How does Verizon Wireless activate an iPhone in stores?

I'm upgrading from an iPod touch and basic phone to an iPhone 5 on the 11th of July and just want to know how they activate an iPhone 5 in the store.

They enter the information that you provided into the phone and then activate it on their network. After they activate the phone, they enter the rest of the required information into the nano-SIM card that then allows you to use the internet and mobile network as you please. Hope this helped.

Same way they activate any other phone. They put the information in their computer to connect it to your number on the network.