Pros
The experience and knowledge gained from Best Buy from purely a business perspective has opened my perspective. Not very many company offer the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts of how a company is structured, operates, pays its bills and earns its keep. The access of financial information about the organization is unprecedented (for example, how many line level employees in the average company have access to the P&L, or even know what it is?) Best Buys serves a great lesson in customer service and provides world class technology solutions to everyone, of every lifestyle, of every demographic and does so with scalable options. Best Buy puts direct responsability for the key profitability levers in the hands of its associates and leads through inspiration to unlock the power of its people. Though in a state of re-organization and change, real growth (personal and professional) is acheivable through this organization. As one of the most diverse organizations I've ever worked for, there are several ERG (Employee resource groups or diversity support groups). PRIDE (GLBTS alliance), WOLF (Women), LATiN (Latin/Hispanic), ASIAN (asian), BEN (Black Employee Network), INCLUDE (Employees with disabilities), and SaGE ("The Wisdom of Experience")
Cons
Growth and potential is (in more cases than not) based entirely on who you know and your standing with them. The organization is extremely based in networking to the extent of detriment. While its encouraging if you are a social butterfly and can work as hard as you play, those who find being social outside of work committments hard or difficult (i.e. anyone with a family, married, partnered, family obligations, school etc), will find advancement difficult. Especially amongst the younger or up and coming management ranks, a fair amount of "drinking club" metallity exists which has the overwhelming tendancy to be cliquey and exclusive. Favoritism runs rampant and, as a whole, the organization seems to run more on what goes on outside the store than what goes on inside the store.