Switch, Facebook Several queues of people formed outside the Apple reseller and into the mall's parking lot to buy iPhones priced as low as £40
Seeking a bargain, Apple fans began queuing outside the store 19 hours before the weekend sale, despite being told by the store in its FAQ that midnight queues would not be permitted.
The disorderly lines extended from the Switch warehouse to outside the mall and into the parking lot, with several queues forming around the building.
One individual described the chaos as "The Hunger Games" on Twitter.
In a separate tweet, a female attendee complained that "there were too many people pushing" at the event.
The Hunger Games has begun. Live from MyTown Switch Clearance pic.twitter.com/C46bPpuW6f
— newt (@affieqadenan) March 2, 2018
In an attempt to wrest control of the situation, Switch handed out tickets to people at the front of the queue.
But, as it came time to open its doors, the reseller was completely overwhelmed by the herd of Apple fans clambering for a bargain.
Fearing for the safety of the crowd, it decided to close its doors.
“Due to security reason, [sic] we regret to inform you that the clearance sale will be put on hold until further notice,” Switch wrote on its Facebook page.
“We are truly sorry for the Demo Clearance Event yesterday. We did not expect the magnitude. We were overwhelmed by the 11,000 [that] turned up,” it noted in a separate post.
All in all, Switch was only selling around 200 devices across its clearance event.
