I’ve passed by Microsoft stores many times. I have yet to see one that is crowded. Their continued existence is a mystery to me.
Microsoft tried to clone the Apple Store. It still hasn’t worked.
I’ve passed by Microsoft stores many times. I have yet to see one that is crowded. Their continued existence is a mystery to me.
They have been like this since its beginning! I don’t see them making any money from those stores, it’s sad!
The Microsoft brand is so tarnished, nothing will recover it – short of an even more miraculous comeback than Steve Jobs returning to Apple. Even if Bill Gates returned and gave it his all it likely would continue the decline.
There’s one in the high-dollar mall near where I live, and I’ve never seen a higher number of customers vs. employees in there.
Imagine the FUD and screaming-at-the-moon hysteria that would have happened surrounding Apple if their retail stores had flopped like Microsoft Stores have. Yet, MS gets away with their failed attempt to copy Apple, accompanied by almost no negative press.
Some stores are picking up small crowds that actually outnumber staff.
Yet they keep making money. Would your brand be thus tarnished.
I am often at the Apple Store at Mall of America, and once or twice I have seen the Microsoft Store across the way with a decent crowd. Not packed like the Apple Store can get, but I have seen it happen, with my own eyes, that the Microsoft Store had more customers in it than the Apple Store. But that is a huge exception. Usually very few people in there, and lots in the Apple Store.
In my local mall, a couple days ago, the Apple Store is closed due to renovations. The sign on it says they are in a temporary store upstairs, but it doesn’t give a location. After finally finding it, it is packed to the gills, while the Microsoft Store I passed by had many more employees than the couple of customers I saw in it.
Kind of too bad, actually. The Microsoft Store is nice looking and it does have some cool gadgets in there, including a couple of 3D printers.
Microsoft’s kit is even nice (I recently bought a Surface Pro 4, and it’s great – Apple-level build quality, and since it’s a Microsoft product, it doesn’t come with any bundled crapware).
But I can’t imagine why they think having their own branded retail stores is helpful.
There is a certain irony that Microsoft’s seem to always be four times as big, with four times as many employees, and absolutely nothing going on. Is there a visual concept that corresponds with crickets chirping.
It’s awesome that the stores always seem to be very near the Apple ones, so there’s no “well if we were in the nice spot like Apple…” to be had.
While Apple stores lack customers playing Xbox, Microsoft stores lack customers playing games on the AppleTV. Generally (though not every time) you need to wait for an AppleTV to open up.
for some things – Microsoft is seen or is the only game in town … as they tend to support enterprise OK. Apple sucks and the enterprise (even prosumer) markets – yet many people love their products.
IT shops go to Microsoft for their enterprise needs – yet few love MS products – and Outlook is the suck.
that’s unusual … yet I think that is why MS is becoming more like Apple – they realize people dont (necessary) want the cheap piece of hardware with junk software installed (to make the system even worse)…
The screaming-at-the-moon will happen if and when MS’ desktop OS and desktop productivity software sales start to decline.
Anything that isn’t desktop Windows or desktop productivity software is a “hobby” for Microsoft.
Nice to have hobbies, I guess. Even embarrassingly unsuccessful hobbies like the Microsoft Store.
“… and since it’s a Microsoft product, it doesn’t come with any bundled crapware).”
Wow. Do you hear yourself when you type?
No excuses for Microsoft.
But hey, they can write off the Microsoft Store losses as marketing expenses. And they’re probably more popular than their TV ads.
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Not from stuff that matters to normal people. And not compared to Apple who are eating more of their lunch every day. Thinking about it, tarnished is the wrong word, for many of us (ex-Microsoft users), it has become positively toxic.
With PC sales declining, Windows sales are declining.