I've chatted with Apple via their website, as well as called the Apple Store here and the 800 #, and I've gotten mixed answers. Some say that you can purchase the Verizon phone at retail (most of them who said this state that you must have service with Verizon in order to do so), and others have said that no you can not. As with any company you can contact them 10 times and get 10 different answers. The only way you'll really know is to go and try -- I'd say you have a far better chance at Apple, versus a Verizon store, at least based on my experience, as most of the Verizon stores here don't seem to want to sell devices at retail. I decided to just pre-order mine, on Verizon's website, at retail, so I wont' have to fiddle with waiting, or being told no.