Apple unveils holiday shopping in-store pickup option

[AppleInsider]

In time for the holiday shopping season, Apple has introduced a new "Reserve and Pick Up" option via its retail Web site, allowing customers to reserve products online and pick them up in store.

The new system aims to allow customers the ability to ensure that their products will be available for them to purchase before the holidays.

"With Reserve and Pick Up, you can make sure the top things on your list are definitely under the tree," the company's retail Web site states. "Reserve an iPod or Mac online today and it will be waiting for you to pick up and purchase at an Apple Retail Store from December 15 to 24. You can even have many products wrapped. It's just another way we make it even easier to get through the holiday crowds — and your gift list."

Apple's most products are available to reserve, including the iPhone, the entire iPod and MacBook lineups, the Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro.

Gift wrapping is also available for some products. The gift box option costs an additional $5 and is available for iPods and laptops.

The new option was unveiled Friday on Apple's retail Web site, pitched as "a brand-new way to do your holiday shopping." Customers, of course, still have the option to purchase online and have them shipped well in time for the holidays.

The system requires users to select a local store and product to reserve by signing in with an Apple ID.

[Foo2]

I wish Apple would offer this in-store-pickup option routinely for web store purchases.

[volcomguysd]

I'm just waiting to see how long it takes before they get sued for patent infringment in the East District Court of Texas....

[BenRoethig]

Originally Posted by Foo2

I wish Apple would offer this in-store-pickup option routinely for web store purchases.

And extend it to BTO items.

[Quadra 610]

Should be quite a holiday season for Apple.

[caljomac]

Meh? i walked into the only store in northern ireland and it was packed. but they had everything in stock. the gift wrapping might be good but i dont really see the point in this

[teckstud]

Sounds like Best Buy could have a potential lawsuit on their hands with this new retail concept-


just kidding, just kidding.

[DKWalsh4]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

It's just another way we make it even easier to get through the holiday crowds — and get money into our pockets

Corrected!

[DKWalsh4]

Originally Posted by BenRoethig

And extend it to BTO items.

I don't think they want people making BTO requests to have them send it to the Apple store of your choosing, only to have you not pick it up. Why not just ship it to your house if you want to BTO?

[JupiterOne]

Originally Posted by DKWalsh4

I don't think they want people making BTO requests to have them send it to the Apple store of your choosing, only to have you not pick it up. Why not just ship it to your house if you want to BTO?

I don't quite understand this program. I thought it was just the same as ordering from online, except it would arrive at the Apple store. But Apple already offers free delivery anyway (in the US at least). So if you can get it at the house (gift-wrapped and everything), why would you want to drive to an Apple store to pick it up? I'm guessing it saves Apple some money by delivering to their store instead of your house, but what does the consumer get out of this? The only thing I see is that you don't have to pay until you pick it up. But isn't that kind of risky for Apple? What if the customer doesn't pick up?

[DKWalsh4]

Originally Posted by JupiterOne

I don't quite understand this program. I thought it was just the same as ordering from online, except it would arrive at the Apple store. But Apple already offers free delivery anyway (in the US at least). So if you can get it at the house (gift-wrapped and everything), why would you want to drive to an Apple store to pick it up? I'm guessing it saves Apple some money by delivering to their store instead of your house, but what does the consumer get out of this? The only thing I see is that you don't have to pay until you pick it up. But isn't that kind of risky for Apple? What if the customer doesn't pick up?

That's what I'm saying. The article says you pay when you pick up. If you put on hold a normal iPod or a standard built iMac, chances are they have it in stock at your store already. And if you don't pick it up, its no big loss as they will probably sell it anyways. But if you custom order an iMac with an i7 and 16 GB of RAM, and you're a no show, they'll have a much harder time selling it. Maybe you have to put down some sort of deposit at the time of reservation?

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by volcomguysd

I'm just waiting to see how long it takes before they get sued for patent infringment in the East District Court of Texas....

[Gazoobee]

Originally Posted by DKWalsh4

I don't think they want people making BTO requests to have them send it to the Apple store of your choosing, only to have you not pick it up. Why not just ship it to your house if you want to BTO?

if you ship it to your house you have to take a day off work and wait for the guy in the brown truck. Also, if you don't have a car, picking it up at the store (usually in a downtown location), gives you better access to transit.

At least those are my reasons for doing this when I do it.

[ChristophB]

Originally Posted by volcomguysd

I'm just waiting to see how long it takes before they get sued for patent infringment in the East District Court of Texas....

That reminds me - I need to look up who appointed that judge to the Fed Bench.

[mstone]

Originally Posted by DKWalsh4

That's what I'm saying. The article says you pay when you pick up.

Otherwise the delivery address would not match the billing address of the credit card, which pops up an exception on the cc merchant gateway. In store, they can verify the credit card, signature and a photo ID (theoretically).

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by Foo2

I wish Apple would offer this in-store-pickup option routinely for web store purchases.

they haven't cause it would be a total pain in the ass. most stores don't have the back space to hold onto a lot of stock. and having to deal with looking up reserves while running stuff to the floor plus receiving deliveries, running stuff back and forth to customer cars etc. the stock people are going to be cuckoo by the end of that week and a half.

although it wouldn't shock me if this is a test run and later in the spring it returns.

Originally Posted by JupiterOne

I don't quite understand this program. I thought it was just the same as ordering from online, except it would arrive at the Apple store.

not order. just reserve. from things they normally carry. which is why no BTO's. those will be buy online and ship to you.

as for why, other than the chaos, it would be a big deal. from the sounds of it you can hold something and wait until Dec 24 to buy it. taking up space and probably not being replenished since technically it hasn't been sold. reducing their incoming stock and possibly having someone not buy what they want cause the last X is on hold for you. and then you decide not to buy it. ouch

[blogorant]

Originally Posted by Foo2

I wish Apple would offer this in-store-pickup option routinely for web store purchases.

I wish Apple would just call it what it is, Christmas. They use a wrapped gift in the piece and note the heavy use of the color red. Gosh, looks like a Christmas themed ad to me. They even went so far as to say "With Reserve and Pick Up, you can make sure the top things on your list are definitely under the tree"

What tree would that be, Apple?

[MacTripper]

No new Apple toys for anyone near me this holiday season, no trips and just a few necessities like clothes etc.

The ham and turkey will be cooked at home, we have games and music for entertainment.


We are learning to control our impulsive buying and rationing our funds because the combination of inflation (from printing money to solve our economy), China sucking up the worlds resources (who's bright idea was it to turn China to capitalism anyway?) and the lack of jobs (10.2% today) is going to make 2010 look like the Great Depression 2.

[MacDSmith2]

Well, I just tried this to reserve a Mac Mini for my wife for Christmas so I could pick it up at the local Apple Store and be sure it was in stock for Christmas, AFTER I get my paycheck! But the site crashed or its not ready for business yet so I don't know if my reservation took or not.

[Chris_CA]

Originally Posted by caljomac

i dont really see the point in this

It gives "customers the ability to ensure that their products will be available for them to purchase before the holidays"

[milkmage]

Originally Posted by JupiterOne

I don't quite understand this program. I thought it was just the same as ordering from online, except it would arrive at the Apple store. But Apple already offers free delivery anyway (in the US at least). So if you can get it at the house (gift-wrapped and everything), why would you want to drive to an Apple store to pick it up? I'm guessing it saves Apple some money by delivering to their store instead of your house, but what does the consumer get out of this? The only thing I see is that you don't have to pay until you pick it up. But isn't that kind of risky for Apple? What if the customer doesn't pick up?

...um. put it back on the shelf? BTO orders are not supported, so what's the big deal?

if you have it shipped you need to be around to sign for it (waste of a day). If you opt to pre-sign for anything over $100 bucks, you're a fool.

it's much more convenient if you can just do a drive by and pick things up on your schedule, not UPS's or FedEx's. Apple stores are crowded enough, they're absolute hell during the holidays. I'll bet they're going to have a couple folks at the front of the store servicing pickups only.

reservations also helps Apple stock appropriately as well. reduces the changes they'll be out of something on 12/24.

[milkmage]

Originally Posted by blogorant

I wish Apple would just call it what it is, Christmas. They use a wrapped gift in the piece and note the heavy use of the color red. Gosh, looks like a Christmas themed ad to me. They even went so far as to say "With Reserve and Pick Up, you can make sure the top things on your list are definitely under the tree"

What tree would that be, Apple?

"Christmas" is offensive to a lot of people in this World. I dare you to say "Merry Christmas" to a Muslim.

Jews aren't real big on the Christmas thing either.

My company doesn't have a Christmas party, we have a Holiday party.

Yeah, it's political correctness to the extreme, but why run the risk of offending anyone?

if you search for Christmas @ amazon or walmart you'll see the only hits you get are for goods (like music) with Christmas in the title.

[Brendon]

Originally Posted by milkmage

...um. put it back on the shelf? BTO orders are not supported, so what's the big deal?

if you have it shipped you need to be around to sign for it (waste of a day). If you opt to pre-sign for anything over $100 bucks, you're a fool.

it's much more convenient if you can just do a drive by and pick things up on your schedule, not UPS's or FedEx's. Apple stores are crowded enough, they're absolute hell during the holidays. I'll bet they're going to have a couple folks at the front of the store servicing pickups only.

reservations also helps Apple stock appropriately as well. reduces the changes they'll be out of something on 12/24.

Totally agree, I wish Apple would allow us to pickup BTO at a local Apple store. I hate waiting for the truck, I feel like I'm trapped in my house since the truck has a nasty habit or arriving if I step out for one minute. Apple would be out nothing, if I don't pick it up then they already have the info to charge me the restocking fee. I don't see that there is that much difference between this and having something delivered as far as returning goes, other than there is no doubt that the package has not been opened if it is still in store when I decide not to buy.

[blogorant]

Originally Posted by milkmage

"Christmas" is offensive to a lot of people in this World. I dare you to say "Merry Christmas" to a Muslim.

Jews aren't real big on the Christmas thing either.

My company doesn't have a Christmas party, we have a Holiday party.

Yeah, it's political correctness to the extreme, but why run the risk of offending anyone?

if you search for Christmas @ amazon or walmart you'll see the only hits you get are for goods (like music) with Christmas in the title.

Others cannot offend us, and this is key, we have to allow ourselves to become offended. Political correctness in our country has now morphed from an occasional annoyance devoid of common sense to a crippling and debilitating disease. You don't have to look any farther than the events late this week at Ft. Hood to see what Political Correctness is doing to the USA.

If I worked for a company, for example, in a majority Muslim society I would full well expect a company Ramadan party or a Chanukah party in Israel. The only offense I would take is if I weren't invited As a Christian or as a non-believer I would enjoy learning about these faiths and taking part in these observances while staying faithful to my own beliefs.

A lot of people seem to be misinterpreting "freedom of religion" lately as spelled out in our US Constitution. They seem to think it is actually promising freedom FROM religion, which is just not the case (for those not in the US our constitution specifies freedom OF religion). If 76% of the US population self identify as Christian and 4% as non-Christian (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism) who are we really offending?

Shouldn't I be offended by Apple (and every other retailer) taking advantage of an overwhelmingly Christian holiday and omitting, as if they were were ashamed of saying it, the word Christmas? If they're going to take this road then they really need to take it and not be so hypocritical. You don't want to mention Christmas? Great! But don't extend your store hours, conduct any sales, decorate, increase your inventory, pretend to gift wrap or ramp up for Nov 26th to Dec 24th in any way whatsoever. Just treat them like any other days of the year.

By the way... Walmart is running TV ads using the word Christmas in very big letters. I saw one just this morning.

[Chris_CA]

Originally Posted by milkmage

"Christmas" is offensive to a lot of people in this World.

No it's not. They may not celebrate it or think anything special of it but most are not "offended" by it.

I dare you to say "Merry Christmas" to a Muslim.

Happens all the time.
And Muslims say, "Assalaamu alaykum” to non-muslims all the time.

Jews aren't real big on the Christmas thing either.

So? They are not offended by it.

My company doesn't have a Christmas party, we have a Holiday party.

Then according to your rules, that would be offensive to the non-religious or those that do not have holidays at the end of the year.

Yeah, it's political correctness to the extreme, but why run the risk of offending anyone?

I wouldn't risk offending anyone. I would simply be wishing them well according to my Christian beliefs.

[djbeta]

I don't agree with you on a few points, but I must say, I really appreciate this post. One of the best I've ever read. You make some very, very good points I think we should all pay some attention to. Thanks.

Originally Posted by blogorant

Others cannot offend us, and this is key, we have to allow ourselves to become offended. Political correctness in our country has now morphed from an occasional annoyance devoid of common sense to a crippling and debilitating disease. You don't have to look any farther than the events late this week at Ft. Hood to see what Political Correctness is doing to the USA.

If I worked for a company, for example, in a majority Muslim society I would full well expect a company Ramadan party or a Chanukah party in Israel. The only offense I would take is if I weren't invited As a Christian or as a non-believer I would enjoy learning about these faiths and taking part in these observances while staying faithful to my own beliefs.

A lot of people seem to be misinterpreting "freedom of religion" lately as spelled out in our US Constitution. They seem to think it is actually promising freedom FROM religion, which is just not the case (for those not in the US our constitution specifies freedom OF religion). If 76% of the US population self identify as Christian and 4% as non-Christian (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism) who are we really offending?

Shouldn't I be offended by Apple (and every other retailer) taking advantage of an overwhelmingly Christian holiday and omitting, as if they were were ashamed of saying it, the word Christmas? If they're going to take this road then they really need to take it and not be so hypocritical. You don't want to mention Christmas? Great! But don't extend your store hours, conduct any sales, decorate, increase your inventory, pretend to gift wrap or ramp up for Nov 26th to Dec 24th in any way whatsoever. Just treat them like any other days of the year.

By the way... Walmart is running TV ads using the word Christmas in very big letters. I saw one just this morning.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Chris_CA

No it's not. They may not celebrate it or think anything special of it but most are not "offended" by it.

Happens all the time.
And Muslims say, "Assalaamu alaykum” to non-muslims all the time.

So? They are not offended by it.

Then according to your rules, that would be offensive to the non-religious or those that do not have holidays at the end of the year.

I wouldn't risk offending anyone. I would simply be wishing them well according to my Christian beliefs.

I disagree with this. Christmas, despite parts have pagan roots and the urrent commercial focus, it stll has a very strong tie to the representative birth of Christ, something non-Christians disagree with.

Before Current Era(BCE) and Current Era(CE) instead of Before Christ(BC) and Anno Domini(AD) to prevent this favouring or pointless usage for the rest of the world. Even though the start of the calendar is still based on an assumed birth of Jesus Christ most of the world doesn’t follow Christianity so having a more neutral system is best. Christians can still say to themselves Before Christ’s Era(BCE) and Christ’s Era(CE), if it makes them feel better.

As-Salāmu `Alaykum and Wa `Alaykum as-Salaam on the other hand make no religious references. They simply mean "peace be upon you" and "and upon you be peace” in Arabic. Though most often used by Muslims it is spoken by many religious people who speak Arabic and among non-Arabic and non-Muslim speakers.

[TheFatWookie]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I disagree with this. Christmas, despite parts have pagan roots and the urrent commercial focus, it stll has a very strong tie to the representative birth of Christ, something non-Christians disagree with.

Before Current Era(BCE) and Current Era(CE) instead of Before Christ(BC) and Anno Domini(AD) to prevent this favouring or pointless usage for the rest of the world. Even though the start of the calendar is still based on an assumed birth of Jesus Christ most of the world doesn’t follow Christianity so having a more neutral system is best. Christians can still say to themselves Before Christ’s Era(BCE) and Christ’s Era(CE), if it makes them feel better.

As-Salāmu `Alaykum and Wa `Alaykum as-Salaam on the other hand make no religious references. They simply mean "peace be upon you" and "and upon you be peace” in Arabic. Though most often used by Muslims it is spoken by many religious people who speak Arabic and among non-Arabic and non-Muslim speakers.

Never mind all of that! What really really bothers me is, besides the link here at AppleInsider or MacRumors, I can't find a link to this page ANYWHERE on the Apple US Retail Site. They sure don't want anybody to know about it. Click on the Apple home page... not there, click on the Apple Store... not there. I have tried both in Safari and Firefox. At least with Safari there is a big blank space at the top of the Apple store page where this might have been but I can't see it. Is this only me? I cannot see the light... HELP

[Hudson1]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I disagree with this. Christmas, despite parts have pagan roots and the urrent commercial focus, it stll has a very strong tie to the representative birth of Christ, something non-Christians disagree with.

Before Current Era(BCE) and Current Era(CE) instead of Before Christ(BC) and Anno Domini(AD) to prevent this favouring or pointless usage for the rest of the world. Even though the start of the calendar is still based on an assumed birth of Jesus Christ most of the world doesn’t follow Christianity so having a more neutral system is best. Christians can still say to themselves Before Christ’s Era(BCE) and Christ’s Era(CE), if it makes them feel better.

As-Salāmu `Alaykum and Wa `Alaykum as-Salaam on the other hand make no religious references. They simply mean "peace be upon you" and "and upon you be peace” in Arabic. Though most often used by Muslims it is spoken by many religious people who speak Arabic and among non-Arabic and non-Muslim speakers.

I'm offended by those who say "peace be upon you" yet remain rather ambivalent about crashing planes into buildings.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Hudson1

I'm offended by those who say "peace be upon you" yet remain rather ambivalent about crashing planes into buildings.

I’m not sure I understand you point. I would, in some sense, be offended by anyone, despite their religious views or their greeting used, if they felt it okay for terrorism to exist. That Arabic phrase crosses many languages and many religions. It’s not fair to append it to an extremest group and deem it evil because of that association.

[Hudson1]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I’m not sure I understand you point. I would, in some sense, be offended by anyone, despite their religious views or their greeting used, if they felt it okay for terrorism to exist. That Arabic phrase crosses many languages and many religions. It’s not fair to append it to an extremest group and deem it evil because of that association.

I thought the statement was self-explanatory but if it wasn't... I'm offended by hypocrites. A hypocrite in this case is someone who utters the phrase "peace be upon you" yet doesn't seem outraged in the least by the horrific non-peaceful words and actions of those who share the same religion.

[JeffDM]

Originally Posted by Foo2

I wish Apple would offer this in-store-pickup option routinely for web store purchases.

It does seem odd that the wording suggests that it's only temporarily available.

Originally Posted by blogorant

I wish Apple would just call it what it is, Christmas. They use a wrapped gift in the piece and note the heavy use of the color red. Gosh, looks like a Christmas themed ad to me. They even went so far as to say "With Reserve and Pick Up, you can make sure the top things on your list are definitely under the tree"

What tree would that be, Apple?

Isn't it a Druish tree for celebrating Winter Solstice?

Originally Posted by Hudson1

I thought the statement was self-explanatory but if it wasn't... I'm offended by hypocrites. A hypocrite in this case is someone who utters the phrase "peace be upon you" yet doesn't seem outraged in the least by the horrific non-peaceful words and actions of those who share the same religion.

How would you know a lot of them weren't outraged? You're generalizing about a very broad and diverse group.

[JKG]

Originally Posted by milkmage

"Christmas" is offensive to a lot of people in this World. I dare you to say "Merry Christmas" to a Muslim.

Jews aren't real big on the Christmas thing either.

My company doesn't have a Christmas party, we have a Holiday party.

Yeah, it's political correctness to the extreme, but why run the risk of offending anyone?

if you search for Christmas @ amazon or walmart you'll see the only hits you get are for goods (like music) with Christmas in the title.

It's the tail wagging the dog syndrome and it needs to stop.

[addabox]

Originally Posted by JKG

It's the tail wagging the dog syndrome and it needs to stop.

What needs to stop? Are you saying huge corporations must be obliged to use the term "Christmas" in their holiday advertising? How do you propose to force them?

[Chris_CA]

Originally Posted by solipsism

I disagree with this. Christmas, despite parts have pagan roots and the urrent commercial focus, it stll has a very strong tie to the representative birth of Christ, something non-Christians disagree with.

Still doesn't mean they are offended by it.
[quote]As-Salāmu `Alaykum and Wa `Alaykum as-Salaam on the other hand make no religious references.[quote]
It may not make a reference to religion but it is directly related to Islam as the "prescribed" way to greet other muslims.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Chris_CA

It may not make a reference to religion but it is directly related to Islam as the "prescribed" way to greet other muslims.

You can’t see how one is a custom that inherently pushes a religious belief on others and how one is just a custom?

[Chris_CA]

Originally Posted by solipsism

You can’t see how one is a custom that inherently pushes a religious belief on others and how one is just a custom?

I don't see how it's pushing any religious belief on anyone.
If someone were to say "Happy Hanukkah" or "Happy Ramadan" or "Happy Kwanzaa" to me, I wouldn't feel the urge to convert to anything or feel someone was pushing anything me.
I'd think they are simply being polite and giving customary holiday greetings according to their own beliefs.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Chris_CA

I don't see how it's pushing any religious belief on anyone.
If someone were to say "Happy Hanukkah" or "Happy Ramadan" or "Happy Kwanzaa" to me, I wouldn't feel the urge to convert to anything or feel someone was pushing anything me.
I'd think they are simply being polite and giving customary holiday greetings according to their own beliefs.

One is just a greeting in Arabic that makes no mention of a religious figure, the other is an entire holiday devoted to and comprising of the supposed birth of the central figure of the Christian religion.

If a company wishes to state Happy Holidays they aren’t leaving out Jews or Christians; they are generalizing to cover the field. I see nothing wrong with that. Why is it only Christians have a problem with businesses not specifically stating Merry Christmas?

[blogorant]

Originally Posted by solipsism

One is just a greeting in Arabic that makes no mention of a religious figure, the other is an entire holiday devoted to and comprising of the supposed birth of the central figure of the Christian religion.

If a company wishes to state Happy Holidays they aren’t leaving out Jews or Christians; they are generalizing to cover the field. I see nothing wrong with that. Why is it only Christians have a problem with businesses not specifically stating Merry Christmas?

If a company were using the term Holidays in in the interest of efficiency or brevity, no problem. Everybody gets it and no one would be offended as traditionally, in the USA, use of the term Holidays was generally understood, depending on the context, to include a chronological combination of one or more of Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas & New Years Eve / Day.

With the spread of the insidious plague that is political correctness, more and more the use of the term Holidays is being used to replace or avoid Christmas and not in the interest of efficiency or inclusiveness. Apple (and other retailers) isn't pushing a Thanksgiving, New Years or even a Chanukah sale with the use of a wrapped gift icon, the color red or the reference to a tree.

Regardless of your beliefs New Years Eve / Day, St. Patricks Day, The 4th of July, Ramadan, Thanksgiving, Chanukah & Christmas ALL EXIST and are what they are so let's stop with all the PC silliness. I'm not Irish and I'm not insisting that my local retailers rename their St. Patrick's Day sales. I'm not a Muslim but if Apple were to conduct a Ramadan sale and I needed something, I'm buying, I'm not offended and I'm not converting. In this instance Ramadan exists and Apple chooses to pay respect to its Muslim customers by having a sale event.

For a Christian believer Christmas is a celebration of the birth Jesus Christ. For others it may be little more than a cultural custom or just another day of the year. The bottom line is that while one can deny the existence and level of significance of Jesus Christ one cannot deny Christmas as a high Holy day for some and just another holiday or day off for others. IT is real and IT exists so lets stop pretending, in the name of political correctness, that IT does not. As a Christian or simply as an individual willing to be intellectually honest with yourself, think about it and you'll see why people might have a problem with the omission of Christmas.

[JupiterOne]

Originally Posted by blogorant

For a Christian believer Christmas is a celebration of the birth Jesus Christ.....

And yet, it is the christian believers that get so upset when someone substitutes "Holiday" for "Christmas" for their sales.