Microsoft closing all of its retail stores

https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/26/21297400/microsoft-retail-stores-closing-cities-open

That kinda sucks. I never really shopped there, but I always liked how they had the Xbox set up on the big ass TV so people can play. I thought it was a cool way to get people into the brand. Your thoughts, SW? Do you care? Sounds like if you want an XSX, you'll be getting it either online or from a big box retailer lol

Never saw one in the wild, and honestly I don't see the point in having stores, kinda a waste of money.

Microsoft is doomed again!

We had a MS Store kiosk in my local mall but it closed awhile back before Covid-19 hit nationwide. Other then that, I have never seen a actual MS store near me other then the Kiosk and this thread just made me think of stores in general. I don't even go to certain stores anymore. Outside of the supermarket, Target, and gas stations of course, Amazon just makes it convenient for my preference.

I think the pandemic might've changed MS minds on keeping them open and can't say I blame'em for closing down really.

Brick & mortar stores are so 2000s.

Don't try to be Apple, Microsoft. We already got an Apple; it's called "overpriced trash for smug pretentious tech-illiterate hipster wannabes."

Their store is in heaven the cloud now 😢

For exchange/warranty support, Store was nice to have. They also did a lot of cool things like coding classes and training which was nice especially for kids.

i sometimes stop by the microsoft store in the city to use the public bathroom...

thats the only time i'll go in there.

Just shows how badly MS was doing before C-19, because lots of their stores were closing and now With the news that all of them are closing is very troubling. Especially with the news that MiXer was shut down .

Depressing. I got the odd thing in the Microsoft Store. Sorry to see it closed.

MS had retail stores?

Kind of sucks but I don’t have any where I live so it won’t affect me. I do most all of my shopping at Walmart, Best Buy, and occasionally at EB.

It's people like you that lead to its demise!! 😛

If you had one in your city they were great for warranty and support. Dumb move in my opinion. Microsoft has zero connection now to the consumer world on a face to face basis.

@SolidGame_basic: Well if they had any stores around me then I would have gone there instead. 😅

I have literally never seen a Microsoft retail store out in public.

Microsoft is shrinking em this is not good this company is going bankrupt really quickly and just looks horrible

It is unfortunate, but I did not know that Microsoft had such stores until I learned about them on this thread. Because I live in a nice suburb and not a increasing crime-ridden urban area (thanks "peaceful" protesters and anarchists, I am looking at both of you!) where Microsoft may have a store, I would have never seen one.

You might want to do a personal fact check on your own comment! You’ll find they are expanding and had a record Q4.

They only had 83 stores worldwide with 72 of them in the US.

Walmart by comparison has 11,000+ stores worldwide with 4,750 of them in the US.

That's why many in this thread have never seen one...they are/were unicorns to begin with.

To be honest they don't really need on. It's not like they we selling MS branded PCs like Apple or Dell. Anything you could have bought at a MS store could be purchased literally anywhere else. It's a good move on their part. I'm sure Covid also influenced the move.

I didn’t even know that they had retail stores...

They were way overpriced anyway. I’ll just order my XSX from Best Buy.

Looks like Covid 19 claims another victim.

There is 1 at the Florida Mall near my job.

Sad that they'll be closing.

Good move. Bad time to own retail stores, even if they weren't frivolous at this point.

Maybe they're getting ready to sell the new consoles for super cheap.

Yeah but come on, A microsoft store? To me it even sounds tacky. Apple can get away with it, but Microsoft? No..no.

Microsoft had stores?

I wanted to visit one and was hoping they'd be expanding.

Brickstores are fading away though and I'm not fond of it but probably the best than lose more money.

@Zero_epyon: actually they were - they have the surface laptops and tablets featured, as well as the Xbox.

But I agree - there was one near me and I didn't see the point of the place.

Unneeded and wise move in this day and age.

Uh oh. Microsoft is closing stores and selling buildings! Where have I heard all this before?

Seriously though, that sucks to do this during the pandemic. It's not like MS couldn't have weathered the storm. They're good for it.

@Zero_epyon: as someone else said Microsoft has actually built quite the stable of branded products. Infact they are about to launch a new Microsoft Surface branded phone running android very soon.

Ah I forgot about the surface line. Still though, that's not enough to warrant having an entire store.

I thought I had been to one before, but I'm pretty sure it was a Sony store. Regardless, that's too bad, but makes sense given to pandemic.

Lol, after closing Mixer as well. Microflop, next up - Xbox.

they wanted to close there doors so the raytracing can happen in the windows at 120fps.

I loved these stores. They felt so much nicer than the Apple ones.

But yeah, they were always empty.

What did they sell? Windows and xboxes?