Apple Plans to Rush Buyers of New Smartwatch
Shopping for an expensive luxury watch can be a totally decadent experience as the potential customer is shown numerous models, allowed to try them on and possibly enjoy a glass or two of champagne while deciding on a final purchase. That’s not what shoppers should expect if they consider buying an Apple Watch when the pricey wearables hit stores later this month.
According to a report by Business Insider, Apple will have structured sales procedures in place aimed at getting customers in and out of the stores as quickly as possible—while taking their money, of course. Impulse buyers will be frustrated to hear that they cannot just drop into the closest Apple Store with Amex card in hand since an appointment will be required to check out the smartwatches in person.
Don’t expect to be able to try on every style of Apple Watch with every possible band as there will be an assortment of just 18 combinations of watches and bands from which to choose—no swapping allowed in the store. And don’t expect a lot of time to make up your mind since appointments will be scheduled a mere five to fifteen minutes apart.
It sounds like Apple wants to encourage those lusting after the smartwatch to do their time-consuming shopping at their online store rather than wasting the precious time of their employees. On the bright side, the site is offering free shipping and two years of “complimentary” support.
This assembly line process sounds rather classless considering how much cash the buyers may be putting down in order to be the first in their crowd to sport the Apple Watch on their wrists. Will you get an extra five minutes if you’re considering the $17,000 18K gold model? We’ll find out later this month. The official on-sale date is Friday, April 24.
