Field Trip to Microsoft
From FOSUG
In October, my husband and I went on vacation to Washington and Oregon. We watched Fresno State Bulldogs get beaten by University of Washington's football team, although that wasn't the result we expected.
While we were in Washington, we took in some tourist stuff. We went to Pike Place Market to watch them toss fish, went to the Boeing Aircraft factory, and I especially wanted to see the Microsoft Visitors Center in Redmond, Washington. We got the hours of operation and directions from the Microsoft website and planned to get there early in the day. When we got off the highway, we looked for signage to help us find the Visitors Center, but there was none, as Microsoft is in a residential area. We saw it as we were passing it and had turn around and get back, which was a little difficult in the neighborhood, but we made it back and excitedly parked in the lot for the Microsoft Visitor Center and Company Store.
When we got inside, we found a small note on the door telling us that the Visitor Center was unexpectedly closed, and inviting us to come back after 1:30. Since it was only 9:30 in the morning, and we had other things to do that day, we knew we couldn't come back, so we headed up the stairs to the store so I could buy souvenirs for my students at Institute of Technology, where I teach (among other things) Microsoft Office apps.
At the top of the stairs we found the doors to the store locked, and a stern security guard told us that the Company Store was for employees, who swiped their ID cards to gain entrance. I told her how disappointed I was that we had driven all this way only to find the Visitor Center closed, and that I just wanted to buy souvenirs for my students. She told us again that the store was for employees, but that she could let us in. However, we would not be allowed to buy hardware or software. She reiterated that statement several times through the door prior to unlocking it and letting this in. I thought, "Not exactly what I'd call 'user friendly'." The security guard called over to the young women who were staffing the cash registers at the front of the store. She said, "Did you know the Visitor Center was closed this morning?" I had to giggle when both of the girls called back, "Those people in that department never communicate with us." We bought some pens, lanyards and keychains with Microsoft logos on them and went on our way. I knew my students would be tickled when I told them about our Microsoft visit.
I told my husband, "It's not easy to navigate, but we managed to figure it out. It shuts down unexpectedly (perhaps to reboot?). The security wasn't exactly user friendly, but we could get around most of it. Additionally, one application doesn't communicate well with another. Yup," I said, "This is Microsoft!" The security guard glared at me. . .