Microsoft Stores Are Permanently Closing

[spinedoc77]

Surface line next?

Normally I'd say Hell no, but MS has been making some really stupid moves lately. The Duo looks like a Dud right out of the gate, the surface pro-x doesn't make sense and all the bugs with windows releases lately. They are killing it with services and I'm glad I put stock money into both them and Apple, but from a hardware perspective they seem completely lost. It's a shame because it's no secret I find the surface pros the best tablets around by far, but seems like MS wants to run them into the ground with poor decisions.
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Guarantee you that future historians will never refer back to the "Microsoft Store Era"

Well I would include a lot more in that era than just the Microsoft Store like the surface hardware.

 

[ivladster]

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.

Microsoft said they are not laying off anyone. So no job losses. They also paid everyone during the store closures.

 

[PickUrPoison]

The difference is/was that the Microsoft Stores were computer stores and the Apple Stores are phone stores.

The vast majority of the customers that you see in Apple Stores are looking at phone and most of the rest are looking at iPads. If you filter out the phone shoppers (and their families) and those looking at iPads other than the Pros the remainder is not much different that the customer level in a Microsoft Store.

So Microsoft isn’t selling anything at retail that anyone wants to buy.

 

[JungeQuex]

I remember walking by one last September in NYC and it was totally dead. Did not see a single customer, just employees standing around.

 

[ivladster]

Where will the kids go now to play Fortnite on all demo computers for hours on end?

 

[precogincog]

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.

mostly just a bunch of people on the xboxes

 

[Rogifan]

Surface exists to provide a vision or direction to the O.E.M.'s and market for what they want Windows to be. Windows can test out items on Surface and if they are well received the O.E.M.'s can then refine them.

Can you give me an example of a vision Microsoft brought to Surface that was copied by OEMs? Intel had a vision too with ultrabooks but they didn’t get into the business of selling their own laptops.

 

[tranceking26]

I didn't even know they had stores...

 

[colocolo]

The difference is/was that the Microsoft Stores were computer stores and the Apple Stores are phone stores.

The vast majority of the customers that you see in Apple Stores are looking at phone and most of the rest are looking at iPads. If you filter out the phone shoppers (and their families) and those looking at iPads other than the Pros the remainder is not much different that the customer level in a Microsoft Store.

Huh, i remember visiting multiple Apple Stores in 2004 and 2005, most of the times they were full of people (not packed as this past couple of years of course). Not my experience in recent years when passing by Microsoft stores, where I rarely saw people inside in 2019, far less than the people inside the Apple stores I saw back in '05.
I guess customers were waiting with a lot of anticipation for iPhones. You always learn something new.

Granted, my evidence is anecdotal as it is based only on personal experience, and you state your info as a fact, so I cannot argue with it.

 

[itguy06]

Take it to the Microsoft store
-no one ever

Wrong. It's the best place to take a Surface to be reparied.

 

[cmaier]

The difference is/was that the Microsoft Stores were computer stores and the Apple Stores are phone stores.

The vast majority of the customers that you see in Apple Stores are looking at phone and most of the rest are looking at iPads. If you filter out the phone shoppers (and their families) and those looking at iPads other than the Pros the remainder is not much different that the customer level in a Microsoft Store.

i've seen plenty of people walking in and out of apple stores with computers they are bringing in for repair, picking up or purchasing.

I've never seen anyone walking around the mall having purchased ANytHING at a microsoft store.

Pretty sure apple stores even sell 10x the number of computers that microsoft stores sell, even taking into account that most people in apple stores aren't there for macs.

 

[hortod1]

Such an Apple Store rip-off, just look at the windows and the large, lit displays inside.

The only major difference - lack of customers

 

[msp3]

As a Surface user between Macs, I loved the Microsoft Store. It's the only thing that even brings any PC manufacturer close to the quality of service Apple has through Apple Stores. Too bad Microsoft has such a fish or cut bait attitude about these things, just like Windows Phone, Mixer, etc. that they shut down when it doesn't work out

 

[T-R-S]

I remember being in a mall the Microsoft Store had 4 customers and the Apple Store around the corner was packed.
So this is no surprise.
What was totally funny the Apple and Microsoft employees BOTH had blue shirts on.

 

[Art Mark]

I never saw more than 10 people in one of their stores. I give the 'experience' locations 2 years and they will shut too. But they avoid the bad PR of killing off hundreds of employees during the Covid stuff. Windows is fine for 5,000 seat paper shuffling offices. Exciting? No. Intriguing? No. Needs a store to explain consumer friendly offerings? No.

 

[MacBH928]

They were just blindly copying Apple. Why would you need a Microsoft store? To display Windows OS on it?
Apple had a full personal suite of apps and hardware like ibooks, iMacs, iMovie, iPod, not to mention it was rarer to find mac software so they needed some sort of a hub for them.

Microsoft either builds Windows or Microsoft Office, thats it, and you probably can pick up the CD from your local grocery.

 

[Stevie jobz 2.0]

Never set foot in one of them. Good riddance!

This is probably the most bizarre comment I've ever seen on MR!! And that's saying something....

 

[cmaier]

This is probably the most bizarre comment I've ever seen on MR!! And that's saying something....

That’s not even close to the most bizarre thing i‘ve seen on MR, this afternoon alone.

 

[Junior117]

I'm not going to lie: when they announced that they were going to make Microsoft Stores, I just thought it was a "me too" reaction to Apple Stores. But after going in there, and over the years, I... actually kind of like the experience in there. Yes, some of the elements felt like carbon copies of the Apple Stores, but I admit that they made a ton of elements that felt like Microsoft. My favourite thing, though, is their VR section where I can experience the HTC Vive and try out VR.

The one that's close to my place is only three stores across from my local Apple Store, and so I enjoyed bouncing around both the Apple Store and Microsoft Store. And I've met and formed great relationships with people of both stores. They both feel like home to me. Kind of like my workflow: I run on macOS for my daily and advanced work, but then I also run Windows (using Parallels Desktop) so I can access things that work best on Windows (such as Visual Studio, or compiling Windows games using Unity).

So concerning this announcement, I'll be the outlier here and say that I'm sad to see this happen. I think Microsoft Stores had great potential for dedicated Windows users to feel like they could have a similar experience to what dedicated Apple users have had for at least a decade. Perhaps I'm naive or stupid to think that, but that's where I've come to the conclusion. I hope that the guys at my (soon to not be) local Microsoft Store (as well as the rest of the people that have worked in the division responsible for the Microsoft Store) can get up on their feet, dust themselves off, and are able to move onto bigger things.

I've always told myself that, if I were to ever buy an Xbox or a Surface product, I'd buy it at my local Microsoft Store. Well, now it'll never happen.

 

[derekamoss]

Take it to the Microsoft store
-no one ever

I won't debate at Which store is better but for those who benefited, like me, this is a huge disappointment. While it might have never been packed like apple, their customer service was top notch imo. Just the benefit of being able to go there for warranty issues and them just swapping the computer or accessories out was nice. Now I will have to do mail for warranty issues. Plus being able to tryout the Hololens there was awesome. The store I went to in Webster, TX while never packed always had a few people in it when I went so there was at least a steady stream.

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Butbutbut! Look at the picture!!

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Wait - is that a photoshopped Apple Store?!

And is that "Microsoft Genius" really dressed in business trousers and shoes, and a tucked in t-shirt?! Reminds me of the dorkiest loser from my entire school, poor lost soul that he was.

 

[duffyanneal]

I'll echo the comments of others here. This is pretty disappointing. I've purchased a few Surface devices over the years; and it was always nice to have the option to have a physical store to get warranty/service or look for accessories for my devices. No different that what I do at the Apple Store.

 

[0924487]

I think tax is one of the considerations.
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Just doesn’t seem right. Need some physical presence. How much could they be losing? Rent money and some staff salaries? Even just to keep your brand name visible more to consumers.

A big ad would do just fine. MS stores don't really wow anyone.

 

[4look4rd]

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.

the Tyson’s one is near the OG Apple Store and it was very nice. similar to the Apple Store but less crowded and they had VR stations and XBox to play. All surface devices on display including the Studio and some thirdparty. I’ll miss it.

it was a really good store, with a great staff, and I did discover a lot of products there. I bought a Samsung VR headset after using it in store and realizing it was better and cheaper than the vive And the oculus at the time.

 

[SocialKonstruct]

Wow that sucks. I will order my Surface Books from my campus or Best Buy now I guess.