New York City has the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, and much more. But what is the one thing it is missing? If you answered a retail store for Google products, then you’re in luck.
Google announced on May 20, 2021, that it would be opening its first-ever physical retail store in NYC. The aptly named Google Store will open this summer in Chelsea, and provide customers a new way to browse and experience Google products before buying.
As you might expect, the store will be packed with products from Google, such as the Pixel smartphones, Pixelbook Chromebooks, Fitbit devices, Nest thermostats, smart speakers, smart displays, cameras, and more.
Customers will also be able to shop online at the GoogleStore.com and arrange to pick up their purchase in person, of course, it stands to reason you’ll need to be local to NYC. Otherwise, that would be quite the road trip to pick up a new Nest Audio.
Beyond selling its products, Google states it will have experts in-store to help with troubleshooting issues, fixing cracked screens on Pixels, or help with installations.
Considering the progress the U.S. has made recently with vaccinations, it appears Google hopes that in-person shopping will be getting back to normal soon. Regardless, Google will be requiring masks and social distancing in store, as well as limiting the number of customers. Additionally, hand sanitation will be required and all spaces will be cleaned multiple times a day.
What remains to be seen is how successful the first physical Google Store will be. Other brands have tried it, most notably Apple, while others such as Microsoft weren’t able to make it viable. Now that Google has an ecosystem of products to work with, it might just make sense to have a store to show off how well it all works together.
