{"id":276104,"date":"2025-11-06T23:26:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T23:26:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/276104\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T23:26:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T23:26:19","slug":"iphone-frenzy-grips-israel-as-shoppers-flood-supermarkets-for-discounted-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/276104\/","title":{"rendered":"iPhone frenzy grips Israel as shoppers flood supermarkets for discounted devices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of Israelis flocked to a supermarket in Ramat Gan on Thursday morning in a frenzy to snap up discounted iPhone 17 models, following the chain\u2019s announcement that it would begin selling the smartphones at sharply reduced prices through parallel import.<\/p>\n

The crowd began gathering before dawn, with teenagers, soldiers and pensioners standing in line between produce aisles at Victory\u2019s Ayalon Mall branch, waiting for their chance to buy. “We\u2019ve got 60 devices today, more are coming tomorrow and Sunday,” a store representative told the crowd.<\/p>\n

Long lines outside Victory\u2019s Ayalon Mall branch in Ramat Gan as customers flock for discounted iPhones<\/p>\n

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Within an hour, the store had sold out. According to the chain, 900 units were sold across branches Thursday morning, and another 3,000 are expected in the coming days. The sale was limited to one device per customer and allowed payment in up to two installments.<\/p>\n

In Ayalon Mall, some shoppers arrived as early as 7:30 a.m. to register on a waiting list, which gave them priority access to the limited stock. \u201cI bought one two days ago at Osher Ad,\u201d said one woman in line, referring to a rival discount supermarket chain. \u201cNow my husband wants one too. I should\u2019ve bought two.\u201d Another man added, \u201cYou\u2019re exhausted from standing in line, but you\u2019re already invested. You say, \u2018I\u2019ve been here three hours, might as well stick it out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Tempers flared as the limited supply became evident. \u201cThey ended the list at 67 and told the first arrivals to wait off to the side. They brought in 400 people for 20\u201330 phones. It\u2019s disgraceful,\u201d one frustrated shopper said. Still, staff were reportedly patient despite the chaos. \u201cThe madness started at 7:00 a.m.,\u201d said the head cashier. \u201cAt one point I hid in the back rooms to avoid the crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n

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2 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05ea\u05d5\u05e8<\/p>\n

Long lines at Victory\u2019s Ayalon Mall branch in Ramat Gan as customers flock for discounted iPhones <\/p>\n

(Photo: Mairav Crystal)<\/p>\n

Victory\u2019s promotion follows a similar move by Osher Ad, which began selling iPhones earlier this week at reduced prices via parallel import. Victory is offering iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air 256GB in three colors, with prices ranging from 2,899 to 4,899 shekels ($890 to $1,520). Purchases include free screen protectors, cases and charging heads, items not offered by Osher Ad.<\/p>\n

Sales are taking place at multiple locations, including Bat Yam, Be’er Sheva, Ashdod, Givatayim, Yavne, Afula, Jerusalem\u2019s Malha Mall and Kiryat Motzkin.<\/p>\n

While price differences between Victory and Osher Ad are marginal\u20142% to 3%\u2014Victory undercuts other electronics retailers by hundreds of shekels. For example, the iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB sells for 4,899 shekels at Victory compared to 5,699 shekels at competing chains, a 14% difference. Even in the tax-free city of Eilat, prices are generally higher than Victory\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Industry insiders have taken notice. \u201cSupermarkets are hurting our business. We barely make a profit on iPhones,\u201d a representative from a major electronics chain told Ynet. \u201cThis is all noise over very limited stock. Wonder when Rami Levy will jump in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another retail source added: \u201cIt\u2019s like us buying 100 kilos of tomatoes and cucumbers and selling them in our stores for half a shekel per kilo.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hundreds of Israelis flocked to a supermarket in Ramat Gan on Thursday morning in a frenzy to snap…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":276105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[165,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-276104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-mobile","9":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}