Sex Sells. I’ve heard this statement said many times before, and of course I have seen the beer commercials with blondes in bikinis, yet I had never really bought into the “sex sells” concept until last week.

I was standing in the Customer Service line at Best Buy, patiently waiting to exchange one of my daughter’s Play Station 2 video games when, out of boredom, I glanced toward the Geek Squad counter. Now I’m sure you have seen the clip-on-tie, white sock-wearing Geek Squad “agents” – dressed like characters from Revenge of the Nerds – the mental giants who have stacks of laptops, keyboards, printers, and drills – yes, I really saw a drill – piled high behind them and a Geekmobile Volkswagen Beetle parked outside waiting to whisk them away to the nearest network system crash or Grandma’s PC. I had seen that area of the store perhaps fifty times before, yet this time, I noticed something different, and I must admit I was rather taken aback.

A huge black and white photograph of eight or nine young men and women dressed in black and white striking various poses seductively stared back at me from above the Geek Squad counter. I definitely did a double take before realizing the photo depicted the Geek Squad in a “taking over the world” type of scenario. This was one hot photo.

Further research on my part indicates something even more remarkable. The photo was nothing in comparison to what the Geek Squad is becoming because it is beyond H-O-T! Apparently the geeks have arrived, and not just at another Best Buy countertop near you.

In Hillview, Kentucky, just outside of Louisville, Best Buy's Geek Squad technology services unit recently debuted the official worldwide headquarters for "Geek Squad City." Sitting amidst 4 acres of warehouse, 2.5 miles of conveyor belts, and $7 million dollars in stocked parts, this state of the art, 165,000 square-foot computer repair facility employs more than 500 Personal Tech Caddies who make up the elite Computer Support Task Force®. And the best part is they are ready, willing, and able to fix your laptop in 3 days or less, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Guaranteed.

This one-of-a-kind facility celebrated opening day at Geek Squad City with more bells and whistles than Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Grand Opening showcased the new facilities, complete with rides, a tour through the factory, helicopters, convoys of Geek Squad Beetles, live music from the All American Rejects, and Fabio (yes, that Fabio).

This event gives us only a small glimpse of the huge transformation the Geek Squad is taking on. They intend to address in a whole new way the customer disappointment issues which have plagued the computer repair industry for years. Think about your frustration if you have ever taken your computer to be fixed and then told it will fixed in about a month, which of course turns in to six or eight weeks. The Geek Squad is not only revamping and renovating this old way of making and handling repairs, but they also plan to completely change the way the computer repair industry does business.

The way they plan to make it happen includes the strategic placement of the Geek Squad City nerve center, which is situated next to a United States Parcel Service Shipping Hub, which makes pick up and delivery quick and easy. According to company founder Robert Stephens, who sold the Geek Squad to Best Buy in 2002, Geek Squad City is equipped to fix thousands of computers a day and they will not need to send your laptop back to the manufacturer for parts since they will be stocked in house. But as a pioneering business man with an entrepreneurial backbone, Stephens is not stopping there. In fact, he does not see Geek Squad City solely as a computer repair facility and plans to focus on research, development, and creating software as well.

With the goal of giving same-day repair service for laptops, with one day for shipping and one for receiving, computer owners can breathe a sigh of relief that the Geek Squad takes away guesswork regarding turn around time. The best part is that Geek Squad City provides service across the nation. If you live in Kalamazoo, you simply need to take your computer to the Geek Squad at your local Best Buy who will then make sure to overnight it to Geek Squad City. They guarantee that within three days, you will be back on the Internet playing Solitaire with some gamer in Hong Kong.

Such a breakthrough can only mean bigger, better and faster things for the consumer, especially since Geek Squad City’s primary focus is on computer and network support for everything from printers that malfunction to setups and installations to upgrades and crashing hard drives for both Windows and Macintosh systems. They have even created a Wireless Bill of Rights and will connect you to the Web without a dial tone. They have covered it all.

And why in the world was Fabio, of “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” fame, attending the Grand Opening? Company owner, Stephens, chose the former soap star as the Wireless-Ambassador-for-the-Day, as well as the spokesperson for Geek Squad City. Apparently Fab is a tech enthusiast who shares his personal experience of the Geek Squad freeing him from his dial up connection and encourages consumers to experience the benefits of wireless. We also interestingly discovered Fabio is not only obsessed with home theater (and installed a $2 million system by himself in his home), but he also has a penchant for Ronco projectors, Krell speakers, and laser disks. And of course, Fabio certainly adds to the “sex sells” marketing approach, which is permeating from the Geek Squad’s advertising campaign.

To learn more about Geek Squad City, join the movement for wireless independence, or download a photograph of Fabio, visit www.geeksquad.com.