‘One employee saved stores nationwide’: Who is the Best Buy ‘goth girl’—and why do people think she saved the company from bankruptcy?
Who among us hasn’t poured one out when a beloved store closes its doors for good? No matter how intense our nostalgia, sometimes it simply isn’t enough to keep the Blockbusters and Forever 21s of the world in business.
Now people are convinced that Best Buy has found a clever marketing technique to stay afloat in this don’t-call-it-a-recession: A goth girl named Rilie.
Best Buy has a series of advertisements featuring Rilie, a young woman whose hair color fluctuates from blonde to pink to purple to black, wears dramatic eye makeup, and has a septum ring.
Best Buy ads featuring Rilie are rife with comments like, “So I’ll take 100 of the microwaves or whatever she sellin.”
And she’s being credited with saving the company.
Why do they love ‘Rilie’?
Best Buy has been running the Rilie ad campaign since at least 2023. Since then, she’s become something of a cult heroine for the company’s mostly male customer base.
Her appeal—and likely the decision to create the campaign—lies in the stereotype that cishet men who frequently buy electronics are more likely to be attracted to women with her aesthetic.
“We are cooked. They hired goth girls at Best Buy. Whoever did the recruitment is a marketing genius,” the text overlay on one of many appreciative TikTok posts featuring Rilie reads.
People in the comments overwhelmingly agreed.
“Yeah yeah yeah I’ll take the toaster or whatever,” wrote one.
Another joked, “She could sell me a bottle of water as I’m drowning.”
That TikTok has nearly 38,000 views as of this writing.
Another recent post by a presumed Rilie fanboy is captioned “just take my money.”
The text overlay jokes, “Breaking news: Best Buy was headed for bankruptcy until one employee saved stores nationwide.”
“I’ll buy 10 air fryers or whatever you’re selling,” it continues.
(Rumors that Best Buy may be teetering on the verge of bankruptcy are false.)
Who is Rilie?
Unlike some other brand ambassadors—looking at you, Kevin Miles—Rilie is a real person. Her full name is Rilie Huntley. She’s also known as Gnomie online.
Huntley didn’t immediately respond to an Instagram direct message seeking comment.
Huntley is a content creator and influencer with 672,000 TikTok followers and 94,000 Instagram followers. She’s purportedly 24 years old and based in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
According to a LinkedIn that matches her name and profile picture, she works as a team lead at a Best Buy.
Huntley posted her first Best Buy ad in May 2023. The appreciation began immediately. “Both Best Buy mommy,” one called her.
Others debated whether Huntley’s look is actually goth. Some think she’s more of an emo girl, or that her style should be labeled pixie.
@bederfitness Just take my money? #gym #gymhumor #bodybuilding #Gymtok #gymmemes #bestbuy #airfryer #gothgirl ♬ original sound – hetvisuals
No matter what you call it, there’s no denying Huntley’s appeal.
Unfortunately for some of her more amorous fans, according to Huntley’s social media profiles, she is taken.
But you can still buy a QLED TV if she so moves you.
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