Difficult for Vietnamese to buy iPhone 14 in Singapore.
Online at Apple Store Singapore from September 15th. Dawn Nguyen Lam, the store manager, was shocked to learn that the iPhone 14 was only sold online.
“We were told to go home. Currently, they don’t sell directly in store, they only deliver the phone to those who have pre-ordered on the website,” said Mr. Thanh, the phone store owner. Cow. whoa
He said he ordered online but received few machines, not enough payments to his customers in Vietnam. He also said there are thousands like him in the iPhone business who have traveled from Vietnam to Singapore to pick up the devices when the iPhone 14 goes on sale tomorrow.
“Everyone is very confused. Some quickly went to other stores to get a chance to buy the iPhone 14. Others stayed because they hoped the Apple Store would change their minds. But if the company announces that, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Lamm said.
Since September 15, many Vietnamese people can be seen in front of the Apple Store in Singapore. Although the shop only sells to pre-ordered customers from morning to night.
On the morning of September 15, Tuan Minh (Hanoi) was concerned when he received information from people in Singapore before he was ready to board his plane. Min also said he plans to pre-order, but 15 minutes after Apple opened the registration system, the site announced that it was down for “pick up” shoppers (order online and pick up in store). Choose the estimated delivery time at the end of September.
“For the past several years, without ordering online, I figured I could still go straight to an Apple Store to buy online and get it 1-2 days early.” The only option now is to wait for the Apple Store and buy it from someone else at a higher price and bring the iPhone to Vietnam soon.
In front of the Apple Store on Orchard Road, many people and their luggage prepare for the nightly queue. Some come in groups of around 20 people hired to queue here to buy a new iPhone. In years past, Apple only allowed each customer to buy 1-2 products, so many Vietnamese retailers had to hire many people to queue to buy multiple devices.
Many people packed their bags to go to the Apple Store, checked out of their hotels and queued overnight to buy the iPhone 14.
According to Mr. Lam, small businessmen like him could lose on this journey, while those who buy cars in bulk could suffer huge losses due to reduced costs for accommodation, travel, currency exchange, etc. When you get the machine, you can sell it for tens of millions of dongs to cover the cost. But if they are not purchased, these funds are considered lost.
“Apple knows for sure that thousands of people come here every year to buy iPhones 1-2 days before they go on sale. Why didn’t they announce it earlier?” asked a man standing in line.
This afternoon, several Vietnamese groups moved to another area near the Apple Store to buy the device after a queue formed at the retailer here. However, this store only seats 100 people. People have to wait in line until the store opens – on September 16th. 8 a.m. local time. The store dictates that each person can only purchase one item and the vending machine must be activated on site.
Another department set up a queue to buy the iPhone 14, but only 100 people.
The iPhone business community said the change in the way the Apple Store in Singapore sells could be due to equipment shortages, demand for new iPhones and the impact of Covid-19 on the supply chain. At the same time, two years after the outbreak, the growing trend of online shopping has led Apple to reduce the range of goods in offline stores.
According to some local sources, this year’s batch of four iPhone 14s could soon be sold as originals. Some local retailers expect the product to be available from early October.
Lu Kui
See: Nguyen Lam