What you need to know
- Apple is reportedly turning shoppers away when they visit Turkish stores.
- Apple has already stopped accepting online orders.
Following the news that the Turkish online Apple Store is no longer accepting orders, it now appears that Apple's physical stores are following suit. Multiple Turkish Apple Stores are said to be turning customers away, although those seeking support are being allowed in — they just can't buy anything.
According to photos shared by macReports, long lines have formed due to the "economic crisis" in the country.
We visited some of the Apple retail stores in Turkey today, where due to the economic crisis, long lines have formed. Customers hoping to buy Apple products are, for the most part, being turned away until the lira stabilizes against the dollar. The three Apple stores in Turkey, all in Istanbul, have stopped selling most Apple devices. One Apple Store employee told us his store only has some AirPods models that are for sale. Apple employees are standing outside of the stores just to send most people away.
The issue is said to be caused by related to economic uncertainty surrounding the Turkish currency, Lira. Some Apple Store employees are going so far as to tell customers that price hikes should be expected once products go back on sale.
Today, after visiting the Apple stores in Turkey, we learn that customers visiting the physical stores are being told that sales will resume after the exchange rate stabilizes – and that once sales resume, Turks can expect increased prices. Recently, according to Apple employees in Turkey, the demand for Apple products has been very high. Additionally, they said that their inventory stocks of items have gotten very low.
It isn't clear what the next steps here might be, but at the moment it seems impossible to buy anything directly from Apple if you want to do it in Turkey. It's likely we will see Apple either increase its prices to compensate for the collapse of the local currency, or for some economic miracle to cause it to recover. Right now, buying a product like the iPhone 13 in Turkey isn't as easy as you might think, although buying the best iPhone ever made is unlikely to be at the top of many shopping lists in the country right now.
