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Best Buy stores close over coronavirus threat, employee hours will be paid

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Mar 22, 2020, 10:03 AM

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Best Buy stores close over coronavirus threat, employee hours will be paid

In line with the times, Best Buy preferred to close all of its physical stores instead of keeping pace with all the evolving coronavirus disinfection and social distance rules and regulations.

Unlike Apple that shuttered everything outside of China, Best Buy intended to stay open by limiting customers to 15 in a store at any given time, and spreading the eventual lines outside over a greater interpersonal distance.

Best Buy shifts to online orders and curbside pickup only due to Covid-19

Even that idea, however, is now being reconsidered, and starting Sunday, March 22, Best Buy stores go into lockdown as well. All in-store purchases will now be replaced with online orders delivery and/or curbside pickup, according to Best Buy's CEO Corie Barry:

Beginning Sunday, March 22, we will offer contactless curbside service at all locations across the country where state or local laws allow. Rather than ask you to come into our stores, any items you order on BestBuy.com or the Best Buy app will be delivered to your car curbside. If, for any reason, you didn’t order the product in advance and the product is in stock in the store, one of our employees will be more than happy to go get it in the store and sell it to you while you remain in your car.

Best Buy store closures won't affect the hourly employees' paycheck

In addition, the retail giant warned that they are experiencing huge demand for certain in-demand items, and certainly don't mean toilet paper.

"We are seeing a surge in demand across the country for products that people need to work or learn from home, as well as those products that allow people to refrigerate or freeze food," added Mr Barry, which could mean longer wait times for delivery or restocking. Big item installations will also be suspended for now.

Last but not least, Best Buy is committed to paying its hourly employees who will no longer be needed to man the store floors to the extent they were until just yesterday:

All field employees whose hours have been eliminated will be paid for two weeks at their normal wage rate based on their average hours worked over the last 10 weeks,

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.