allowed to bypass the line?
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Technically it's an in-store pickup of an online purchase, not a reservation. But yes, I was able to skip the line and walk in. (and yes, I did ask the employees if I needed to wait in line or just walk in)

RobT said:
My experience yesterday at the Apple store was one line for iPhones, whether you ordered online or showed up and took your chances.
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Strange that it'd be different at different stores. I 100% bought a phone (for a family member) on my account via website with pickup in store yesterday and only waited about five minutes for the next employee to free up; completely skipped the 40+ person line outside. I'd be p!ssed if I'd purchased online and then had to wait in a two hour line to pick up the device I'd purchased.
 
You'd think this would stay up, if for nothing else, to cut down on the number of phone calls to the stores. Kicking myself for not driving an hour last night when I saw a 64 Silver was available!
 
I've finally relented and just order an unlocked 32gb gold for home delivery (for the rather vague October - do with think this means early/mid/late!?) I guess I'll keep checking to see if the in store pick up becomes available again/actually go to some local stores and see what's up in the mean time.
 
Anyone in the Atlanta area have any info on availability from your visit to a store?

I'm debating on just going to one of the stores (Mall of Georgia probably), but now I have no easy way of knowing their stock and if the lines are terrible.
 
Doesn't the in store pickup option always go away during the day and come back around 10pm every night? I remember that's what happened during the iPad mini release...
 
joshwithachance said:
Doesn't the in store pickup option always go away during the day and come back around 10pm every night? I remember that's what happened during the iPad mini release...
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The option doesn't usually go away it just shows unavailable for models when they are sold out. Now it says this item is not able to be picked up in store.
 
lulla01 said:
The option doesn't usually go away it just shows unavailable for models when they are sold out. Now it says this item is not able to be picked up in store.
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In previous years it has shown as unavailable during the day, and they would enable it at night after the store had closed and they knew exactly what stock looked like. After 10PM it would allow you to order if the one you wanted was in stock. I would imagine this is what they will be doing from now on. It was interesting to see them updating on the fly yesterday.
 
joshwithachance said:
Doesn't the in store pickup option always go away during the day and come back around 10pm every night? I remember that's what happened during the iPad mini release...
Click to expand...

No, it used to get updated every night at 10pm, but it was always available - it would just show "out of stock" until it got updated that night.
 
iphone 5S Gold 32 GB ATT

Thanks for the updates. I am able to purchase iphone 5S Gold 32 GB ATT at Des Moines Apple store. I think I am lucky to get the color and size that I wanted with out long wait time. fyi, Now store pickup is not available to any color or carrier. Good luck
 
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