“They look around see if we were near then and when they saw we weren’t near them they took cart and they started putting clothes in there to make it look like it was theirs and to hide it,” Sailin said.

“Even though they were able to ramp up more quickly than anticipated in November and December it still takes a while to get those products out,” said Alexander. “So, they’re managing the rollout very carefully.”

Verizon shows the
iPad Mini with Retina Display back ordered until December 16, as of Friday morning Pacific time, while AT&T is still showing 21-28 days when the device is ordered online.

Cellular models of the iPad Mini Retina are also available for walk-in purchase at many Apple stores across the US, despite the fact that this is not possible at Verizon and AT&T.

The availability of the iPad Mini Retina cellular models contrasts with the iPad Air sales launch. When Apple started selling the iPad Air on November 1, it was available at Verizon, AT&T, and other carriers on the same day. Currently, carrier outlets like Verizon and AT&T typically have the Air at stores.

Meanwhile, the availability of all iPad Mini Retina models — both Wi-Fi-only and cellular versions — on Apple’s store page has improved somewhat: availability is now 5-7 days, a slight improvement over the 5-10 days that the company had been showing last week.