Microsoft Retail Stores: We're hiring!
You may have heard about our plans to open Microsoft retail stores in cities around the world. Well, I know a lot of you have heard because the JobsBloggers have been getting peppered with questions. :) — We've recently announced our first two stores …
Context & Ripple Effects
The hiring push follows a summer of steady reveals: Microsoft confirmed in July that its first stores would open this fall near Apple's retail locations, then named Arizona and California as the first states in late July. By early August the first storefront build-out was already visible in a mall photo of the 'mall invasion', so staffing is the next logistical step before doors open.
First-order effects
- Retail staff hiring begins now, converting the announced two-store plan into an operating workforce ahead of the fall openings in Arizona and California.
Second-order effects
- Siting stores near Apple's puts Microsoft's Windows, Zune and services lineup into direct side-by-side comparison with Apple's retail experience at the point of sale.
Third-order effects
- If the initial pair performs, Microsoft moves from selling through partners' shelves to controlling its own brand-presented channel, a structural shift toward vendor-owned retail among PC-era companies.
The trend: Consumer-hardware and software vendors are following Apple's playbook of owning their retail presence rather than ceding the store floor to third parties.