iPhone X Buyers Tricked By Fake Apple Store at NYC Subway

An improv group recently turned a subway entrance in New York City into an “Apple Store” — complete with both fake employees and a long line of customers holding out for the iPhone X.

The entrance, located on East 23rd Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan, is actually a glass elevator structure that leads to subway trains underground. Because of its glass walls, however, it bears a vague resemblance to Apple’s iconic glass cube store on Fifth Avenue. The group, Improv Everywhere, couldn’t pass up the opportunity — and they uploaded their exploits to YouTube on Wednesday.

Improv Everywhere started by affixing a large Apple logo to the glass structure. Next, they created a line of about 50 fake customers along the sidewalk, and staffed the entrance with fake, blue shirt-clad employees. Some curious New Yorkers were even interviewed by a fake news crew, complete with a reporter and a cameraperson.

The fake employees tried to convince curious onlookers that Apple was opening up a new, underground location in the subway due to the actual renovations occurring at the flagship Fifth Avenue location. At least one onlooker described the idea of an Apple Store located underground as “lit.”

To help sell the act, Improv Everywhere would periodically have fake customers come out of the subway, looking happy and holding white bags. Some people were so convinced that they actually began to stand in line for the fake iPhone X release, as Improv Everywhere explained in a blog post about the stunt.

“A few people who believed us actually got in line to wait, hoping to get their hands on the iPhone X early. We were worried this might happen, and we really didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. So our Apple employees would tell people that we’d run out of phones, and only the first 50 people in line would get one,” the group wrote.

Of course, those familiar with the iPhone X’s release date might not have been fooled. While the premium OLED handset officially launches this Friday, Nov. 3, the improv stunt appears to have taken place in mid-October — according to a Reddit post on the matter.

“Anyone know what Apple event is going on at the 23rd street 6 train stop in NYC?” the original poster wrote. Other Redditors were confused, with at least one theorizing that it was a “silent iPhone X release to advertise the new store,” based on what the fake Apple employees had told them.

Of course, as mentioned above, the iPhone X goes on sale this Friday — and customers around the globe are actually starting to line up at Apple retail outlets for a chance to snag the device, which will be in short supply until next year.

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