Best Buy said it is laying off 2,400 employees this week, including roughly 600 members of its Geek Squad customer service unit and another 1,800 store employees. The announcement came Friday as the Richfield-based electronics chain said that the layoffs were part of a companywide restructuring plan announced in March.

Verizon Communications Inc. will start offering new services from Best Buy's Geek Squad. The new IT Help Desk is designed for small and mid-size business customers. The announcement comes after the Richfield-based electronics giant said it would lay off 650 Geek Squad workers, but hire 500 more specialized agents by the end of the year.

A Texas-based former employee of the Geek Squad has put his "Special Agent" badge up for sale on Ebay to help finance his startup computer repair business. Geek Squad's founder finds the action flattering.

A week after Best Buy announced it would be cutting 650 Geek Squad jobs in August, the Richfield-based company said Friday it will hire 500 new Geek Squad agents by the end of the year. Best Buy said the new hires will require broader skill sets, concentrate on small businesses and the company's next generation Connected Stores, and less on basic home installations.

Minneapolis-based Target is teaming up with Richfield-based Best Buy to test a tech-support program. The Denver Post reports more than two-dozen Target stores in the Denver metro will start featuring Best Buy’s Geek Squad agents this fall. One store in the Twins Cities will also take part in the pilot project. The trained technicians will offer in-store gadget repairs to home-theater delivery and installation.