Employees Brace for Verizon iPhone Launch

It’s coming.

At 7 a.m. Thursday, employees will unlock the doors at the Romeoville store and a new era will begin for the cell phone carrier’s loyal customers: the age of the iPhone.

The company announced a coup of sorts on Jan. 11, when Verizon President Lowell McAdam and Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook held a joint press conference to confirm that Verizon would begin carrying the iPhone. Previously, the phone was only available to AT&T subscribers.

Pre-sale orders for the iPhone 4, offered to existing Verizon customers on Feb. 3, quickly shattered all of the company’s previous sales records, according to Romeoville sales consultant Katie Zywica.

“In the first two hours that we sold the phones, it beat every other phone launch that’s existed,” she said. That’s how long it took eager customers to exhaust all pre-sale supplies of the device.

In-store sales are expected to be even bigger. Zywica said customers have been clamoring for the iPhone ever since the news was announced.

“The first phone call actually came in while the press conference was still going on,” she said. “The first customer (came into the store) about eight minutes later.”

Verizon will begin taking online orders for the iPhone 4 at 2:01 a.m. Central time on Feb. 9, and in-store sales will kick off at 7 a.m. Feb. 10.

“We’re anticipating selling out by noon,” Zywica said.

On the big day, employees are scheduled to arrive at 4:30 a.m. to prepare for the launch. Zywica said she expects some iPhone enthusiasts to show up even earlier.

“We’re going to have people waiting at least that early in the morning,” if not overnight, she said.

Zywica said she doesn’t know yet how many iPhones the store will receive.

“We’re going to have an armored truck deliver the phones,” she said. “Seven a.m. sharp is when we’re going to start selling the phones, and it will be first come, first served.”

Once the phones sell out, customers can place an order to have the iPhone 4 delivered to them.

 “As fast as Apple can make them, we’re going to push them out,” Zywica said. “If you come in on Friday, you may have to wait two or three weeks for them.”

She said she’s hoping other Romeoville businesses will partner with Verizon to help eager customers fend off the cold.

Whether it’s a free cup of coffee, hot chocolate or maybe a doughnut to munch on, Zywica said the iPhone launch could be an opportunity for local merchants to earn some goodwill from customers.

“We’re open to anything,” she said. “We’re going to have people coming out in the freezing cold, so you’re going to have people standing in line with nothing to do.”

Business owners who want to be a part of the launch can contact Zywica at 630-487-8071.