Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Target next in line to sell Apple's iPhone, following Sam's Club

Discount chain Target will be the next major American third-party retailer to team up with Apple to promote the iPhone, AppleInsider has been told.

Target

According to people familiar with the matter, word of the iPhone's impending arrival at Target first began to spread last month during meetings between store and district managers in what was then the lead up to last week's rollout of the iPad at Target stores.

The Minneapolis, Minn.-based retailer is in the process of adding mobile phone centers to approximately 850 of its 1,743 stores by the time holiday shopping season rolls around. It's doing so in partnership with Radio Shack, another Apple Authorized iPhone reseller, which will provide the tools that allow customers to activate their devices in-store.

The move is an expansion of a pilot program that began in about 100 stores last October and is seen as Target's latest effort to keep pace with specialty electronics retailers such as Best Buy, in addition to its larger rival Wal-Mart, which has similarly been upping its electronics presence.

Since it's unclear precisely when Target plans to complete installation of its first 850 mobile phone centers, a rollout date for the iPhone was reportedly not available. A representative for the retailer similarly refused to confirm or deny the report, saying only that Target has "nothing to announce at this time."

Target, which operates stores in every state except Vermont, is the second largest discount retailer in the United States behind Walmart, and ranks number 30 on the Fortune 500 list.


Target has adorned its electronics sections with official Apple signage | Source: ifoAppleStore
Target
Target has adorned its electronics sections with official Apple signage | Source: ifoAppleStore

Sam's Club

Meanwhile, membership-only warehouse club Sam's Club, a subsidiary of Wal-Mart, announced during Wal-Mart's quarterly conference call Wednesday that it too will begin selling the iPhone — in addition to the iPad — sometime in the near future. Again, no specific timeframe was provided.

23 Comments

appl 15 Years · 348 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Discount chain Target will be the next major American third-party retailer to team up with Apple to promote the iPhone, AppleInsider has been told.

Do people feel that sales by Target will diminish the Apple brand? ISTM that Apple products are sold in great numbers these days by self-service discount chain stores.

silverpraxis 17 Years · 305 comments

I'm so glad I live near a selection of Apple Stores, since I boycott Target now.

appl 15 Years · 348 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by silverpraxis

I'm so glad I live near a selection of Apple Stores, since I boycott Target now.

Why do you boycott Target? Is there something wrong with it?

MacPro 19 Years · 19862 comments

iPad and all iOS devices should be available from all such stores. They are no harder to use than an iPod after all.

bloggerblog 17 Years · 2582 comments

Are you telling me that Appleinsider doesn't know about the Oct.20th Apple event yet?!!!!