Apple unveils holiday shopping in-store pickup option
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.
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.
Comments
I wish Apple would offer this in-store-pickup option routinely for web store purchases.
And extend it to BTO items.
just kidding, just kidding.
It's just another way we make it even easier to get through the holiday crowds ? and get money into our pockets
Corrected!
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?
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?
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?
I'm just waiting to see how long it takes before they get sued for patent infringment in the East District Court of Texas....
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.
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.
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).
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.
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
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?
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.
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"
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.