A Saturday launch is unusual, but it could make sense as Apple Pay is designed for in-store shopping and a weekend debut would give customers time to try the service. It is, however, also possible that Apple Pay will go live shortly before the October 18 date, following the company’s Thursday, October 16 iPad event, with support coming to Walgreens a day or two later.
The memo was posted by MacRumors and reads as follows:
Store Managers,
In preparation for the launch of Apple Pay on October 18, we would like you to cover the following material included in the tasks be[…] activation. Walgreens will be one of the participating retailers and we want to make sure that all your team members are prepared […] customer questions/concerns.
Enabling this new technology will:
â— Support Walgreens’ mission of being “America’s Most Loved Pharmacy-led Health, Wellbeing and Beauty Enterprise”
â— Continue our commitment to offer ultimate customer convenience
â— Reinforce our position as a leader an innovator in the mobile world
Customers that participate in Apple Pay will immediately be able to use the service that is easy, secure, and ensures their privacy at […] only need to tap their iPhone 6 to the upper portion of the pinpad to pay for their purchase. It is that easy!
If any questions/issues arise around Apple Pay or Near Field Communication (NFC) aka the upper portion of the pin pad, please us th […] processes to escalate.
It’s unclear if Apple’s launch date for Apple Pay is the same as Walgreens. The company is holding a special event on October 16th at which it is likely to announce the official launch date.