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Two Apple stores told me purchase online only

wickedwahine11

wickedwahine11

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 2, 2013
292
69
I am in Hawaii right now and was planning on purchasing the rMB or Macbook Air while I am here - 4% sales tax instead of the 10% at home in LA.

I went to the store in Waikiki and was told they would have them on display on the 10th but you would have to order online. I then went to the store at the Ala Moana mall and was told the same thing - just like the watch it will be display only, you must purchase online.

I had bought the Air yesterday (in case I didn't like the rMB as much in person) and plan to head to the store with it Friday in case I want to return it and get a credit so I can order the rMB. I had been hoping the first guy was just clueless but now that a second store said the same thing, I am worried it is going to be a showroom only thing. I really don't want to order online and I am hoping they are both wrong - or this is some insane Hawaii only thing.

Has anyone confirmed that we can buy them in store, or all we all just presuming that because we always could in the past? At any rate, now I am hoping I don't like it so I can have an easy decision to keep the Air in hand, as I don't want to stay home all day to sign for a delivery, particularly when we live in a location where 5-10 percent of our deliveries never arrive.
 
Deliveries to HI are probably on a different timetable than the mainland. You can't expect to live in Paradise and not have *any* downsides, can you? ;)
 
wickedwahine11 said:
I am in Hawaii right now and was planning on purchasing the rMB or Macbook Air while I am here - 4% sales tax instead of the 10% at home in LA.

I went to the store in Waikiki and was told they would have them on display on the 10th but you would have to order online. I then went to the store at the Ala Moana mall and was told the same thing - just like the watch it will be display only, you must purchase online.

I had bought the Air yesterday (in case I didn't like the rMB as much in person) and plan to head to the store with it Friday in case I want to return it and get a credit so I can order the rMB. I had been hoping the first guy was just clueless but now that a second store said the same thing, I am worried it is going to be a showroom only thing. I really don't want to order online and I am hoping they are both wrong - or this is some insane Hawaii only thing.

Has anyone confirmed that we can buy them in store, or all we all just presuming that because we always could in the past? At any rate, now I am hoping I don't like it so I can have an easy decision to keep the Air in hand, as I don't want to stay home all day to sign for a delivery, particularly when we live in a location where 5-10 percent of our deliveries never arrive.
Click to expand...

Yup, out here in CA you can. At least at the Apple store I go to
 
newellj said:
Deliveries to HI are probably on a different timetable than the mainland. You can't expect to live in Paradise and not have *any* downsides, can you? ;)
Click to expand...

Ha, I wish I lived here! Nope, just vacationing and was hoping to avoid an extra $60 to $80 in sales tax when I get back to California.

dexterbell said:
Yup, out here in CA you can. At least at the Apple store I go to
Click to expand...

Thank you. Looks like if I decide to get the rMB I will return the Air Friday and buy one in CA when I get back home. If I decide to keep the Air, then yay I saved $60 in sales tax here. Thank you for the info.
 
dexterbell said:
Yup, out here in CA you can. At least at the Apple store I go to
Click to expand...

Nobody can confirm or deny how it's going to work, because nobody knows. It's aggravating that Apple doesn't have a policy about their employees speculating on release info that t hey have no information on.
 
shenan1982 said:
Nobody can confirm or deny how it's going to work, because nobody knows. It's aggravating that Apple doesn't have a policy about their employees speculating on release info that t hey have no information on.
Click to expand...

LOL, as the younger ones say. I have actually had good-natured arguments with Apple Store reps about what they had in the store. Me: "I'd like to buy X." Apple: "We don't have it." Me: "Yes you do, it's showing up as in stock on the Store web site." Genius: "I know we don't have it." Me: "Please check the SKU in your phone." Genius: "Oh. There's a crate of them in the back room. I'll be right back." :p :rolleyes: :apple:
 
shenan1982 said:
Nobody can confirm or deny how it's going to work, because nobody knows. It's aggravating that Apple doesn't have a policy about their employees speculating on release info that t hey have no information on.
Click to expand...

Well I can confirm two Apple stores near me said they will have them available for pick up on Friday. Your results may vary.

Edit: Just for fun, I called another Apple store in the area, the call went to Apple customer support rather than the actual store. She told me all Apple stores will have them in stock Friday morning.
 
Last edited:
dexterbell said:
Well I can confirm two Apple stores near me said they will have them available for pick up on Friday. Your results may vary.

Edit: Just for fun, I called another Apple store in the area, the call went to Apple customer support rather than the actual store. She told me all Apple stores will have them in stock Friday morning.
Click to expand...

Well I hope you confirming that you have unsubstantiated comments made by Apple store employees who aren't in a pay grade to make such comments, ends up being true. LOL

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newellj said:
LOL, as the younger ones say. I have actually had good-natured arguments with Apple Store reps about what they had in the store. Me: "I'd like to buy X." Apple: "We don't have it." Me: "Yes you do, it's showing up as in stock on the Store web site." Genius: "I know we don't have it." Me: "Please check the SKU in your phone." Genius: "Oh. There's a crate of them in the back room. I'll be right back." :p :rolleyes: :apple:
Click to expand...

Yeah, my favorite is when I went into the store in January I asked for the new unlocked version of the iPhone 6 with the extra LTE bands. He went to the back, pulled a T-Mobile Unlocked. I said no, I want the new one, and he insisted Apple didn't have anything else. I said yes, everyone has the new "Sim-Free Unlocked" versions which support more LTE bands globally. He said that's only sold overseas. I explained he was wrong, so he called the manager. The manager basically backed him up and said the same thing. I took them over to a computer, pulled up the order page, and showed them the difference in model numbers and features between the TMO Unlocked version and the Jan 2015 "SIM-Free Unlocked." They both said it's an online only thing, so then I clicked his store and it showed in-stock. I asked "do you really need me to place the order for in-store pick up, or do you maybe want to re-think your comment and just go to the back room and get me one?" ... All of a sudden they weren't so cocky anymore.

Typical store BS. It seems like at least here in the SF Bay area, turnover at the stores has gotten a lot higher. Fewer people working there are the passionate Mac lovers that used to work there, and now it's just kids who need a job. I think that problem is driven by the economics of working\living in San Francisco, as it seems wherever I go outside of CA, the employees still care, and are passionate about Apple.
 
shenan1982 said:
Well I hope you confirming that you have unsubstantiated comments made by Apple store employees who aren't in a pay grade to make such comments, ends up being true. LOL

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Yeah, my favorite is when I went into the store in January I asked for the new unlocked version of the iPhone 6 with the extra LTE bands. He went to the back, pulled a T-Mobile Unlocked. I said no, I want the new one, and he insisted Apple didn't have anything else. I said yes, everyone has the new "Sim-Free Unlocked" versions which support more LTE bands globally. He said that's only sold overseas. I explained he was wrong, so he called the manager. The manager basically backed him up and said the same thing. I took them over to a computer, pulled up the order page, and showed them the difference in model numbers and features between the TMO Unlocked version and the Jan 2015 "SIM-Free Unlocked." They both said it's an online only thing, so then I clicked his store and it showed in-stock. I asked "do you really need me to place the order for in-store pick up, or do you maybe want to re-think your comment and just go to the back room and get me one?" ... All of a sudden they weren't so cocky anymore.

Typical store BS. It seems like at least here in the SF Bay area, turnover at the stores has gotten a lot higher. Fewer people working there are the passionate Mac lovers that used to work there, and now it's just kids who need a job. I think that problem is driven by the economics of working\living in San Francisco, as it seems wherever I go outside of CA, the employees still care, and are passionate about Apple.
Click to expand...

Oh crap, you're right. I can't believe I didn't notice this before. This wasn't the case with previous iPhones, right? I always thought the T-Mobile unlocked version and the SIM-free one were the same model numbers. You just saved me some trouble as I'm looking at picking up an iPhone 6 at the same time I place my order for the MacBook. I don't think the 5s had LTE in so many other countries on the US model.

Interesting Apple store stories.
 
PDFierro said:
Oh crap, you're right. I can't believe I didn't notice this before. This wasn't the case with previous iPhones, right? I always thought the T-Mobile unlocked version and the SIM-free one were the same model numbers. You just saved me some trouble as I'm looking at picking up an iPhone 6 at the same time I place my order for the MacBook. I don't think the 5s had LTE in so many other countries on the US model.

Interesting Apple store stories.
Click to expand...

Yeah. And I can tell you from first hand experience it makes a huge difference. When I travel (I go international 1-2 weeks out of the month), I use a T-Mobile SIM for their free global data\texting, and cheap calling.. I had previously the T-Mobile iPhone 6 version. In places like Japan, China, and Thailand, it would only connect to 3G or EDGE. In January when the new "Sim-Free" version came out, I saw it has an extra 7 LTE bands, so I bought one. Wow, now when I go to the above countries, I see LTE.

Huge benefit to the January 2015 version.
 
shenan1982 said:
Yeah. And I can tell you from first hand experience it makes a huge difference. When I travel (I go international 1-2 weeks out of the month), I use a T-Mobile SIM for their free global data\texting, and cheap calling.. I had previously the T-Mobile iPhone 6 version. In places like Japan, China, and Thailand, it would only connect to 3G or EDGE. In January when the new "Sim-Free" version came out, I saw it has an extra 7 LTE bands, so I bought one. Wow, now when I go to the above countries, I see LTE.

Huge benefit to the January 2015 version.
Click to expand...

Man, my mind = blown. This might make me more excited than I am about the new MacBook. I travel a lot, and I mean a lot...hence why the rMB appeals to me so much. Like you, I couldn't get LTE in many of the countries I went to. Thanks for helping a fellow traveler out! This might make me pick up the 6 for sure on Friday.
 
A guy in my Apple Store once told me "we never know what we'll get and how many until the shipment arrives". I think that's the most truthful answer possible.

And it also explains why they all say different things and what they all seem like they don't have a clue. BECAUSE THEY DON'T. Most people simply can't admit they don't know something, so they'll give you either what they think is the most probable, what you want to hear, or whatever BS they can think up first.

----------
shenan1982 said:
Yeah. And I can tell you from first hand experience it makes a huge difference. When I travel (I go international 1-2 weeks out of the month), I use a T-Mobile SIM for their free global data\texting, and cheap calling.. I had previously the T-Mobile iPhone 6 version. In places like Japan, China, and Thailand, it would only connect to 3G or EDGE. In January when the new "Sim-Free" version came out, I saw it has an extra 7 LTE bands, so I bought one. Wow, now when I go to the above countries, I see LTE.

Huge benefit to the January 2015 version.
Click to expand...

I need to investigate this....
 
pasadena said:
A guy in my Apple Store once told me "we never know what we'll get and how many until the shipment arrives". I think that's the most truthful answer possible.
Click to expand...

Oh they know, they are just trained not to say anything I think. Its Wed night, its being released in a little over a day. Im sure most Apple stores have them sitting in the back right now. This idea they won't know until Friday is crap. We live in southern CA, we don't have to worry. Apple's headquarters is only like 300 miles away :)
 
dexterbell said:
Oh they know, they are just trained not to say anything I think. Its Wed night, its being released in a little over a day. Im sure most Apple stores have them sitting in the back right now. This idea they won't know until Friday is crap. We live in southern CA, we don't have to worry. Apple's headquarters is only like 300 miles away :)
Click to expand...

Note that he said, until the shipment arrives, not until Friday. But I think they usually get new products shipments on the day/evening before release day. They know about the demo ones, but not about stock. Well, maybe the store managers do, but the sales persons don't have a clue.

But I will order mine online as soon as they open up orders, I'm just hoping I can reserve it for in-store pickup. No way am I getting in line or waiting 20 minutes for a sales guy to be free.
 
pasadena said:
Note that he said, until the shipment arrives, not until Friday. But I think they usually get new products shipments on the day/evening before release day. They know about the demo ones, but not about stock. Well, maybe the store managers do, but the sales persons don't have a clue.

But I will order mine online as soon as they open up orders, I'm just hoping I can reserve it for in-store pickup. No way am I getting in line or waiting 20 minutes for a sales guy to be free.
Click to expand...

How many years now have we seen pics of boxes of new iPhones in stores back rooms days before its release date? Almost every year. Every Apple employee I have talked to in sore and over the phone said you can order and pick up in store Fri.
 
Any guesses when the best time to get one will be.

I couldn't imagine a line for the Macbook but I could imagine a line for people wanting to look at the watch. I was hoping to swing by on the way to work.
 
dmelgar said:
Any guesses when the best time to get one will be.

I couldn't imagine a line for the Macbook but I could imagine a line for people wanting to look at the watch. I was hoping to swing by on the way to work.
Click to expand...

This is what I want to know also, but I doubt anyone will be able to answer. Im just glad to live on the west coast so I can hear 3 hours early from the east coasters what they experienced. Hoping to find out if Best Buy will have them and if not, then if the Apple stores have decent stock, that way I'm not running all around to get one. I can't imagine a line for these either but if they are only getting so many in stock I can imagine the space gray would go first and thats the one I am wanting.
 
dmelgar said:
Any guesses when the best time to get one will be.

I couldn't imagine a line for the Macbook but I could imagine a line for people wanting to look at the watch. I was hoping to swing by on the way to work.
Click to expand...

You need an appointment to look at the watch, you can't just show up to an Apple store. The earlier the better is always best for launch day, before everyone starts getting off school and work. Order online and go pick it up early Friday.
 
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