There was a rumor going around since last night that Dell was shuttering its 140 mall kiosks nationwide in another wave of belt-tightening. Now it’s official: “Dell Inc. will close its 140 kiosks in the U.S. as the computer maker is changing its retail strategy to sales in partnering stores. Kiosks outside the U.S. are not affected.” Our tipster has more details after the jump.

All stores were taken down last night around midnight. Conference calls were issued today and ALL employees associated with Dell Direct Stores (marketing, training, sales, management) were laid off with little to no hope of lateral job changes within Dell. Severance seems to be 60 days with pay. If you had a Dell Direct Store near you go check it out – it should be gone today.

Severance packages are arriving to employees’ homes this morning

(Thanks to DN!)

“Dell to Close Mall Kiosks As Retail Strategy Shifts” [Wall Street Journal]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.