So what does the store experience bring me then? My favorite part is the unified update management. If apps aren’t automatically updated, what value is the store bringing that an .msi isn’t?
Beyond automatic updating, the Store up until now guaranteed Clean Uninstall. Most of what is left of MSIX package restrictions after all the "Project Reunion" stuff so far and Win32 support is just to fit that guarantee. If the Store is just installing random EXEs and MSIs like it is 1999 again, how long until we get back to the "I need a cleaner app to clean up all the other apps I just uninstalled" nonsense?
Why would it be any different than it is now other than having a slightly more centralized platform? Do you use a cleaner now? Unless you're installing junk, you don't need one.
I actually have been using the Store since Windows 8. There have been apps I've tried that I never would have installed from an EXE or an MSI. Relatedly, I've also got less tech savvy family that I've been able to recommend stick to "S Mode", install everything from the Store, and I don't worry about them calling me in a few months that something is mysteriously broken or that the system is full of junk they can't uninstall.
It's a huge difference if the Store is just another distribution point for random EXE/MSI installers that can do whatever they want, install where ever they want, and may or may not clean up after themselves on uninstall.