This evening I decided to check out my closest AT&T corporate store. The first indication something was wrong was the total calm and serenity inside. In the store were 9 reps and myself. People have either given up on the prospect of scoring an iPhone tonight, or they are just too tired to leave the house in this 90 degree weather.

Of course, they were out of iPhones, but when pressed how long it would take to get one, the guy acted pretty weird. At first he told me it would be 5–7 business days.

Then when I let him know I wanted 4 new lines (I bluffed), he let slip that he’d have more tomorrow morning. Of course, I dug even deeper asking what time they’d be delivered. And then he screwed up; he told me they already had them in the back, but that he couldn’t sell them yet.

Seems like Apple and AT&T took lessons at the “Bestbuy school for artificial Wii shortages”. Sleazy.

Update: The Boy Genius Report already reported on this: AT&T stores are getting daily allotments, so most stores will indeed already have their Saturday iPhones in stock today, with the Sunday ones arriving tomorrow. Still a pretty poor way of doing business.To tell customers TODAY that they are out of stock and that they need to order now and wait a week but then go ahead and sell them tomorrow to other customers is just pathetic.

FWIW; he says that AT&T stores will be getting between 20 and 150 iPhones, with most Apple stores receiving at least 2000!