Best Buy Co. Inc. — Ethics Grade C+

Best Buy Co. Inc. receives an overall ethics grade of C+ (58/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Retail. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 45
• privacy: 40
• consumer: 50
• environment: 75
• humanRights: 60

Documented incidents (3)

• Mass Layoffs and Restructuring (medium, 2023) — Best Buy eliminated hundreds of store-level consultant and designer roles across the US to shift toward an e-commerce model. Employees reported being notified via short video calls with little severance or transition support.
• Geek Squad Privacy Breach (high, 2021) — Geek Squad technicians were accused in multiple lawsuits of accessing private photos on customer devices. Furthermore, some technicians were revealed to be acting as paid informants for the FBI without customer consent.
• E-Waste Disposal Fines (medium, 2019) — The company faced scrutiny and fines in California for the mismanagement of hazardous electronic waste and batteries at its retail locations. This included improper disposal of materials that pose a risk to groundwater.

Documented good deeds

• Expanding E-Waste Recycling — Best Buy operates the largest retail e-waste recycling program in the US, having collected over 2.7 billion pounds of electronics.

Ethical alternatives

• Micro Center — Privately held company with higher customer satisfaction in the tech enthusiast community.