Microsoft Stores Are Permanently Closing

[bbodine]

What a terrible time for more job losses, I hope they can help people find new roles within the company or at least hold them over till they can apply elsewhere.

The only location I've seen was a small unit in the North Bridge mall in Chicago. It was never particularly busy, but Michigan Ave also has a massive Best Buy with a better range of products.

"The company's retail employees will continue to serve customers through Microsoft's corporate offices and remotely, providing sales, training, and support."

The second sentence of the article literally says that they employees will continue to work in corporate offices and remotely...

 

[Dozer_Zaibatsu]

Article Link: Microsoft Stores Are Permanently Closing

Was always a weird flex, IMHO. Microsoft rarely dabbles in hardware, and they have mixed results. Their peripherals were generally liked. Whatever you may say about the XBox, it's been a solid product with a solid fanbase.

For every good Surface, there's been an underwhelming product. Then they do boneheaded things like the Zune, which actually had great music codecs hidden under layers of eye-watering marketing-über-alles death-by-powerpoint corporate decrees that made a death-watch product from launch day.

Their market is what it is. Dell and HP sell "Microsoft" computers by the shedful. And for a ubiquitous corporate product, Microsoft will be fine. I mean, you don't really see Cisco retail stores, either. (Do you?)

 

[cocky jeremy]

Butbutbut! Look at the picture!!

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Wait - is that a photoshopped Apple Store?!

It's a time lapse of everyone in the store that day.

 

[JosephAW]

Yes but where can I get my windows phone battery serviced now?

 

[acolumb]

The store in my area was directly across the apple store in a mall. The Apple store was always packed and the Microsoft store was literally empty. Zero customers. Just a bunch of bored looking employees.
I always thought they should have turned it into an Xbox Cafe.

I feel like you might be talking about the Mall of America. I've gone to the MS and Apple Stores and I would say the crowds are equal save for the releases of new Apple products.

 

[kazmac]

Not surprised. The Manhattan NY store was rarely crowded, though one sales agent (Stone) was fantastic. I hope he and the other tech minded staff still have jobs. Beyond them, the rest of the staff were bored college kids who couldn’t care less about what models they had.

Also, during Memorial Day week this store was looted, so closing most stores to focus on online sales makes sense.

What the replacement NYC experience store will be is anyone’s guess, but perhaps rethink the Apple store look before they do reopen.

 

[Jim]

Most of the time, employees in the MS store outnumbered customers shopping for products. When Apple used to have early release day events, Microsoft used to open their stores and employees would play games on the kiosk screen in the hallway to the scorn of those waiting in line for their Apple stuff (Woodfield Mall). While Apple has copied others, this attempt to copy Apple has been a complete failure.

 

[now i see it]

Apple may be next

 

[9646829]

Did they have these stores in the UK? Never seen one before and I guess I never will now.

 

[JosephAW]

Anyone remember the Gateway stores? I was in there once to get a free game cd that had a Windows and Mac hybrid installer.

 

[guzhogi]

When I first got my late 2013 rMBP, I wanted to install Windows 7 on it so I could play games. I could load the Windows installer and get to the open screen, but neither the keyboard nor trackpad would work. I brought it to a Microsoft store to see if I could get some help, and I was one of maybe three customers in the store (while the Apple store was crowded). To make matters worse, the guy "helping" me said that a) it would take 48 hours to install Windows and b) since it's a Mac, if he were anyone else, he'd puke on it. Never experienced that at an Apple store.

 

[bobob]

4 stores are remaining -London, Sydney , Redmond and NYC

The article says Microsoft only has "plans" for those 4 locations, and it doesn't say they will be stores, but rather "Experience Centers".

 

[amartinez1660]

hmm makes me feel a little bad for never going in one. I always intended too but never did. But from a distance they always seemed kind of empty (or minimalist) both in terms of product and customers.

It is a sad thing indeed... most of physical stores as we now them are dwindling down. I used to enjoy going to Sony/Playstation stores, I did go to some of the MS Stores, but they were far from the pristine feeling of an Apple Store. It felt closer to a Best Buy (which I love too don't get me wrong) but with mostly Microsoft products.
I think on this one Ms. Ahrendts was on point in treating retail stores in this online age as gathering, learning, support, etc hubs with Apple products in it.

 

[guzhogi]

Xbox cafes would be a brilliant idea and would draw in crowds.

Was just about to say the same thing. Sell xboxes, games, along with some energy drinks & snacks, let people play. Hold a few competitions, etc.

 

[Bluetoot-]

I like Microsoft’s hardware and I think they’ve at least tried to make compelling Surfsce devices even if they’re sort of just half-baked laptops.

That is forgivable, but the experience that is bloated Windows is not. Unfortunately, Windows will always be stuck in the past thanks to legacy support. Complain about Apple if you like, but they have no qualms about dropping a customer base if it means it’ll require hardware upgrades or forcing them to adopt new paradigms.

I also miss Windows phone, as dumb as that sounds. It had some great ideas but it was just way too buggy.

 

[cmaier]

Windows... that's why you feel it's a rip-off? Windows? Guess my building's lobby is also an Apple rip-off, has the same type of windows. Or maybe all stores using high windows, mostly clothing stores, are Apple rip-off? WINDOWS!

In our mall the Apple store and the Microsoft store are literally right across from each other. (Used to be that way at BOTH local malls where both stores existed).

I’ve literally seen at least a dozen times where someone walks into the Microsoft store, looks around, talks to an employee, the employee points at the apple store and the customer leaves and goes to the apple store.

When it confuses customers, yeah, it’s pretty obvious Microsoft ”borrowed design cues” from the Apple store.

 

[AppleUser2]

The one or two times I’ve passed the London Oxford Circus store and looked in, it was never as busy as the two or three provincial Apple Stores near where I live in NW England. I know the London MS store is staying but the rent must be eye-watering on that place.

I went in and my son had a Minecraft workshop in there. The shop was amazing, staff great and well run event. Shame to loose all of that. Let's see what they do with the London store.

 

[Bluetoot-]

Anyone remember the Gateway stores? I was in there once to get a free game cd that had a Windows and Mac hybrid installer.

I loved the Gateway store. Aesthetically, they were quite modern (I guess 2004?) with lots of earth tones and wood contrasting against their silver machines. My Gateway PC even came with a copy of the Sims which became one of my favorite games as a kid.

 

[billk711]

4 stores are remaining -London, Sydney , Redmond and NYC

No there are not 4 stores remaining open read article.

 

[usagora]

Conversely the Apple Store is usually packed with people.

For real. I nearly had an anxiety attack when I had to take my Apple Watch in once on a Saturday afternoon. People were swarming everywhere in that store.
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"The company's retail employees will continue to serve customers through Microsoft's corporate offices and remotely, providing sales, training, and support."

The second sentence of the article literally says that they employees will continue to work in corporate offices and remotely...

How dare you expect people to read beyond the thread title!

 

[billk711]

Same. Two very different customer bases.

Not really totally different customer bases you are very wrong. Same exact customer base, except for iPhones Microsoft stopped making phones

 

[kagharaht]

Ripoff from Apple Stores. Still its a good place to study in peace instead of the Library.

 

[Bluetoot-]

For real. I nearly had an anxiety attack when I had to take my Apple Watch in once on a Saturday afternoon. People were swarming everywhere in that store.

I haven’t been to an Apple store in almost four years, mainly because it’s an hour away, but also because I find the experience way too hectic. It did start to improve the last time I went, but it reminds me of going to Walmart. Very chaotic at times. “Oh you have an appointment? Find a random corner to hide in until we call you.”

 

[Yaboze]

I have never seen one to walk to into, but I surely would have checked it out. The Windows PC market is different, there are so many manufacturers, it didn't make sense for Microsoft to have a store. Just to go Best Buy, order online or build your own desktop (https://pcpartpicker.com/).

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Never set foot in one of them. Good riddance!

Why do you care then? Hate just because they're not Apple?