Do You Want to Be a Black Friday VIP at Best Buy®?

Do You Want to Be a Black Friday VIP at Best Buy®?


Second Annual Best Buy Black Friday VIP Contest; Opportunity to Win a $1,000 Gift Card, Early Entry into the Store, Full VIP Treatment on the morning after Thanksgiving

MINNEAPOLIS, November 2, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Best Buy recognizes that Black Friday is an exciting celebration for families across the country who get out early on the day after Thanksgiving. Building on momentum from last year, the nation's leading consumer electronics retailer is hosting its second annual online essay contest searching for Black Friday VIP's across the country.

Best Buy consumers in 25 cities are asked to share in 250 words or less what they are most excited about this Black Friday. They can submit their stories on www.bestbuyvipcontest.com from November 2, 2009 – November 20, 2009 with one winner in each market notified by November 24, 2009.

"We received close to 13,000 inspiring, heart-warming and even humorous entries from last year's Black Friday VIP contest", said Barry Judge, executive vice president and CMO for Best Buy. "We know that many of our customers have celebrated Black Friday for years and recognize the importance of giving them the extra special VIP treatment they deserve. The Black VIP contest allows us to celebrate with our customers on the most exciting day of the year!"

Black Friday VIP Treatment for 25 Winners
One winner from each of the 25 eligible markets will win a $1,000 Best Buy Gift Card and full VIP treatment including: a limousine ride to and from the designated Best Buy store, special seating outside for the winner and three special guests, and early admittance into the store at 4:30 a.m. Each winner will also receive an Insignia® Digital Camcorder to document their experience. No purchase necessary. For complete details and restrictions, see Official Rules available on www.bestbuyvipcontest.com. Participating markets include: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa and Washington, DC.

In-Market Opportunities for Non Black Friday VIPs
Best Buy will also reward diehard Black Friday fans not selected as official VIP's by offering additional unique prizes in the designated 25 stores listed above. Customers could win the following:

Instant VIP: Mystery gift cards will be distributed to the first 50 people in line on Black Friday morning. The gift cards will range in value from $5 to $25, with one gift card in each market valued at $100-creating an Instant VIP at checkout. No purchase necessary. For complete details and restrictions, see Official Rules available at participating stores.
Text To Win: Starting on Black Friday, Best Buy will also launch a text to win contest in which customers can text in their holiday survival tip for a chance to win a smart phone courtesy of Best Buy Mobile™ every day through December 19 or one of 25 $100 gift cards. No purchase necessary. For complete details and restrictions, see Official Rules available on www.bestbuy.com/mobile.
Media Opportunities on Black Friday
Black Friday presents an exciting morning for shoppers. Deal seekers often line up hours and days in advance to get a shot at our hot doorbusters. Employees take pride in providing an organized, exciting experience by helping people waiting in line that morning with advice on shopping strategies and gift buying tips. Media are invited to get footage of customers waiting in line to shop speak with customers about their shopping lists and holiday shopping traditions or interview Best Buy Blue Shirt™ employees about how they prepare for 'the busiest shopping days of the year.' In addition, media will have an opportunity to interview all of our VIP winners about the contest and why they are excited about this holiday season.

MANAGER APPROVAL NEWS MEDIA POLICY
To facilitate reporters working on holiday stories, Best Buy implements a "manager-approval" news media policy for U.S. based newspaper, TV and radio reporters who want to visit U.S. Best Buy stores from Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009 through Saturday, January 2, 2010. This means local reporters who want to talk to Best Buy Blue Shirt employees or Geek Squad Technicians may work directly with store managers to secure approvals for shooting in-store interviews or footage for news stories about the holiday season, without requesting approval from the Best Buy corporate public relations department. Reporters must obtain approval from a store manager prior to shooting in a store. The decision to approve a request is up to the discretion of the individual manager. While we try to accommodate every request, please understand that our stores are extremely busy during the holiday season and our first priority is to serve our customers. For more specific information on exciting events taking place at a Best Buy near you, send inquiries to 612-292-NEWS (6397) or newscenter@bestbuy.com.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.
With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. The Best Buy family of brands and partnerships collectively generates more than $45 billion in annual revenue and includes brands such as Best Buy, Audiovisions, The Carphone Warehouse, Future Shop, Geek Squad, Jiangsu Five Star, Magnolia Audio Video, Napster, Pacific Sales, The Phone House, and Speakeasy. Approximately 155,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in its communities. Community partnership is central to the way business is done at Best Buy. In fiscal 2009, Best Buy donated a combined $33.4 million to improve the vitality of the communities where its employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.

©2009 Best Buy. All Rights Reserved. BEST BUY, the BEST BUY logo, and the tag design are trademarks of BBY Solutions, Inc.

Press Contacts:
Erin Bix
Best Buy Corporate Public Relations
(612) 291-7965
Kristal McKanders
MS&L
(404) 870-6834

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