You’ll Need an Appointment to Buy the Apple Watch

Apple won’t allow walk-in customers to purchase an Apple Watch on the spot, according to a new report. Instead, Apple will funnel the first wave of Apple Watch orders through an online reservation system.

Training documents obtained by MacRumors reveal how Apple employees are expected to handle a customer who wants to purchase an Apple Watch in the store: “Offer the option to try on a watch,” the memo reads, “Then help them place an order online or through the Apple Store app.”

The reservation system will help Apple manage what’s expected to be an initial surge in demand for Apple Watches, which will first go on sale on April 24th. Apple expects to phase out the reservation requirement as inventories stabilize.

The purchasing process for customers interested in the $10,000-and-up Apple Watch Edition models will be more accommodating — those shoppers will be given no-wait access to the devices.