Demo in Store Before Release Date?

[mialutz]

Does anyone know, will any of the carriers have the note 3 in store before it's in stock?

In the past I know AT&T has had phones in store pre-release day so you could play and order one.

I know I'm going to upgrade and would pre-order but my wife says she might want one too and wanted to touch and play with it first before I order one for her as well.

 

[ScandaLeX]

I know many Sprint stores didn't have the Note 2 on display pre-release or even on launch day.

 

[Scootmien]

I know I am in a different country to you but I went into the flagship store for Vodafone in London earlier and the two sales assistants I spoke to had not even heard of the Note 3, let alone know when it was going to be released. The manager had to step in quickly and answer me as I was in danger of openly mocking the store.

All the stores I went into said they won't have any pre-release, even mock-up dummy handsets.

 

[The_Chief]

Verizon rarely, if ever, gets pre-launch devices for display. Based on my experience with them, everything arrives on the UPS truck just before launch and employees can't touch it until launch day. They break out the display stuff and put it out that morning before the store opens.

So the odds of finding a Verizon store with a Note 3 out before launch will be remote: chances are very good that the first Note 3s they see will be customers bringing in pre-ordered phones for activation that were shipped straight to the customers from distribution centers.

 

[atrain311]

Verizon rarely, if ever, gets pre-launch devices for display. Based on my experience with them, everything arrives on the UPS truck just before launch and employees can't touch it until launch day. They break out the display stuff and put it out that morning before the store opens.

So the odds of finding a Verizon store with a Note 3 out before launch will be remote: chances are very good that the first Note 3s they see will be customers bringing in pre-ordered phones for activation that were shipped straight to the customers from distribution centers.

It's a shame that this is the case nowadays because a few years ago they did have the Incredible shortly before release and it was because I got to play with it (obsessively...I was in the store every night for what felt like forever) that I was happy to make the switch from my BB. A decision I will never regret. So, they might get a few more converts if they went back to this approach. By the way, the Incredible was an awesome phone for the time.

 

[The_Chief]

Well Atrain, you can't blame the sales folks: they are trained to make a sale TODAY, not try to get you back in the store in 3 days or next week and lose you to another sales rep. This was a corporate decision (and I'm not saying it's indicative of all phone carriers, just mine).

That's why the Note 2 is still on display in our stores here: that's what the reps know to sell. I doubt if half of them even know the Note 3 is coming out in 3 weeks. They'll know when it hits: maybe the day before they will get a features sheet to study so they know the selling points... but that's about it

 

[atrain311]

Well Atrain, you can't blame the sales folks: they are trained to make a sale TODAY, not try to get you back in the store in 3 days or next week and lose you to another sales rep. This was a corporate decision (and I'm not saying it's indicative of all phone carriers, just mine).

That's why the Note 2 is still on display in our stores here: that's what the reps know to sell. I doubt if half of them even know the Note 3 is coming out in 3 weeks. They'll know when it hits: maybe the day before they will get a features sheet to study so they know the selling points... but that's about it

Very good points. And I certainly don't blame the sales reps.

I can only speak from emotion on this one and maybe I'm an Anticipation Junky, but getting my hands on that phone, even for a half hour at a time made me want it that much more. For those like me, I hope the wait for release day is enough...it's going to have to be. With that said, I'm counting down the days, my friend.

 

[The_Chief]

I know, me too! 22 days until October 10th! Already ordered my Samsung Pro 64GB card, got $ in place for the retail pre-order, ducks are in a row. Just need the phone to appear now!

 

[Tommydaniel]

The Samsung experience stores in Best Buys had S4s before release date. So I would expect the same with the Note 3.