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"Microsoft said the closing of its physical locations will “result in a pre-tax charge of approximately $450 million, or $0.05 per share,” which it will record in the current quarter that ends June 30."

More at source:

Microsoft is permanently closing its retail stores

Microsoft said the closing of its physical locations will "result in a pre-tax charge of approximately $450 million, or $0.05 per share," which it will record in the current quarter ended June 30.

www.cnbc.com

According to the article only NY/London/Sydney stores will remain open.

2020 is relentless

 

[Birdo]

I didn't know they even had retail stores.

You learn something new every day, I guess.

 

[jufonuk]

I don’t think I ever saw one in the wild. Also its sad for those who are going to lose their jobs.

 

[prinz_valium]

I don’t think I ever saw one in the wild. Also its sad for those who are going to lose their jobs.

Then you're probably living outside the US meto areas.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Other than Xbox, I don’t see Microsoft as a consumer facing company. Surface, maybe. Might be more enterprise. They’re definitely not Apple. Stark contrast as Apple continues to invest in retail.

Unsurprising. Looks like some employees will be getting a different job but there’s no way they’ll be able to do it for all of them.

 

[Hairsplash]

i have one in the neighborhood (square one mall)...the store is kinda “lifeless”... bought my elite xbox controller there... (i sometimes ask “why” about the store, when i pass it.)
and with the mall being closed for 3 months... i guess that was the end of the microsoft store.

 

[Tranquil]

First I'm hearing MS even had physical stores.

 

[M1chl]

They are certainly cutting corners nowadays.

 

[SurprisedPikachu]

Microsoft did this all wrong 100%. I used to live in Dallas and the malls had a Microsoft store and an Apple store, guess which was insanely fucking busy? The Apple stores. Microsoft didn't have anything that drew you in, it was all laid out similar to Apple stores - here's a showcase of our products, in this case Surface, Surface Pro, and Xbox.. but that was it. They should have made it a gaming center, which they sort of did but didn't really commit to. You'd sometimes see someone playing Fortnite or whatever other game, but that was about it. No, they should have dove into gaming and promote educational resources for folks who weren't super familiar with computers (usually older folks) to show them how to properly use it. Workshops for securing your devices and your online life would have been smart. There are so many things Microsoft could have done to make the store appealing, but they chose to make it a generic showcase of their garbage. Of course it's going to fail. I mean throwing Halo and other exclusive titles around would have been smart too. Fuck, have Cortana on display and interactive. That would have been cool as shit - walk in, ask Cortana a question and she responds with whatever.

 

[tryDEATH]

I guess Xbox All Access will become associated with one of the large consumer electronics stores, which could be a huge marketing deal if done with Best Buy.

 

[Musky_Cheese]

i have one in the neighborhood (square one mall)...the store is kinda “lifeless”... bought my elite xbox controller there... (i sometimes ask “why” about the store, when i pass it.)
and with the mall being closed for 3 months... i guess that was the end of the microsoft store.

Yeah we have one. Sits a few down from the Apple store.

Apple store is packed with people. Microsoft store is full of retail workers waiting for people to come in.

I honestly feel sad when walking by. For the workers I mean.

 

[FranXico]

I don’t think I ever saw one in the wild. Also its sad for those who are going to lose their jobs.

I honestly feel sad when walking by. For the workers I mean.

Everyone affected will be offered a new job within Microsoft.

A Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC that all Microsoft employees will have the opportunity to stay with Microsoft.

 

[BlackM1st]

Sad. London store is amazing, I'm glad that it's safe 4 now.

NY Store next to trump tower was gr8 too.

 

[TTOOLL]

MS can't do retail. They are terrible at it.

 

[Wandering Leopard]

London store is great for B2B customers (attended some training sessions). But personally never understood why MS needs physical stores.

 

[The Alien]

FUUUUUCK Nooooooo!!!!

Theres one in my town's mall. Great, great, great customer service. Always stocked with every Xbox accessory, game, and controller/console edition.

They had midnight release parties. Went there for Gears Judgment (lol), walked out with tshirts & all sorts of shit. They always have VR, 3d printers, gaming PCs and XBoxs set up to play with.

Planned on buying my Series X through them. You could return broken consoles purchased there (under warranty) and walk out with a new one that day.

I see a future, outside of Target/Walmart, where there's literally no major retailers left.

Dystopia awaits (maybe it's already here).

 

[njean777]

Smart really, when going in there they would have their surface devices and stuff but then a bunch of third party laptops. No reason to have a store for all that when you can just move everything to online and not have to run actual retail stores. Don't get me wrong, I like being able to go to a retail store (sometimes), but online is easier and much less of a hassle, unless you have to return something lol.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I went to one once. Bought the Elite controller, which didn't work right and had to be returned.

This is my story.

 

[Ban Puncher]

 

[joe_zazen]

Everyone affected will be offered a new job within Microsoft.

even the part time floor staff? Or are they contract staff?

FUUUUUCK Nooooooo!!!!

Theres one in my town's mall. Great, great, great customer service. Always stocked with every Xbox accessory, game, and controller/console edition.

They had midnight release parties. Went there for Gears Judgment (lol), walked out with tshirts & all sorts of shit. They always have VR, 3d printers, gaming PCs and XBoxs set up to play with.

Planned on buying my Series X through them. You could return broken consoles purchased there (under warranty) and walk out with a new one that day.

I see a future, outside of Target/Walmart, where there's literally no major retailers left.

Dystopia awaits (maybe it's already here).

ours had a bunch if free stuff for poor kids, like free coding camp.

 

[Nikana]

They don't have many retail products like the used to. It makes sense to rely on other Brick and Mortar.

 

[Droxcy]

End of an era. Remember 2013 going down to the LA store during E3 where they had hands on with Killer Instinct and you could try the controller.

 

[Laconian Sword]

Unfortunate. I'm not even an Xbox/Windows guy and I find their stores to be interesting and pleasant with lots of genuinely helpful staff. They definitely aren't busy though.

Apple's popularity makes their stores hell and I avoid them at all costs.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

MS stores in big malls. There's 2 I know of in Toronto area. Maybe more.

Basically an Apple Store rip off, but with 1/10th the people shopping in it.

Best part of the store is the big Xbox section with games and kiosks. They would even expand it into the outside of the store in the walking laneway so people can sit on a couch and play.

The problem with MS is their overall branding and business is corporate kind of stuff. And anyone using Office at home is still corporatey kinds of products. Most of their business is digital.

Xbox is the only real fun division it has. And Surface is other key product that is consumer driven. But I think that's just about it. Not enough. Sony tried with shops selling electronics and plugging PS3. Didn't work either.

So having a retail store is tough. It would be like Cisco opening up shops trying to get people to buy consumer grade routers, when the majority of their business are corporate products and services. Just doesn't resonate enough.

 

[diffusionx]

The MS stores were just clones of the Apple stores, it was kind of lame.

MS always does this, and it never works out.

 

[zeorhymer]

The writing was on the wall. All they were doing was copying Apple, but they themselves don't have any hardware to utilize the store.

 

[Infamy v1]

MS can't do retail. They are terrible at it.

I wonder if these kind of hottakes happened when Sony closed down all their stores (and Sony has more physical products as a hardware company, too).

Fact of the matter is these companies don't need their own stores when mega-corps like Best Buy do better jobs selling their products without them needing to invest in a physical location. Apple stores are an outlier but even still I see it more as a presence thing because Best Buy sells WAY more Apple products and has better logistics to do so.

 

[Laconian Sword]

I wonder if these kind of hottakes happened when Sony closed down all their stores (and Sony has more physical products as a hardware company, too).

The Sony Store was fantastic and not the rip off you'd expect it to be. Got a great deal on a nice Bravia there like 8 years ago.

Forgot to mention I bought a Windows Phone at the Microsoft Store Really enjoyed it but ended up on Redmond's massive pile of hastily abandoned tech and failed projects in short order.

 

[Son_of_Zardoz]

Sucks but I never really got to check one out. Closest one is about an hour and a half from me but I wish it would still be there in case I ever have issues with my machine.

No doubt Apple stores were massively more popular but MS has compelling hardware and if you are saying differently you are wrong. I am a professional graphic designer and after switching from a Mac to a Surface Studio, there is no going back. Honestly surprised Apple hasn't made something similar but I guess they're content to just go with Wacoms plugged into their machines.

 

[drganon]

Only saw one at a mall once. Didn't seem all that busy but the store seemed kinda nice.

 

[Infamy v1]

The Sony Store was fantastic and not the rip off you'd expect it to be. Got a great deal on a nice Bravia there like 8 years ago.

Forgot to mention I bought a Windows Phone at the Microsoft Store Really enjoyed it but ended up on Redmond's massive pile of hastily abandoned tech and failed projects in short order.

Sony has TVs, radios, HTIBs, cameras, camcorders, etc.

Microsoft is not a hardware company outside of Surface and Xbox. When people want to see the new Surface Studio or Surface Pro, they usually go to Best Buy where Microsoft has dedicated sections. Microsoft pays for their own space at Best Buy just like Samsung, Apple, etc. They even have their own Best Buy employees with teal blue shirts instead of the regular BB blue.

Of course if you're main selling point is Surface (Mac competitor), you're going to seem like an imitation. What else are they gonna do, promote Office? You can buy Office anywhere, even at the Apple store, lol. That's the whole point. Xbox launches were a pretty big thing there but the majority of people will just buy those at Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon, online etc.

Edit: the point is, I didn't see hottakes like these when Sony shut down all their stores and they actually are a hardware company. I wonder why.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I bought a copy of Windows 10 at one location in a mall once. They also had cool demo kiosks of gaming PCs and VR devices.

 

[Insane Metal]

My message here was deleted, mods I was obviously joking.

Well, whatever :/

 

[The_Mike]

The moment went physical stores closes before digital stores.

 

[Neo Blaster]

.

 

[nikolino840]

 

[Bladed Thesis]

Retail brick and mortar is dying a slow death.

 

[Evil Calvin]

Don't they currently offer (and will with the Series X) and program where you can get a console with Game Pass and play a flat fee per month (like rent-to-own) and get a console for a few years? But you had to go into a Microsoft store for the credit check and pick up the console? How will that work now?

 

[itsjustJEFF]

Other than Xbox, I don’t see Microsoft as a consumer facing company. Surface, maybe. Might be more enterprise. They’re definitely not Apple. Stark contrast as Apple continues to invest in retail.

Unsurprising. Looks like some employees will be getting a different job but there’s no way they’ll be able to do it for all of them.

I feel the worst for the people losing their jobs. I agree, MS is no longer a consumer facing company. They really work best when they're in the background. When MS tries to compete in a space that is already established... it hasn't always turned out great. I think they really envied the Apple Store, how Apple could control the buying experience, Apple garnered a lot of good will and word of mouth through their in-store experiences.

 

[teezzy]

MS can't do retail. They are terrible at it.

As much as I'd like to, i cant even disagree.

Ever use the Windows/Microsoft Store app? Yikes .

 

[teezzy]

I've never owned an Apple product in my life

Are they really that solid? They've always struck me as basic bitch tech

 

[joe_zazen]

The Sony Store was fantastic and not the rip off you'd expect it to be. Got a great deal on a nice Bravia there like 8 years ago.

Forgot to mention I bought a Windows Phone at the Microsoft Store Really enjoyed it but ended up on Redmond's massive pile of hastily abandoned tech and failed projects in short order.

yeah loved sony stores, always stop i and check out stuff.

Each year, malls become more and more about shoes and clothes for females.

 

[mckmas8808]

I don’t think I ever saw one in the wild. Also its sad for those who are going to lose their jobs.

They are in every major city in America.

 

[Laconian Sword]

Are they really that solid?

Yes. As much as I hate their post-Jobs direction, their products still generally have the best build quality and software.

I really respect Microsoft's vision, but they can never seem to quite pull things off. Their Surface products are sleek and innovative, but always plagued by driver issues and other bugs it seems. Execution in more than one area at a time isn't their strong suit.

 

[joe_zazen]

I've never owned an Apple product in my life

Are they really that solid? They've always struck me as basic bitch tech

advantages include:

• every mobile dev targets apple first and most, so more apps and they work better.
• ios targets waaaaaay less hardware than android, so fewer bugs and glitches.
• apple custom designs the apu, operating system, and hardware. That integration and control means they have an advantage when it comes to maximising end user experiences

So it isn't that the hardware is better, just everything else, except price and customization potential.

 

[Alebrije]

Well seems a lot of people did not have idea there were Micro retail stores.....no surprised why they are closing

 

[Ten_Fold]

Should’ve kept them open, could’ve had a playable Xbox series X at some point. I should’ve known though since they never opened back in near me. It was pretty dead in there anyways.

 

[HarryKS]

i have one in the neighborhood (square one mall)...the store is kinda “lifeless”... bought my elite xbox controller there... (i sometimes ask “why” about the store, when i pass it.)
and with the mall being closed for 3 months... i guess that was the end of the microsoft store.

They have the VR station(s). Always attracts people.

Anecdotally, I bought an XPS 15 there after trying the Apple Store. No one came to help me, so I just left and went to the Microsoft Store.

 

[LordCBH]

Oh man, the Apple store rip off that never had any customers is closing

 

[Tiamat2san]

I bought my razor Xbox one gamepad in the N.Y store while on vacation.
It was cheaper than in my country. (Especially with the €>$ change rate)
It was a nice store with very nice people working there.
Way more genuine people than in an apple store.
Too bad.