Thinking of applying for a job at Best Buy? One thing that might sway your decision one way or another is the Best Buy employee discount. Here’s everything you need to know about their discount, including items that are excluded and some insider tips that will maximize your savings.

What is the Best Buy Employee Discount?

The standard employee discount at Best Buy is Cost + 5%.

So if an item’s retail price is $50, and Best Buy paid $30 for it, as an employee you’d get it for only $31.50.

It should also be noted that you won’t qualify for their employee discount until you’ve worked at Best Buy for at least 30 days.

UPDATE: From the comments section, I am getting several people saying it’s actually cost + 5%, not 10%, so I have officially changed the information above.

Thanks to everyone who commented letting me know.

Can Employees Flip Products for a Profit?

No.

While it’s not illegal for employees to buy stuff with their discount and flip it for a profit, several employees in the comments have said that it’ll get you FIRED immediately if discovered.

So not a good idea unless you’re about to quit your job anyways I suppose.

Do Some Products Not Qualify?

Unfortunately, yes.

You WON’T be able to get a discount on Geek Squad services, Apple products, most computers and tablets, movies, and smartphones.

Can I Score the Employee Discount on Online Purchases?

Yes.

To make it happen you need to have a Best Buy account and register it in the Best Buy employee portal.

I was told to make sure you ONLY do this on a computer in the store that you work-at, otherwise you’ll get rejected by the system.

Once your email is registered, you’ll get a pop-up to confirm your identity and employee number then you’ll be good-to-go.

Then just shop the Best Buy website like usual and you’ll score your discount on eligible items.

BIG thanks to employee Cesar for clearing this one up in the comments.

See Also: 7 Mind-Blowing Ways to Save Money at Best Buy

What Items are a “Must-Buy” for Employees?

Because the discount is cost + 5%, the secret for scoring a great deal is knowing which items at Best Buy have the largest profit margin, which means they have a “low cost” to Best Buy.

Buy those and you can REALLY save some money, easily up to 50% off the retail price.

These items are not laptops and name-brand HDTV’s, but rather things like headphones, cables, cases, and other accessories.

Especially look for deals on Best Buy’s branded items as they have big margins.

These include Insignia and Dynex HDTVs, Rocketfish cables, Geek Squad flash drives, and Modal cases.

If you’re not happy with any purchase you will be bound to the terms of the regular Best Buy return policy.

Do Geek Squad Employees Score the Same Discount?

Yes, they’ll score the same discount as regular BB employees.

See Also: Apple Employee Discount: Score a New iPhone Every 2 Years

Is There a Maximum Discount Percentage?

Best Buy recently topped their employee discount at 50% off the retail price.

But there is NO maximum number of purchases that you can make with your discount.

But keep in mind that “managers will talk to you if anything looks suspicious on your purchase”. (via BB employee Thomas)

Do Employees Get a Discount on Computer Components?

Yes.

This question came from Caleb in the comments, and I thought it was a great question as I couldn’t find an answer anywhere, so I decided to walk into my local Best Buy and find out.

The first employee I talked to had no idea, but I was able to grab an assistant manager on the sales floor and he dropped the knowledge.

As Caleb noted, your employee discount won’t work on pre-builts but it WILL work on components according to the manager I talked to.

But he also said that the margin on these products is fairly small so the discount won’t be big.

Anything Else You Should Know?

Why yes, there are several things worth knowing…

– Brands Can Limit Discounts – Brands that sell at Best Buy have the authority to limit the discount employees receive.

– Questionable Best Buy “Cost” – I’ve been told that you have to take the word for what Best Buy says is their “cost” on an item.

Some employees have questioned their “cost” as inflated.

– Some Products Have a Smaller Discount – Be aware that some stuff has an employee discount, but it might be higher than cost + 5%, meaning you’d have to pay a little more for it.

It will often be cost + 8% or 10%.

– Look for Free Stuff – Perhaps the coolest thing about working at Best Buy is the free stuff stores hand out to workers from time to time.

Could be stuff that doesn’t sell, or new items that the brand is trying to promote.

Ask the Reader: Do you work at Best Buy or have you in the past? If so, what’s the largest Best Buy employee discount you’ve received?

By Kyle James

Photo credit to Mike Mozart.