Latest update April 23rd, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 05, 2014 News
By Ralph Seeram
I can’t believe I was doing this, waiting in line to buy a stupid phone; actually they call it a smart phone these days. I mean it’s crazy, five hours. And here’s the “kicker”: you don’t even know if you are going to get one; you don’t know if they have a phone for your carrier.
The world knows Apple launched its long-awaited Iphone 6 and Iphone 6 plus, a little over two weeks ago. In the first few days some 12 million phones were sold. My daughter spent nine hours in line the first day it was launched to get her phone. I told her she was crazy, that I will wait a few weeks until the rush dies down.
So after two weeks I would have thought the rush would have died down but the Apple store kept saying sold out every day. People suggested that I join the line early in the morning at the Apple store in the mall. So far only Apple stores sell the much sought after phone.
So there I was, 5.30am at the mall. Only two cars were in the parking lot, a good sign. I went to the line and found five persons ahead of me—a family of four that drove some 25 miles to get there, and a fellow from Brazil. I said to myself Ralph, you can’t go wrong as the sixth person. But I was to be deflated by the Brazilian who told me that he was third the morning before, and did not get the Iphone 6, that they only had the plus.
My Brazilian friend (you would be surprised how quickly you make friends when waiting for hours in a line) spoke English, Portuguese and Spanish. The family of five from Ecuador spoke English and Spanish.
I will soon learn that they were not there to buy phones for themselves, but to resell overseas. They are buying the phones at full price, lowest being around US$600 and selling them for US$1000.
They have been going to the Apple stores everyday to make purchases. The lines are now getting longer and I can see that the majority of people were tourists. In Orlando you can quickly determine a tourist, especially men—they carry a backpack; most tourists do.
So as the lines get longer, I am beginning to see a pattern: lots of Latin Americans, Asians then some Middle Easterners. They all had one thing in common. They were buying the phone to resell in their country at great profit, and I am thinking whether anybody in Guyana was going to pay US$1000 for a phone. I quickly messaged someone who said people will.
I am figuring ten phones at $400 that’s US$4000.
I quickly shelved the idea after I realized that I have to be in line at 5:00 every day for hours; bad idea.
Now the line becomes lively with chatter, and I am beginning to get irritated. They are speaking in their native language, and I, being “fast”, can’t understand what they are saying. To be honest, I like to eavesdrop on people’s conversation; you will be surprised what you hear or learn.
After an hour or so, the line is now going on fifty; some guys who were Middle Easterners and Spanish began to canvass the line. You see, each person could only purchase two phones, so if you are purchasing one phone they will ask that you buy the other and pay you a US$100 for buying the phone for them. A few of the “locals” took up the offer to make $100.
By 8am the security guard came out and informed us that he will escort us to the Apple store. Of course you know a few foreigners tried to “cut” the line with some pretence to get in the mall. The security guard was wise to their scam and promptly sent them to the back of the line.
By now everybody is excited; we are going to the store now, only to find that another area has been cordoned off for us to line up; the store actually opens at 10am so we have two hours to wait. Now they inform us that someone will take orders in the line, but did not say at what time. You want to go to the bathroom, but are afraid they may come when you leave.
My Brazilian friend could not “hold” it anymore and decided to go to the bathroom telling me to “hold” his place. That did not mean anything because if they came to take the orders he will miss out. Fortunately for him this did not happen.
Everyone was by now sitting on the floor for the two-hour wait. Everyone was on his phone texting, reading, etc. and I mean everyone. It was now silent. I wondered why was everyone here to buy a phone when they all have phones and that included this idiot, yours truly. The line by now has grown to nearly a 100 people.
By now my daughter had arrived to assist me in the technical matter of the phone: colour, Iphone 6 or Iphone 6 plus, memory size and all that good stuff that I am ignorant of. You see, I use my phone for calls, email, text and messaging, and reading news, and when you think of it, why do I need a “fancy smart phone”.
So it’s 10am and the doors are open. They came to take my order; I wanted an Iphone 6 silver white with 64G memory which is about US$300 with a two year contract.
“Sorry no Iphone 6 in stock,” she said. Now I am saying five hours for this.
“We have a limited number of Iphone 6 plus, and you have to decide quickly”.
So I went to feel and touched the Iphone 6 plus as she moved to the next person. This phone was a monster compared to my present Iphone, but I figured I would get it, so I ran back to my daughter in the line and got the salesperson’s attention again, told her that we will take the 6 plus 64G memory which is now US$400 with a contract.
“Sorry no 64G only 128G available which is another $100.” The cost is now $500. “OK we take it,” I said, and, you would think it ended there. As they were writing up the contract, they said, “You may want to buy a two-year insurance in case of damage etc. etc”. Another US$100. We now going to US$600. By now I am wondering if I should be grateful because the phones were sold out by the 12th person in the line, meaning some eighty odd persons had to return another day.
Folks it’s not over yet. “You may want to buy a cover to protect it from falling and damage.” Hey, I just bought insurance for damage now I have to buy a case to prevent damage. “OK I will take it” another $40. This company has a great marketing strategy—keep supply low demand high, and offer high ticket items.
No wonder Apple is such a rich and profitable company. Idiots like me made them rich. I went to spend US$300 and ended up spending more than twice the amount, all for a stupid, oh sorry, it is called it a smart phone. Smart indeed. I am out nearly US$700. They smart, I “stupidy”.
Ralph Seeram can be reached at email: ralph365:@hotmail.com and Facebook.
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