So, this morning I got curious: how well did iPhone sell over the weekend? I figured I might be able to get an idea by calling some of the larger Apple Stores around the country. I went to http://www.apple.com/retail and grabbed phone numbers for five stores: one each in Los Angeles, CA; Dallas, TX; New York City; Tampa, FL; and Lyndhurst, OH (near Cleveland).

 

Then, bracing for the time-consuming task of navigating phone menu systems, I hit the phone. Since I was calling mid-morning Eastern Time, I started with stores on the East Coast. I got through three of the five numbers before concluding that I wasn’t going to be able to get the info I wanted—at least not if I was honest about being a journalist. (Since I was planning to write an article and needed specific people to quote, I couldn’t just go undercover.)

 

At the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in New York City, I was told that no-one at the store could comment to the media about anything iPhone-related. I was directed to call the a media relations person (the rep I spoke to implied this person knew about the specific store on Fifth Ave). I took the number, and went on my merry way.

 

After leaving a message for the media relations person, I tried my luck at the Apple Store on West Shore Blvd in Tampa, Florida. That store must have been hopping, since I got a busy signal. Next, on to the Legacy Village Apple Store in Lyndhurst, OH. After listening to a few of the menu options, it became apparent to me that all Apple Stores use the same phone system, so I saved time by deciding not to hear all the choices; instead I pressed the number for ‘all other questions.’

 

“We won’t actually be able to comment on that,” the gentleman I reached at the Legacy Village Apple store told me after I identified myself as being from the media. “If you’d like to call our media relations department, you’re more than welcome. I can get you that number.”

 

When I asked the rep if the media relations person was familiar with sales at particular stores, he told me, “We won’t speak about individual sales via stores.”

 

When he gave me the media relations number, it turned out to be for the same woman I’d been referred by the New York City store. So there you have it. Stopped in my tracks. I may have more to report later if the media relations person I left a message for calls me back.

 

I should stress that the two Apple Store reps I spoke with were very friendly, and I know they were just doing their job by throwing up barriers when they learned I was from the press.

 

One final note: if you’re wondering whether or not a particular Apple Store has iPhones available, you can find this information at www.apple.com/retail/iphone after 9:00 p.m. each night (once the store closes, staff determines if iPhones will be available the following day).