Over a week after launch, Apple Watch still draws long line of buyers at Colette in Paris
It's been over a week since retail sales of Apple Watch began at a select few boutique stores around the world. In Paris, the exclusive location for obtaining one is still managing a line of over 70 people waiting to buy.
Colette is a boutique shop where most shoppers wouldn't typically think to go shop for a tech product. It's located in a tiny shopping district in the heart of the 1st arrondissement of Paris.
Despite being just a few blocks from Apple's Carousel du Louvre store as well as the Opera store, Colette is also the exclusive retail home of the Apple Watch in Paris. Even Galleries Lafayette, which is planned to carry the Watch, did not appear to have any in stock during the launch week.
Early this week, there were over 70 people in line at Colette waiting to buy an Apple Watch, and it appeared that customers were generally able to get the model they desired. It would be much harder to manage this sort of inventory variety at a broader range of stores, so it's possible Apple could be using these shops as a sort of "soft" launch to help gauge consumer demand at retail.
It's worth noting that dozens of people were waiting in the slow-moving line for the Apple Watch at Colette, despite the fact that the weather outside was beautiful.
Long lines at Colette greeted the launch of the Apple Watch last month, when more than 150 people were waiting for the device to go on sale. But the complexity of selling a brand new product with so many personalized options has forced Apple to push the vast majority of orders online, rather than attempting to stock in-store inventories.
Colette is joined by Dover Street Market in London and Tokyo, the Corner in Berlin, 10 Corso Como in Milan, and Maxfield in Los Angeles as a select number of boutique outlets offering the Apple Watch for walk-in purchase at retail.
Colette is a boutique shop where most shoppers wouldn't typically think to go shop for a tech product. It's located in a tiny shopping district in the heart of the 1st arrondissement of Paris.
Despite being just a few blocks from Apple's Carousel du Louvre store as well as the Opera store, Colette is also the exclusive retail home of the Apple Watch in Paris. Even Galleries Lafayette, which is planned to carry the Watch, did not appear to have any in stock during the launch week.
Early this week, there were over 70 people in line at Colette waiting to buy an Apple Watch, and it appeared that customers were generally able to get the model they desired. It would be much harder to manage this sort of inventory variety at a broader range of stores, so it's possible Apple could be using these shops as a sort of "soft" launch to help gauge consumer demand at retail.
It's worth noting that dozens of people were waiting in the slow-moving line for the Apple Watch at Colette, despite the fact that the weather outside was beautiful.
Long lines at Colette greeted the launch of the Apple Watch last month, when more than 150 people were waiting for the device to go on sale. But the complexity of selling a brand new product with so many personalized options has forced Apple to push the vast majority of orders online, rather than attempting to stock in-store inventories.
Colette is joined by Dover Street Market in London and Tokyo, the Corner in Berlin, 10 Corso Como in Milan, and Maxfield in Los Angeles as a select number of boutique outlets offering the Apple Watch for walk-in purchase at retail.
Comments
Yet another example of the complete screw up with this launch like Maxfield in LA, which has had a steady stream of inventory every day since the launch. But hey it's made me a tidy profit! Thank you Angela.
If I lived in Paris, I'd have jumped on this and canceled my preorder, but alas, there's no such option in humble Dallas, TX.
Not only are you full of it, you are willing to parasitize and pervert Apple's (not only Angela Ahrendts') wise retail strategy.
Why don't you do like the honest scalpers do and hire some homeless people to stand in line for you?
Yes, I know what neighborhood Maxfield is in.
Edit: took out personal pejorative. Note that this is the same person who stuffed the comment threads before the Watch was released, arguing and nitpicking every imagined flaw he could think of about the projected features of the device.
I stood in the Maxfield line on launch day, got a 42mm sport.. Sold that watch for $145 over list price, sold a ticket in line someone gave me for $300! later that week I bought a stainless steel model for $740, then sold it for $870... Made almost $600 and wasn't even doing it to make money.. Thanks Angela.. At some point I'll have my own watch lol.
I stood in the Maxfield line on launch day, got a 42mm sport.. Sold that watch for $145 over list price, sold a ticket in line someone gave me for $300! later that week I bought a stainless steel model for $740, then sold it for $870... Made almost $600 and wasn't even doing it to make money.. Thanks Angela.. At some point I'll have my own watch lol.
Yup. I've made over $1500 off the two watches I bought. This is what Angelea and Apple wanted. They set this model in motion, and are tacitly encouraging it. There are "mobsters" at Maxfield who are obviously buying multiple watches from the same salespeople, with Apple representatives standing right there. Apple is endorsing this behavior.
Mobsters? What are you? An innocent little . . . oh, never mind.
"Tacitly endorsing." What are they going to do? Throw you out? I know I would, but I also know that it would be bad PR.
Yup. I've made over $1500 off the two watches I bought. This is what Angelea and Apple wanted. They set this model in motion, and are tacitly encouraging it. There are "mobsters" at Maxfield who are obviously buying multiple watches from the same salespeople, with Apple representatives standing right there. Apple is endorsing this behavior.
I'm sure that Apple wishes they didn't have supply issues and could move the watches a lot faster than they are moving, but given the situation with low supply, I think they did the right thing with regard to the launch. And I don't care whether some scalpers (like you) make some profit nor if Apple lets it happen.
Stop with this "Angela" crap. It just makes you look stupid and sexist. Do you think she came up with the Colette, etc., strategy without input from Cook, Ive, Newson, Schiller and who knows who else from among their recent fashion and watch industry hires? Most likely it was a group decision, and for all you know, as head of retail stores, she may have had reservations, though I doubt it. But we don't know.
Edit: took out personal pejorative. Note that this is the same person who stuffed the comment threads before the Watch was released, arguing and nitpicking every imagined flaw he could think of about the projected features of the device.
Yes, this poster (much like a few others on this thread, when the Apple Watch was introduced and for many months afterwards) companied non-stop that it was the stupidest device ever devised and evidence of Tim Cook's failures. Now he has claimed to have bought two and scalped them. Some just have no shame.
i know youre trolling, but how again is it her fault that theres no inventory to stock or sell in her retail stores? does she manage component supplies? manufacturing? should she be working in a clean suit, assembling units? or is it just because shes female?
please be specific.
yup. troll is as troll does. he pretends otherwise, but def a troll.
ah look, another one, slavishly copying mac128 in order to blame the head of retail stores w/ the fact that theres no inventory, despite not having any control over inventory....anything to blame a woman, i guess? or just run of the mill trolling? you decide.
I'm sure that Apple wishes they didn't have supply issues and could move the watches a lot faster than they are moving, but given the situation with low supply, I think they did the right thing with regard to the launch. And I don't care whether some scalpers (like you) make some profit nor if Apple lets it happen.
Indeed. In the end, while scalping is generally illegal in most places, that mostly stems from past occasions where a few parties would acquire a significant amount of the available product (seats/tickets, limited goods, etc) and then try to lift prices consistently above the list price. This is mostly limited today with maximum purchase limitations. In this case, scalping is really just a free trade of goods. Someone waited in line, or ordered on-line, to get an Apple Watch, and is finding a willing buyer for a price above list. I don't see this as hurting Apple, the buyer, or the seller. What is the big deal?
Of course Apple wishes they had more inventory. When you stretch the bounds with brand new, exquisitely manufactured products with new processes, sometimes not everything goes perfectly at the beginning. Perhaps the taptic engine story is correct, and they had to adjust in the last couple of months due to more limited than expected inventory.
Far worse than having limited demand.
so youre pretending apple -- the biggest, most profitable, most successful tech firm in the history of the human race -- wanted to be unable to sell as many units as possible, for which they make a very good profit, in order to let some scummy scalpers ("mobsters", your term) make pocket change on the weekends? how is that at all logical?
oh, right, it's not logical at all.
Look at all those
Brainwashed isheep!!
They can easily buy a cheap droid!!!!!!!!!!
this one is a pretty blatant troll:
"0. If you're here to crap on Apple, its fans or its customers, you're not long for this forum."
lol blame a woman?! Trolling?! Thanks Angela is the new Thanks Obama. No need to be so easily offended, that's a tough life to live.