For almost nine weeks, Tonette Grace took care of her grandkids from out of state so their dad could continue working.
Her son, Devon Mouton, lives in Louisiana and was able to work during the COVID-19 crisis because Best Buy was deemed an essential business. But there was one problem: He lost his usual child care because of the pandemic.
Devon and his mom agreed that the best option was to send 3-year-old Nori and 4-year-old Brody to stay with their “Gigi” and “Paw Paw” in Texas.
When Best Buy leaders in Pittsburgh learned that a 13-year-old boy with cancer wanted to do a shopping spree at a local store, they were determined to make it happen — even if he couldn’t step inside.
Tony was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at just 9 months old. He has since been on multiple experimental treatments, and he recently learned that he has a large cancerous tumor in his abdomen that requires chemotherapy and radiation.
Jamie’s Dream Team, a local nonprofit that helps fulfill dreams of individuals facing severe life difficulties, was hoping to fulfill Tony’s wish to go to an amusement park and a pro basketball game.
COVID-19 has changed the way we think about social interactions at work, and many companies, including Best Buy, are requiring employees to wear face coverings.
While the company is providing face coverings for employees, some have chosen to add a little personal flare by making their own. Others have chipped in to make them for their colleagues around the country, especially early in the pandemic when face coverings were in short supply.
So far, close to 6,000 homemade face coverings have been distributed to employees across the country.
On Caitlin Waugh’s second day as general manager of a Best Buy store in Portland, Oregon, one of her employees told her they wanted to take their own life.
Needless to say, it was an eye-opening experience for her.
“In that moment, I realized I wasn’t really equipped with the skills to navigate these conversations,” Caitlin said.
Thankfully, she was able to help the employee through the crisis, but she knew a situation like this could happen again with someone else.
When Jack Dixon was ready to share his big news with his Geek Squad co-workers, he wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he would get.
With a childhood photo of Jack holding a baby doll in one hand and a pellet gun in the other as the backdrop, his manager made the announcement: Jack had made the courageous decision to transition from female to male.
The room erupted in applause.
Jack grew up in a home where he was expected to wear dresses on Sundays.
Josh and Jennifer Wesolek wanted to outdo all the drive-by birthday celebrations they’d seen during the COVID-19 crisis. After all, their son Matt wasn’t just turning 18, he was graduating high school, too.
They thought he deserved something big. And that’s why Josh reached out to his local Best Buy store in Saginaw, Michigan.
“I called you guys to add a little extra spark to it,” Josh said.
And it worked. No one expected to see a Geek Squad van in the lineup of firetrucks and friends’ sedans.
When Dennis Parry learned that Best Buy would require face coverings for employees as a safety measure during COVID-19, he grew concerned.
Dennis is hard of hearing, and as a general manager, he relies on reading lips to communicate with employees and customers at his store in Easton, Pennsylvania. Face coverings would make that impossible.
“When I first heard about the change, I felt like I was going to be a hindrance to the team,” he said. “I wanted to make sure I’d be able to communicate with my staff.”
It’s not every day you meet a tech analyst who moonlights as a face painter but then again, you probably haven’t met Lynda Tysver.
She paints faces, in part, to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Her favorite part is what she calls the big reveal, when she holds the mirror up for a child she’s transformed into a butterfly or a dinosaur.
“It’s like Christmas morning,” said Lynda, who has been a contract worker for Best Buy in Minnesota for the past three years.
Mother’s Day might look a little different this year because of social distancing.
Despite the fact that many of us can’t be together, Best Buy employees celebrate moms everywhere via video.
We’re sending virtual hugs and thank yous to all the moms, grandmas, aunts and other special people in our lives. Happy Mother’s Day!
From drive-by birthday parties to Zoom weddings, many celebrations are looking different as we adapt to life in a pandemic. And with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and graduations right around the corner, we’ll soon be commemorating more holidays and life events apart from our loved ones.
Thankfully, there are plenty of innovative ways to spend the day together — separately. Technology plays an important role in keeping us connected for life’s big moments.
Here are a few tips from our experts at Best Buy on how to use tech to stay engaged with the special people in our lives on their special days.
If your family is anything like mine, having so little interaction with friends and loved ones has been a bit of a challenge. It’s just us, every single day.
We have three boys who are used to running from activity to activity and soaking up lots of time with friends. Coming up with ways to stay entertained, laugh and play has led us to completing a 998-piece puzzle (we lost two of the original 1,000 pieces), reading books aloud and streaming lots of movies and TV shows.
Warning: This post discusses depression and suicide.
TJ Ellis is no stranger to struggle.
His grandma raised him, but she died from breast cancer when he was 11. After that, he couch-surfed so he wouldn’t have to sleep in the back of his mom’s van. At 16, he juggled school with a full-time job. And at 19, feeling overwhelmed and alone, he tried to take his own life.
Now the general manager of a Best Buy store in suburban Seattle, TJ uses those life experiences to shape how he cares for his employees — especially the ones with whom he can empathize.