Verizon employees, family members asked to wait before buying iPhone

In a sure sign of expected high demand, Verizon Wireless has sent an email to its employees urging them and their family members to "put customers first" and postpone iPhone purchases. "I know customers aren't the only ones who are excited -- employees are, too," the memo reads. "While I share your excitement, over the coming weeks we all need to do our part to meet our customers' needs -- this means putting our customers first."

According to commenters on the linked article from tipb (including a Verizon employee), Verizon actually has enforcement set up to ensure employees follow this mandate. If a Verizon employee activates an iPhone 4 on a business line (which Verizon pays for), the line will immediately change to a personal line, which the employee has to pay for.

That part sounds reasonable to me, but telling Verizon employees not to buy the handset at all, even on a personal line, seems excessive, especially since the company is also telling family members not to buy an iPhone 4. If I worked for Verizon, I'd smile and nod at this email, then promptly delete it and tell my family to order whatever they want, whenever they want. As for me, if I was a Verizon employee, I'd follow the mandate and not order an iPhone 4 for myself ... but only because I'd be waiting for the iPhone 5, expected to be released in about four to five months.