Clue 1 · The Basics
U.S. consumer discretionary company · large-cap · listed on the NYSE · headquartered in Minnesota.
Clue 2 · The Numbers
Annual revenue around $45 billion, with roughly 1,000 stores across North America and a workforce of about 100,000 employees.
Clue 3 · The History
Founded in 1966 in Minnesota as a small audio specialty shop, it later survived a tornado that destroyed its flagship store — and used the insurance payout to reinvent itself entirely.
Clue 4 · The Secret
Its most profitable revenue stream isn't selling gadgets — it's the in-home tech support subscription service staffed by agents who show up in matching uniforms.
Clue 5 · The Lore
It famously crushed Circuit City and survived the Amazon apocalypse that most predicted would kill it — largely by letting Amazon's own rivals use its store floor as a showroom.
Clue 6 · The Giveaway
The big-box electronics retailer with the iconic blue-and-yellow price tags, those Geek Squad agents, and a parking lot full of people returning TVs the day after the Super Bowl.