Apple Stores will not be allowing walk-in purchases of the Apple Watch, according to leaked training documents sent to MacRumors. Instead, buyers will need to make an online “Product Reservation” to have a specific model watch held at their local store.
While the first deliveries of Apple Watches are scheduled for April 24, Apple will begin offering online pre-sales on April 10. Between that date and when the first deliveries are made, customers will be able to schedule “try-on” appointments in order to make up their minds about which watch to buy. Unlike purchase appointments, these “try-on” appointments don’t require a specific watch to be reserved.
It seems that Apple is expecting to maintain a low inventory of the Apple Watch in its stores, and plans to push customers toward online purchases as much as possible. That said, the company doesn’t want to let any potential purchases slip away.
What if a customer simply walks into an Apple Store looking to buy a watch? They won’t be turned away, but neither will they be able to buy one then and there. “If a customer walks in and wants to purchase a watch, offer the option to try on a watch. Then help them place an order online or through the Apple Store app,” the leaked training documents read.
Due to the low inventory that Apple expects stores to have on hand, these reservations will be necessary until the initial wave of demand has passed. Once the Apple Watch has been in the wild for a while, the company does plan to eventually allow for walk-in purchases.
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