Lifestyle

By Best Buy Lifestyle

12 Nov: Employees spread light, love for Diwali

Diwali is the biggest, most important Indian holiday of the year. But like many things, it’s going to look a bit different amid the pandemic this year.

Also known as Deepavali, Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. It’s a five-day celebration and similar to how Thanksgiving is celebrated in the U.S.

“During Diwali, people decorate their homes, gather for feasts and exchange gifts,” said Srividya Vaidyanathan, a member of Best Buy’s Asian Employee Resource Group (ERG). “With Diwali falling between Halloween and Thanksgiving, one way to participate is to put up your holiday decorations a few weeks early, like many Asian Indians do.”

By Best Buy Lifestyle

09 Nov: Military Veterans Bring Unique Experiences to Best Buy

While service to their country is the common ground veterans share, their diverse backgrounds and personal journeys all stand uniquely apart — and that’s especially true when they reintegrate into the civilian workforce.

At Best Buy, we embrace the skills and perspectives veterans bring. Their impact can be found at every level of our company, and we’re committed to providing resources to support them and help them grow in their careers.

For Veterans Day, we’re highlighting the journeys of several former servicemen and women and celebrating the experiences and leadership they bring to Best Buy.

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By Best Buy Lifestyle

06 Nov: 5 ways Teen Tech Centers help bridge the gap in STEAM

We love tech, and we’re committed to sharing that love with teens who might otherwise not have access.

Best Buy first launched Teen Tech Centers in 2012 to help teens from disinvested communities explore technology. Since then, we’ve opened 35 Teen Tech Centers across the country, with plans to expand to more than 100 in the next five years.

These are places where teens can develop critical skills through hands-on activities that explore their interests in programming, filmmaking, music production and design.

By Best Buy Lifestyle

06 Nov: In pandemic, partners help get tech to teens

From access to software to learning the latest tech, Best Buy Teen Tech Centers are helping address the opportunity gap for teens in disinvested communities.

We know we can’t do it alone, so we work with a range of partners across the country — including a number of our vendor partners — to empower youth with the technology and tools they need to thrive now and in the future.

“What we’re trying to do with our Teen Tech Centers and Career Pathways programs is really to help build brighter futures for teens,” said Andrea Wood, vice president of social impact.

By Ale Valeriano Lifestyle

30 Oct: Employees Get Paid Time Off to Work at the Polls

This year, for the first time, Best Buy is giving our employees paid time off so they can volunteer at official polling stations across the country on Election Day.

It’s part of our broader commitment to support all employees however they choose to participate in the day, whether that is through voting or volunteering to have their voices heard. We’ve also announced that our stores won’t open until noon local time to ensure employees can exercise their right to vote, if they choose.

By Best Buy Lifestyle

30 Oct: Minneapolis Teen Uses Power of Music to Encourage Others to Vote

Olivia Pierce is a student who is using her talents to promote change by encouraging people to vote this election season.

Following recent calls for action regarding racial injustice, Olivia — who goes by the stage name Moyana Olivia — wrote a song and created a music video with the help of her peers at a Best Buy Teen Tech Center in Minneapolis.

“This song was written to raise awareness to racial injustice and encourage people to take tangible action against police brutality by voting in the general election of November 2020,” she wrote on Instagram.

By John Vomhof Jr. Lifestyle

26 Oct: These Best Buy employees will be voting for themselves this year

Temmy Olasimbo has never been so excited for Election Day. That’s because this year she’s on the ballot.

Temmy, a customer experience research analyst at Best Buy, is running for city council in suburban Woodbury, Minnesota. She had felt called to serve and finally decided to pursue public office after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis.

“I thought, ‘What more can I do?’” she said. “I’ve always been a doer, and I felt it was time to do more.”

Temmy is one of several Best Buy employees who will be on the ballot this Election Day.

By John Vomhof Jr. Geek Squad Lifestyle

21 Oct: Ohio first grader wins Halloween with Geek Squad Costume

Most 6-year-old boys will probably be wearing superhero costumes for Halloween this year, but not Aidan Markworth. He’s dressing as a Geek Squad Agent.

The Ohio first grader already has the persona nailed down. He has a white shirt, a black clip-on tie and a serious love of technology.

“He desperately wants to work at the Geek Squad,” said his mom, Kelly. “He breaks down and starts to cry when I tell him his has to wait 12 more years.”

Aidan’s passion for technology started with a child’s tablet and asking the Google Mini questions.

By John Vomhof Jr. Geek Squad Lifestyle

21 Oct: Geek Squad Agent’s Family Goes All Out for Halloween

Derek Meister’s family is to Halloween what the Griswolds are to Christmas.

For the past 25 years, they’ve decked out their suburban Cleveland home with hundreds of decorations every October. They have about 30 giant yard inflatables, a graveyard full of Styrofoam tombstones and even a high-tech light show.

“People start coming by while we’re setting it up,” said Derek, a longtime Geek Squad Agent. “Some places don’t even do trick-or-treating anymore, but we still get about 200 kids every year on Halloween.”

By Best Buy Lifestyle

15 Oct: Tech-savvy senior brings piano — and joy — to others

Herb Williams sits down at his piano, looks at the camera and starts to play. His fingers bound across the keys with a familiarity only eight decades can bring, then the 91-year-old posts the video on Facebook.

He’s repeated this scene nearly every day since COVID-19 sequestered people in their homes last spring. And he learned the skills from two Best Buy Canada Geek Squad Agents — as part of Best Buy Health’s Digital Citizen service.

Agents Rachel Sturm and Chadd Sine began teaching digital literacy skills to seniors a year and a half ago through a partnership that brings technology workshops and support to seniors at select Amica Senior Lifestyles residences in Canada.

By Best Buy Lifestyle

15 Oct: More than a toy: Donation keeps employee’s memory alive

After Abdallah Moukhtar died last September, his family needed to figure out what to do with his collection of Funko Pops! — all 1,100 of them.

So, his mom, Suzy Blakely Duhme, found an organization called Pops for Patients that donates Funko products to children’s hospitals. And when Rob Zeida, who started the local chapter, came to pick up the donation, they realized there was a deeper connection. Rob works at Best Buy — just like Abdallah had.

“If you’re working for Best Buy, you’re the person I was supposed to give these to,” Suzy told Rob.

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