Filed under: Hardware, Retail, Odds and ends, Apple, Holidays
Apple introduces reserve and pick-up
As a guy who likes shopping online, but who still appreciates the act of going into a retail store for big purchases, I love this news. Apple has introduced a "Reserve and Pick-up" service for the holiday season. The name is a little unwieldy, but it gets the point across. You go onto the Apple web site to find what you want, click to reserve the product at a nearby Apple Store, and then go to the store and pick up the goods while you're doing your holiday shopping between December 15 to 24.
For many folks, this might seem awkward -- why not just buy the product online and get it shipped, or just go to the store and buy it? For guys like me, it's perfect -- all of the convenience of choosing a product online, with the added bonus of being able to check out the retail store during the holidays.
iLounge notes that there's no AppleTV on the list, so if you were planning to pick one up as a gift, you'll have to go a more traditional route. There's also no way to actually reserve an iPhone. Instead, you're told to get an iPhone gift card to give to some lucky recipient. Nevertheless, I like the idea of reserve and pick-up, an interesting mix of online shopping and in-store purchasing for the holiday season. It's Apple take-out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rae Whitlock said 9:14AM on 11-07-2009
Interesting. Wonder if they're considering continuing this service after the holiday season.
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wsuyisfhskd said 10:09AM on 12-02-2009
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mark said 9:35AM on 11-07-2009
Welcome to several years ago Apple. Many electronics retailers have allowed for the ability to check inventory at a local store then make your purchase online and pick up your purchase in the store later.
It's a great idea. It saves me a wasted trip to a store just to find out they don't have something in stock.
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Jordan said 9:39AM on 11-07-2009
"Welcome to several years ago Apple"
My thoughts exactly
Damien K. said 10:21AM on 11-07-2009
Oh this large innovative breakthrough! Apple you have saved the holiday shopping experience for everyone!
Sigh. I can put an effin cable on hold at best buy. Could have 5 years ago.
DrWho said 10:51AM on 11-07-2009
I don't get what you ditto-heads are griping about. Is this not a good idea? Did they claim to have invented the idea?
Chuwy said 9:39AM on 11-07-2009
For a while you have been able to check the stock of a stores available iPhones and reserve one for yourself. If you go to any stores website there is a link to reserve your phone
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Noah said 9:49AM on 11-07-2009
Unrelated, but today all my iTunes LP "300 meg" files just started redownloading for no reason. Is there new copy-protection, or maybe it's a Windows 7 version?
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DrWho said 11:09AM on 11-07-2009
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/11/06/itunes-lp-now-available-for-apple-tv-customers/
IanCull42 said 9:58AM on 11-07-2009
Doesn't seem to work in Chrome
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Charles Martin said 10:00AM on 11-07-2009
They should call it iWRAP (we reserve apple pickups).
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Ken Cohen said 12:46PM on 11-07-2009
Pickup would be a great idea if I didn’t have to wait a seemingly endless amount of time to pay. I’ve been to three of the Apple stores in Toronto, they’re all too busy, very hard to get anyone’s attention, when I do find someone it’s usually the wrong person and they send me somewhere else. Once this happened with a shopping appointment! It’s a lot easier just to wait for delivery.
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David Robison said 3:17PM on 11-07-2009
I knew there had to be one good reason to stay in the US.
Ken Cohen said 3:29PM on 11-07-2009
Yes - to avoid whiners like me ... :-)
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teiresias said 4:27PM on 11-07-2009
Would be nice if this worked through the different online stores too, like the Education or the Government Employee store.
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mikehild said 6:12PM on 11-07-2009
"why not just buy the product online and get it shipped, or just go to the store and buy it?"
First of all, having it shipped means I have to wait to have it. That's fine if I'm getting it for cheaper than the retail stores, but if it's the same price I'll go to the store so I can have it right away.
Secondly, this will help if you're concerned about them having what you want in the store. It would really suck to go to the store only to find they just sold out shortly before you arrived. This way, you KNOW there's a copy waiting for you when you get there.
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samuel said 5:49PM on 11-08-2009
I confess that I prefer to do "big" purchases online, while small ones in the shops.
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Mac Diva said 9:32PM on 11-08-2009
Including a hunky fellow with the purchase, apparently free of charge, is very nice of Apple.
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Fred said 11:06AM on 11-24-2009
Wow, my Snark-meter just asploded! You'd think some of you folks might give them a pass on this considering some of the others things they do that a lot of retailers don't, you know, like being appropriately staffed and that staff being relatively knowledgeable.
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Eric Swan said 6:05PM on 11-27-2009
Gimme!!!
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