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Why Doesn't Apple Offer Edu Discount On Software IN STORES?

LaMerVipere

LaMerVipere

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 19, 2004
971
1
Chicago
I was all set to get iLife '05 + iWork '05, with my student discount, until I got up to the register and the snotty little girl behind the iMac/register was all, "We don't offer educational discounts in the store!" and I said, "But you offer it online", and she just responded, "Well...that's online."

I just walked away from the register and left her with the boxes.

Why no edu discount on software in stores, Apple? Why??? :confused:

But on the plus side, they had tons if iPod shuffles behind the counter, for those interested. (This was the Michigan Ave. Apple Store)
 
Maybe it's just a software thing, but I bought my iBook in store with an educational discount. I think perhaps this one behind the counter didn't know what she was talking about. They have a binder with all the educational prices. You just have to present a school ID or the acceptance letter you got from your school.
 
miloblithe said:
I bought an iSight in store with the EDU discount. That's hardware though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I forgot about that, but I bought an iSight in store with the EDU discount. But yeah, that's just hardware. I'd like to see what this girl behind the counter would have done if you asked for the EDU discount on some sort of hardware.
 
Yeah, the in-store edu. discount doesn't cover software. I found out the hard way when I went to the Panther release shindig. Really don't understand why, and I really wish they would change the policy. It's a lot more convenient for me to pop into the store than to go online and wait for delivery.
 
ITS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT SHOULDA DONE A SEARCH B4 U LEFT YOUR NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO BE MAD

alright well yeah, I just had to vent that, but its because instore purchase require no registration really, it would be tons of paperwork for them, so instead they only let you use their own online regualted system. it kind of makes sense from apple's pov.
 
Yep, you can't but EDU priced software at the store, and you can't use the giftcards from the retail outlets on the store online. so there i was, with just enough dough on my giftcard to get the EDU priced panther, and found myself &%*$ outta luck.
It is a pretty crappy policy, but it could be to prevent the resale of software by people making EDU purchases and then reselling. it takes a bit more investment to buy, say, a pbook, and then look to resell it than to buy a copy of iLife and sell it to some schmoe for 10 bucks off for him, 10 bucks profit for you.
 
Kwyjibo said:
ITS ALWAYS BEEN LIKE THAT SHOULDA DONE A SEARCH B4 U LEFT YOUR NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO BE MAD

alright well yeah, I just had to vent that, but its because instore purchase require no registration really, it would be tons of paperwork for them, so instead they only let you use their own online regualted system. it kind of makes sense from apple's pov.
Click to expand...

That doesn't make any sense, considering they let you have the edu discount on hardware in stores, why not software? Surely not for whatever paperwork/registration issues you mentioned. There can't be any more paperwork for software than there is for say, an iPod, which I bought there last week w/edu discount.
 
I bought Microsoft Office

I bought Microsoft Office X and a PowerBook at the Apple Store in Columbus Ohio and received the student discount. This was back in October 2003. So I don't know if Apple changed their policy.
 
quadmandan said:
I bought Microsoft Office X and a PowerBook at the Apple Store in Columbus Ohio and received the student discount. This was back in October 2003. So I don't know if Apple changed their policy.
Click to expand...

Well, if we're going with the registration hassle for Apple angle... :)

Microsoft put the educational version of Office in a different box with different registration codes, so it neither is any concern of Apple nor would registration be a problem.
 
LaMerVipere said:
That doesn't make any sense, considering they let you have the edu discount on hardware in stores, why not software? Surely not for whatever paperwork/registration issues you mentioned. There can't be any more paperwork for software than there is for say, an iPod, which I bought there last week w/edu discount.
Click to expand...
The hardware is the same physical item whether you buy retail or edu - they sell the same part # for both.

Educational software comes in a different physical package - different labelling outside, and in some cases different serial numbers and package contents. It's a different part #. To sell Edu in the stores they would have to stock two of everything, the retail version and the educational version.

It's not just a matter of paperwork and applying a discount.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
 
Probably due to snotty customers. :D

In the end it probably has something to do with the business models for each. Though the mall stores and online are "Apple"; they probably are separate business units. That explains the gift card issue.
 
CanadaRAM said:
The hardware is the same physical item whether you buy retail or edu - they sell the same part # for both.

Educational software comes in a different physical package - different labelling outside, and in some cases different serial numbers and package contents. It's a different part #. To sell Edu in the stores they would have to stock two of everything, the retail version and the educational version.

It's not just a matter of paperwork and applying a discount.

Thanks
Trevor
CanadaRAM.com
Click to expand...

I don't know if it varies from country to country but when I bought the EDU version of Panther from an Authorised Reseller it was the exact same box as the non EDU version. There was some paper work ... Apple Australia were contacted by the sales staff to arrange it ... but the box was the same as the commercial non EDU Panther.
 
The apple resellers (we don't have any physical Apple stores, just the online one) here in Brisbane give education discount on software and hardare in store.
 
In Ohio at least, there's a state law against selling education discounted software at retail locations. Or at least that's the reason the clerk at the Lyndhurst Apple Store gave when I asked about an education discount on iWork. Come to think of it, I don't think I saw MS Office S&T edition there either.
 
i got the socks at retail store with edu discount. it's not software obviousy, so do are the socks considered as hardware or does that count as feetware? Oh gosh, i'm lame.
 
The reason Apple Stores don't sell edu software in stores is because the licenses are different, and therefore, the discs are different, and therefore the part numbers are different. As mentioned before...in that case, they would have to stock 2 of everything just for the edu customer...kind of a waste of space if you ask me. So THAT'S why.
 
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