Happy employees create a more successful retail environment, but one survey has found that nearly one in every two frontline employees are unhappy with their job due to low pay, inflexible hours, poor leadership and a lack of growth opportunities. As the retail industry continues to struggle with high employee turnover, Best Buy and Hot Topic are tackling that last complaint with new educational benefits for their associates.
Best Buy has expanded its current educational offering to include access to free college degrees in certain fields via Strayer University, and Hot Topic has partnered with AllCampus to streamline employees’ access to thousands of discounted degree programs.
Best Buy Offers Associates Access to Free College Degrees
Best Buy has expanded its decade-long partnership with Strayer University to include no-debt, no-cost-to-the-employee pathways to college degree options for all full- and part-time Best Buy employees in the U.S. Employees will have immediate access on their first day of employment.
The electronics retailer’s ongoing partnership with Strayer already included tuition discounts and reduced fees on degree programs, and now it will cover the cost of Strayer’s Degrees@Work program.
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The Degrees@Work program offers eligible employees the opportunity to take coursework or earn a certificate, associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree from Strayer University. Best Buy employees can select from programs in areas such as business and information technology and also will have access, through Strayer University, to Sophia Learning — an online, on-demand, self-paced learning platform providing college-level general education courses, most of which qualify for college credit. Sophia courses can be applied toward a Strayer University degree.
“Best Buy has always prioritized the growth and development of our employees, and this expanded agreement covering Strayer’s Degrees@Work program underscores that commitment while also complementing our existing lineup of education benefits,” said Charlie Montreuil, SVP of HR Rewards at Best Buy in a statement. “At Best Buy, we believe that fostering continuous learning not only enhances personal and professional growth but also contributes to an inclusive and thriving workplace where everyone can succeed.“
The enhanced educational offering is part of Best Buy’s ongoing effort to improve its employees’ experience, and through that the customer experience. The company also has introduced an innovative scheduling initiative in which employes are trained in multiple areas of the business (e.g. curbside fulfillment and different sales sections like appliances or home theater) so they can be deployed across multiple stores. This allows Best Buy to offer associates the scheduling flexibility they want while still meeting the needs of the business, explained CEO Corie Barry at the NRF Big Show 2025.
“The gig economy has changed the way many employees think about being in charge of their own careers,” said Barry. “If that’s the backdrop, then we’re competing for talent against every industry, not just [other retailers]. So you have to have that mindset about what really is an employee looking for in their career, and how can we keep building the infrastructure that might make it happen?”
Hot Topic Streamlines Access to Discounted Degree Programs
Hot Topic has teamed up with education benefit management platform AllCampus to offer its more than 9,000 employees access to low- to no-cost degree options from thousands of discounted degree programs.
AllCampus will now help manage Hot Topic’s education benefits program by fielding university requests, agreements and communications, which streamlines the process for Hot Topic and ensures employees can easily access and utilize their education benefits. It also will provide Hot Topic with data, reporting and tools to measure the impact and value of its education benefit program.
“At Hot Topic our people are at the heart of everything we do, and we believe in investing in their futures,” said Janet Acosta, Benefits Manager of Hot Topic in a statement. “This isn’t just about education; it’s about creating a culture where our team members can thrive, advance and reach their fullest potential. Partnering with AllCampus allows us to go beyond traditional benefits by providing accessible education opportunities that align with our values.”
