I've spoken to my friend again (I quoted them in a prior post in a different topic, which you can
see here), and he has said the following. Apparently, the 4G outage was significant enough (with a loss of 2G/3G in some areas) that Verizon isn't taking any chances with another loss of service, especially with such a high profile device coming out. While they were planning on authorizing a "soft launch" of the device sometime tomorrow or Saturday, they're hedging their bets and waiting until next week sometime to launch. While inventory issues have been reported, this isn't 100% the case: they aren't necessarily low on stock, but they don't have a supply worthy of a spectacular launch. Combine this with the partial delay they had originally planned (the "soft launch" sometime within the next 48 hours, followed up with a fully advertised one early next week), they're opting to wait the few extra days until addition stock comes in. This will allow them to monitor the network for any more issues for a few more days, while allowing the stock to be warehoused and distributed sometime on Monday or Tuesday. My friend suggested that most retail stores should have their initial launch stock sometime Tuesday or early Wednesday, with larger stores with existing supplies receiving addition devices due to the projected size of the launch (compounded by the in-store signage following the XYBoard launch) and the approaching holiday sales rush. Finally, the reason why Verizon has not notified it's employees of the projected launch date is due to their own lack of decision on the matter, but be aware that next week is the end of the line for them; baring any show stopping device issues, expect a launch sometime between Wednesday and Saturday of next week, for certain.
Edit: By spectacular launch and limited inventory, I'm referring to a large amount of devices to sell not only in stores, but also online. With the lower than wanted stock numbers, it makes distribution a logistical nightmare, as some stores may not sell many of the phones, while others (in addition to their online orders) may need more inventory than they initially had.