Bekker's Blog

Blog archive

Microsoft Stores Shuttered

Microsoft followed Apple and many other retailers in shutting down all Microsoft Store locations until further notice in an attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus.

"With today's recommendation from the United States government to not socially gather in groups of more than 10 people, we will be temporarily closing Microsoft Store locations -- effective immediately," wrote David Porter, corporate vice president, Microsoft Store, in a letter to customers and the community e-mailed Monday night.

"We are closing all Microsoft Store locations to help protect the health and safety of our customers and our employees. During this unprecedented time, the best way we can serve you is to do everything we can to help minimize the risk of the virus spreading," Porter wrote.

According to the Microsoft Store locations homepage, Microsoft operates 73 stores in the United States, seven in Canada and one each in Australia, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.

The digital version of the Microsoft Store remains open and employees are staffing the support.microsoft.com site, as well.

The move follows Microsoft's decision March 4 to encourage employees in the Seattle and San Francisco areas to work from home.

Posted by Scott Bekker on March 17, 2020


Featured

  • IBM Giving Orgs a Governance Lifeline in Agentic AI Era

    Nearly overnight, organizations are facing brand-new challenges caused by self-directed AI systems (a.k.a. agentic AI). Big Blue is extending them some help.

  • Microsoft Launches Integrated E-mail Security Ecosystem for Defender for Office 365

    Microsoft is expanding its e-mail security capabilities with the launch of a new Integrated Cloud Email Security (ICES) ecosystem for Microsoft Defender for Office 365.

  • Microsoft Joins Workday's AI Agent Partner Network

    Microsoft has become a key partner in Workday's newly launched AI Agent Partner Network, aligning with other industry leaders to integrate AI agents into enterprise workforce systems.

  • LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky To Lead Microsoft's Productivity Initiatives

    In a strategic leadership realignment, Microsoft has appointed LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky to oversee its consumer and small business productivity software division, encompassing Microsoft 365, Teams and AI-driven tools like Copilot.