Roger Fingas
Apple might be on the verge of expanding Personal Pickup to a number of countries outside the U.S., finally allowing people in those regions to shop online but claim their purchases at a local Apple Store.
The company is already training retail clerks in Australia, France, the U.K., and other countries, sources informed MacRumors. The expansion could be ready as soon as this month — possibly in tandem with the iPad Pro — but is allegedly still in a position to be delayed until later this year, or even 2016.
Many of Apple's international markets offer the option to reserve in-store stock, but in that case the actual purchase process has to be completed in-person as well.
Personal Pickup first debuted in the U.S. in 2011. The option can be useful for people who want their device in the shortest amount of time possible, and/or don't want their device delivered to a regular address.
Once an order is ready, Apple sends the buyer an email or SMS alert telling them to head to the store they chose during the purchase process. At that point a shopper is simply expected to present a photo ID to confirm their identity.
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2 Comments
About time. Getting stuff delivered can be a real pain. Either I get it delivered to work, which is apparently frowned upon by management (the mailroom staff don't care), or I take the day off to wait around home for the delivery person, only to have them drop off a delivery card instead, anyway.
If this means you can do a BTO order on apple.com and have it shipped to your local Apple Store instead of your house, then this is great news. The local courier companies where I live are terrible, often just putting a "Sorry we missed you," card in the mailbox without even checking if you are there. Often you have to go to the depot and pick it up yourself.
If I could pick up from the Apple Store instead I would use that service every time.