As many are aware by now, the coronavirus pandemic dealt a massive blow to brick-and-mortar retail stores. Already suffering stores like GameStop hit trouble after not being deemed as essential services, despite trying to claim that label, and major retailers like JC Penney have announced in recent weeks that they will be filing for bankruptcy. One store that also was not allowed to remain in operations during the heavier days of the pandemic has been Microsoft retail stores, given the nature of technology being non-essential. Now, it looks like Microsoft has decided that their physical locations will no longer be in operation.

Microsoft announced recently on their official website that all of their Microsoft retail stores will be closing permanently. The 83 Microsoft stores have been located throughout the country, and have allowed potential customers to try out the newest Microsoft computers, as well as a variety of Xbox hardware, software and merchandise. These stores will now be shut down by Microsoft, in favor of pursuing digital options for customers to utilize in their purchasing practices. As Microsoft Corporate Vice President David Porter states:

Our sales have grown online as our product portfolio has evolved to largely digital offerings, and our talented team has proven success serving customers beyond any physical location. We are grateful to our Microsoft Store customers and we look forward to continuing to serve them online and with our retail sales team at Microsoft corporate locations.”

It seems that the coronavirus pandemic forced Microsoft to strengthen their digital sales and customer service capabilities, with their retail teams gaining more skills needed to work with customers remotely. There are plans to reimagine four of the store locations into Microsoft Experience Centers, specifically in London, New York, Sydney, and Redmond, WA. These locations will not have any items for sale, but will allow customers to test the products for themselves. It becomes more clear that brick-and-mortar retail is slowly fading away, but for a while, it was nice to be able to go to a store to try out the latest machines that evolved upon the legacy of Clippy the Paper Clip. RIP Microsoft retail stores.

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