This has been my experience at Verizon stores as well. However, in my case, I asked the Verizon rep specifically about this, since I have heard friends tell me

This has been my experience at Verizon stores as well. However, in my case, I asked the Verizon rep specifically about this, since I have heard friends tell me the same thing. He was quite candid. It is because Verizon's profit margins on iPhones is lower than on any other phone they sell. They can't brand it. They have no exclusive contract on it. They become nothing but a generic carrier to iPhone users.