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A Big Mac Store Faces Off Against a Whopper of a Microsoft Store

By Susan Stapleton

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  • Another view of the coming Apple Store.
  • This is where Microsoft says it's opening its 13,000-plus-square-foot store.
  • But this former Victoria's Secret store contains the right amount of space.
  • Another view of the former Victoria's Secret space.

The future home of Apple. You can see the temporary store in the upper right. [Photos: Susan Stapleton]

It's Mac vs. PC in a duel that will bring the retailers head to head at Fashion Show. Apple was first to announce its big Mac expansion with a 10,313-square-foot store taking over the former Steve Madden and Tommy Bahama spaces, with a publicly declared budget of $350,000. The store's 117-foot long frontage will run right alongside the Fashion Show mall runway stage. While construction continues, a temporary Apple store is located directly upstairs on the upper lever. A September opening had been rumored.

Microsoft enters the market Nov. 14 with its bigger, rival store, topped off with a concert by Pitbull. The 13,146-square-foot features a whopper declared valuation of $2.5 million. While the company has only offered a cryptic "Lower Level, between Macy's Men's Store and Forever 21" for the location, the project suite is listed as 1045, a vacant boarded spot, far smaller than the 13,000-square-foot footprint. Space is now available two stores down at the recently vacated Victoria's Secret, which has moved round the corner closer to Neiman Marcus.

On opening day, doors swing open at 10:30 a.m, followed by free tickets for Pitbull handed out to lucky guests. That show goes live at 5 p.m., followed by Major Nelson offering a sneak peak of some of the new Xbox One game titles.

Microsoft stores are eerily similar to Apple Stores, with "Technical Advisers" (similar to Apple's "Geniuses") to assist customers with technical questions and issues. In addition "Specialists" (or trainers) are employed to show customers how to get the most out of their software. Xbox 360s are also available to entertain patrons.
· Apple Store [Official Site]
· Microsoft Store [Official Site]
· All Storecasting [Racked Vegas]