‘Like busy holiday season’: Apple stores see rush of iPhone shoppers ahead of US tariffs

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Some analysts and industry watchers speculate that iPhones could soon cost thousands of US dollars apiece due to increased tariffs on products made in China. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

The threat of massive new tariffs from the administration of US President Donald Trump has sent Apple’s share price plummeting, but it also brought a short-term benefit: customers rushing to retail stores to buy iPhones.

Employees from different Apple locations across the US said stores filled with customers over the weekend – with the shoppers expressing concerns that prices would climb dramatically after the levies are imposed. Most iPhones, Apple’s bestselling and most important product, are manufactured in China, which is in line for tariffs of 54 per cent.

One employee said their store was slammed with people panic-buying phones: “Almost every customer asked me if prices were going to go up soon,” said the worker, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

Though stores did not necessarily see the kind of queues that come with an iPhone launch, the atmosphere was like the busy holiday season, employees said. “People are just rushing in worried and asking questions,” one said, adding that the company has not provided guidance to stores on how to handle such inquiries.

Some analysts and industry watchers speculate that iPhones could soon cost thousands of US dollars apiece due to increased tariffs on products made in China. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

The frenzy has translated to more purchases. Apple’s US retail stores saw higher sales over this past weekend than in prior years in at least some major markets, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. An Apple representative declined to comment.

Apple will report its fiscal second-quarter results on May 1, giving chief executive Tim Cook and chief financial officer Kevan Parekh an opportunity to discuss the effect of expected tariffs. During the holiday-quarter conference call, Cook said the company was assessing the impact but would not comment further.

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