If you need to go, do it now: This is a long, long wait -- more than two hours just to get in the door, and then another two hours just to get to the machine. It took me 6 hours, or until about 2 p.m. This tip has two interpretations. The regular schedule is 4 to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and 6 a.m. to noon on weekends. You should get there ASAP, as a large numbers of people were cut off when the store closed at 1 p.m. on Monday. But also, there are no restrooms on the inside. Just consider that if you've had anything to drink or eat before getting in line.
Be prepared for payment woes: The Spectacles vending machine was troublesome for a handful of people -- myself included -- because some banking companies assumed you were a victim of fraud due to issues with the machine, Many had to step out of the line, call up their bank and request to take off the rejections, causing delays, Credit cards seemed to run smoothly, while debit cards had a few hiccups, If you don't have more than one card on hand to use, get ready to have your bank on the phone, I started off killing time by tweetstorming and playing iphone screen protector 9h games, Then, when both my phones died, I talked to some other saps suffering with me, Christi Reid had been in line for five hours to snag a pair for her boyfriend, who was stuck out on Long Island..
"I actually woke up to 'Go down and get it if you can!' and I rolled out of bed," the 24-year-old software engineer said. While she's getting two pairs for her beau, Reid is hoping to use them to record herself skateboarding. Others had more entrepreneurial ideas in mind. Bryan Herrera, a college student from Queens, had been stalking the Spectacles website hourly to see when they would pop up in NYC. He hit the jackpot at 1 a.m. when he saw the location while others were asleep. Herrera said he set his alarm for 6 a.m., but it never went off and he rushed out the door at 7 a.m. instead.
"I came today since it's going to be open every day, I have to sell it today since the price is going to drop after," the 19-year-old said, By the time he was in line inside, he already had a guaranteed customer -- a man on the outside willing to buy a pair for $400 from him, more than three times the iphone screen protector 9h retail price, Herrera was also getting a pair for himself, plus another one from a friend also in line, Herrera is planning on going to music festivals with his Spectacles and not having to pull his phone out for every moment..
This vending machine serves one person at a time. For Lenny Lantigua, the Spectacles shop was a serendipitous moment. He had been across the street at the Apple Store, waiting for a friend to show up, when he got a text message saying the Spectacles shop was across the street. Lantigua, 23, booked it over, waited three hours and was able to buy two pairs, one in black and one in teal, after suffering the same payment issues I did. "I've heard a lot of good reviews, so hopefully it's worth the wait," he said.
