Crowd Celebrates Microsoft Store Opening [Video]

Hundreds of anxious customers enjoyed a party-like atmosphere as Microsoft opened its first store in New York state at The Westchester in White Plains Friday morning.

Microsoft's 24th store opened in the mall’s second level at about 11 a.m. A snaking line of about 300 customers rushed inside, greeted by high fives, dancing employees and party music.

"Everyone here was so nice, it was really, really, good," said Traci Robinson of New Rochelle, who waited in line for about three hours Friday. The wait wasn't a problem, she said, because raffles, free food and other giveaways kept her entertained throughout the morning.

Among the perks for those who showed up were tickets to a Lenny Kravitz concert, a free PC checkup and other goodies. Former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre is also expected to visit with customers at the new store Friday evening.

Lisa Williams of White Plains went home with a free Xbox Kinect after her lucky number six was drawn during one of the raffles.

"I came here knowing I was going to win something besides these free tickets," she said with a smile. "This has been a really good turnout, I've never stood in line where the people were so pleasant."

The new 3,111 square-foot store is part of Microsoft’s push to provide a greater customer experience, explained Pete Harrington, a spokesperson for Microsoft. Similar to Apple stores, the new Microsoft stores are hoping to offer much more than a place to buy the latest technology.

"We don't want it to be just like a retail store, absolutely not," Harrington said. "We want to be more than a retail store in everything that we do, the way we take care of our community, the way we take care of our customers and the way we hire our employees, we are definitely more than a retail store."

Staff at the Microsoft store will offer training and support for all Windows products, regardless of where they were purchased.

"If it's a Microsoft product, we are going to make sure you not only know how to use it, but you love using it every single day," Harrington said.

As part of the grand opening, Microsoft made a $1.5 million software donation to area organizations. The donations include $250,000 to the Yonkers-based Nepperhan Community Center, $250,000 to the JCY Westchester Community Partners and $1 million to the Junior Achievement of Hudson Valley.