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Shortages at retail stores?

burn1010

Member
Jul 20, 2010
69
2
NY
My local VZ store (in NY) is only getting 12 units for tomorrow's launch. It's a pretty busy store so I was kinda surprised. When Storm 1 launched they had about 50 units. Will be there before opening to make sure I get one.

Rep said inventory in warehouses for online and phone purchases will be good. She also said that shipments do not start until tomorrow, so if I ordered today online it would ship tomorrow (9/9) and I would get it at the earliest (9/10)
 
Lol. I don't think you will have a problem finding one. Just like the Droid 2, this phone's launch has been kept rather quiet. You may have a problem if you were to pick it up after the MTV Video Music Awards on September 12th since it is being sponsored by the Fascinate and Verizon so there will be a lot of advertisements for the phone during the event. So millions of teenagers and young adults will see it and want it.

Also, keep in mind that not a lot of people will be fans of the default Bing search, the 2GB of internal memory, and GPS problems. So you won't really see a lot of people rushing to get the phone except for people who plan to root and overclock the device. Ordinary people who just want to use the phone out of the box normally will probably go with the Droid 2 or Droid Incredible.
 
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Also, keep in mind that not a lot of people will be fans of the default Bing search, the 2GB of internal memory, and GPS problems. So you won't really see a lot of people rushing to get the phone except for people who plan to root and overclock the device. Ordinary people who just want to use the phone out of the box normally will probably go with the Droid 2 or Droid Incredible.

Very debatable. The "ordinary people" probably don't know about any of the (real or potential) problems and will love the nice screen I bet.
 
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Yup, I agree too. The Fascinate will most likely appeal to the "ordinary people" based on its flashy screen, colorful UI, media/gaming ability (gaming more hypothetical than real right now), and similarity in appearance to the iPhone.

I could really see this being a phone that people wandering into their local store searching for a new phone get pulled to based on all of the above.

As for me, mine is already picked up by Fedex and scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Then it's time to see if I will be loving or regretting my choice and if an X is in my future.
 
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Well, I'm admittedly an "ordinary person" and the Fascinate sucked me right in. I stopped by a Verizon store during lunch today. I played around with the DX and Dinc for a few minutes until a saleswoman approached. I asked if they had any Fascinates in yet. She initially feigned surprise and said "I dont know...", and I said I knew they would be out tomorrow, and that they were on Verizon's website. She smiled, went over to a co-worker and came back with his Fascinate. I've worked retail and sales, and know the drill, so I didn't hold her initial response against her.

Feels just right in the hand, looks great next to the DX (I've never been sold on the look of that phone -- looks too long and disproportionate, the rubbery borders look funny, and sharp corners), and the back is flat, smooth, and feels just right. It doesn't feel at all cheap or toy-like -- I liked the weight and feel of materials way more than the Dinc and as much as the DX (which, for all its styling deficiencies, feels like a solid piece of equipment).

But when I turned it on, I was sold. The DX and Dinc screens look great, until I had the Fascinate in my hand. WOW. She said I'd have to pay $200 -- $100 for each phone, even with the BOGO, and wait for the rebate cards. So I came back and immediately ordered 2 on-line. Pleasantly surprised that my NE2 discount was actually $100 in the final checkout, where it was only listed as $50 under my account. So, $99 for 2 Fascinates, free overnight shipping, should be here tomorrow. I can't wait.

I'm a little nervous about the GPS issues. I have confidence that the few people here and on other forums who have actually used the phone for a while say the GPS works fine, that Google Maps Navi works fine, and that there are no issues, and that they were even buying them for their personal phones. I also am hopeful that Samsung will actually deliver a fix, if one is necessary. Maybe too much trust, IDK. If there are any substantial GPS issues at the end of my 30 days, I'll likely be returning it on a DX, the looks of the Fascinate notwithstanding. I think my wife will be keeping her Fascinate regardless of how the GPS works!

As an ordinary user not already used to Google, I'm confident Bing will suit my needs -- if nothing else, I just wont know any better! Well, we'll hopefully see tomorrow!
 
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at first the phone will sell slow like the incredible did for the first week or two then once people see ads and others with it and see it at the stores then it will take off. even with the bogo i dnt see it selling out at all the stores like the X. get the gps fixed and lose bing or just root it and you got a pretty decent phone.
 
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Ok. I am starting to think this shortage thing is true. I called my Best Buy today and the guy told me they are getting an extremely limited supply. When I asked him what he meant by limited, his exact words were, "I think we are only getting one or two." I was absolutely shocked. Like I said in another thread, I am guessing that not a lot of people pre-ordered the phone at this specific Best Buy. Otherwise they would have shipped more of them to this store.

This doesn't make any sense since this is the only Best Buy within 50 minutes and this Best Buy is at the center of a very populated down and Penn State University. Why on earth would they only be getting one or two?! I am beginning to this that this guy just told me this to get me hyped so I'll come there early and get it before anyone else does. Or I could be wrong. I could show up there tomorrow at 10am and he will tell me that the two they have are going to the people that pre-ordered them. That will mean I will have to drive 50 minutes to the next Best Buy if I desperately want this phone.

Oh and this Best Buy doesn't have any Incredibles either, which is the other phone I was thinking of getting.
 
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My take is that Verizon and Samsung are not promoting this phone heavily because they want to wait till after the Froyo OTA update. Then the promotion will be out in full force.

As I have said before, the X is targeting mainly male, hardcore customers (I cannot see any woman buying the X). So the target market is very narrow. On the other hand, the Fascinate attracts both genders as well as the young and old. It caters to a much larger customer base who are not techies and more likely do not really care about Bing or TouchWiz. :)
 
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My take is that Verizon and Samsung are not promoting this phone heavily because they want to wait till after the Froyo OTA update. Then the promotion will be out in full force.

As I have said before, the X is targeting mainly male, hardcore customers (I cannot see any woman buying the X). On the other hand, the Fascinate attracts both genders as well as the young and old. It caters to a much larger customer base who are not techies and more likely do not really care about Bing or TouchWiz. :)

its funny you say the x is targeted to males. iv seen more women with the x than men.
 
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its funny you say the x is targeted to males. iv seen more women with the x than men.
Ha ha, we might be hanging out with a different crowd. :) All the girls that I know are carrying either iPhone or BlackBerry. None of them uses an Android phone (probably because it is not yet fashionable among the girls... eh the non-techie girls.). The guys (that I know) used to use only iPhone and BlackBerry. But now many of them have switched over to EVO, X, and DInc (and EVO has the majority). :D
 
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My take is that Verizon and Samsung are not promoting this phone heavily because they want to wait till after the Froyo OTA update. Then the promotion will be out in full force.

As I have said before, the X is targeting mainly male, hardcore customers (I cannot see any woman buying the X). So the target market is very narrow. On the other hand, the Fascinate attracts both genders as well as the young and old. It caters to a much larger customer base who are not techies and more likely do not really care about Bing or TouchWiz. :)
the Samsung commercials have been going on for about a week and than I just saw them advertise the 9th date on one of them so its getting more than the D2 was.
I feel like the X is toward males too and the D2 is more for females (it was one reason why I thought they made it blue). Fascinate would cater to that crowd since from reviews, etc. seems to be an easier interface for some that's going to be a first time Android user
 
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