Target to Carry iPhone Beginning November 7th

[r00fus]

Target. Wal-Mart. Sam's Club.

Apple following the tried-and-true path of every 'growth' company that finds itself unable to meet ever-lofty sales expectations from the investor community. If this isn't a clear sign that the growth story has hit its peak I don't know what is.

Haha, well, when most folks get to Wal*Mart, their ASP drops. I don't suspect this is the case with Apple:

http://www.asymco.com/2010/11/01/whats-the-opposite-of-price-erosion/

Apple's "growth" is in creating new and redefining existing markets. For that, they have an excellent track record and extract great margins and profits doing that.

 

[CFreymarc]

Extremely cool.

The more distribution the better. Apple needs to make it easier to get an iPhone to reduce some of the Android acceleration.

I agree. I'm curious to see what level of training Target employees get here for this launch. Apple set the bar pretty high here.

 

[TC400]

If wal mart and target can get ipads and iphones why can't kmart get the same

 

[rwilliams]

If wal mart and target can get ipads and iphones why can't kmart get the same

Assuming this is a serious question, I'm fairly certain that Walmart and Target get far more people walking through the door than Kmart does.

 

[Mochi Hana]

Oh, and cue the "the iPhone shouldn't be sold in such a common store" idiots.

The iPhone shouldn't be sold in such a common store. Shame on Apple for letting the commonfolk get their hands on this phone.

 

[santaliqueur]

If wal mart and target can get ipads and iphones why can't kmart get the same

Kmart? That's a serious question?

Well, it might have to do with Walmart and Target being two of the top retailers in the world, and Kmart barely staying afloat.

 

[Mattsasa]

nope, what apple needs to do, to insure the iphone's success is to sell it at this Scottish restaurant called....... McDonald's! They'll package it with the happy meals.

 

[Slim02]

What apart of "Target Mobile specialists" people not understand.. That is what they do is sell and activation phones all day because that is all they do.. So that means they know what they are doing and selling.. I wish people would do some research and learn to read seeing it saids Mobile Specialists.. Target dose not through that word around just for the hell of it..

 

[jayducharme]

I wish people would do some research and learn to read seeing it saids Mobile Specialists

Well Best Buy has their "mobile specialists" as well, but they didn't seem to know a lot about the iPhone when my son bought his there. They initially tried to steer him to a different brand.

 

[macfan881]

great news perhaps my target will finally have iPhone 4 cases

 

[twoodcc]

i think this is great for apple and target both, and of course great for consumers. the more places the iphone and apple products are for sale, the better in my opinion

 

[THX1139]

Wow, it's about time! I didn't know where to get an iPhone from - now I can just go to Target and get it. Amazing.

 

[tmp0404]

Plus, when Target starts selling the iPhone, you'll know you are getting one of the most recent versions of the iPhone. BTW, I went to the Apple store the other day to get an iPhone for my wife, we figured waiting for the white one is like saying Randy Quaid is on the mark regarding his paranoia.

Any ways, it was a Saturday night, and the store was pretty crowded, so while the Apple employee was opening up the iPhone to activate it, I yelped, alright, a white iPhone! Talk about turning heads

 

[SockRolid]

Should help reduce massive lines on release day

We've all seen the massive lines at Apple stores and AT&T stores around the world on iPhone release days. And most of us posting here (cue the trolls!) have stood in them ourselves.

The more points of sale, the better for Apple and its customers. Apple Stores are already extremely crowded, so selling iPhones at thousands of non-Apple retail locations will help during the peak holiday season. Convenient for shoppers since Target already carries iPods.

 

[RogueVasion]

I agree. I'm curious to see what level of training Target employees get here for this launch. Apple set the bar pretty high here.

Well, seeing that Target no longer actually has mobile centers that are run by team members, due to the new "electronics reinvention," some...not all stores are going to have this. It's all based on the volume of the store and if its worth it to have them in there. Most electronics team members do not have the experience, you are correct, but that's why they have brought in a mobile company who's primary job is to be there only to sell the phones for wireless carriers. I believe the company is under Radio Shack, a subsidiary. So they will have mobile specialists working there, who have slightly more knowledge than the average worker. They are in no way tied to Target and the payroll...it's completely separate.

Doesn't the same go for Walmart, Bestbuy, and other stores too?

 

[Tarzanman]

Extremely cool.

The more distribution the better. Apple needs to make it easier to get an iPhone to reduce some of the Android acceleration.

Why do you care about Android phones selling well?

 

[Backlash]

Hey guys, first post. I have a bit of a unique perspective on the conversation regarding training for Walmart and Target Mobile (Radioshack) employees.

I worked for Walmart for several years in electronics and sold phones as well. At Walmart, the phones are sold by regular associates getting hourly pay. There are a ton of training courses to take on the computer about all kinds of things they carry. The problem with them is they are created by the manufacturer of that device, so the information is often very biased or outright incorrect.

Another problem at Walmart is they have cut the number of employees working in any given area, and with electronics being a busy area anyway, it leaves little time to go back and actually take the courses. Keep in mind that my store was particularly busy and badly managed.

The iPhone training courses are clearly written and designed by Apple, and they are much longer than the one for say the Motorola Droid.

I have since quit working at Walmart and I now work for the Radioshack subsidiary that is selling phones at Target (this same team of people sell phones at Sam's Club too, but not Walmart for some reason). Everyone that I know that sells phones for this company is extremely knowledgeable (and surprisingly unbiased in their recommendations). The training courses are much more in depth than the Walmart ones, and include training simulations that walk you through the entire process.

There may be knowledgeable people working at Walmart selling the phones, but that will obviously vary from store to store. At my Walmart, my customers always got what they wanted, because I knew what I was doing. But when I wasn't there, other people who didn't know what they were doing had to step in, and sometimes things get messed up, its true.

The people working at Target and Sam's are paid on commission, and that is a pretty big incentive to know what you're talking about, and all the people I've met from there really know what they are doing.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.