All 195 REI stores across the country will shut their doors on Black Friday for the 10th year in a row.
What’s Happening: The outdoor retailer is giving its 14,000 employees a paid day off on Nov. 29 so they can spend time outside instead of working one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
What’s Important: This isn’t a one-time thing. REI made the Black Friday closure permanent in 2022, meaning employees get a guaranteed paid day off every year to be outdoors.
Between the Lines: The decision costs REI one of retail’s biggest sales days. But the company says the move reflects its values and has strengthened employee morale and customer loyalty.
What Is Black Friday: Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when retailers offer major sales to kick off the holiday shopping season. It traditionally marks one of the busiest and most profitable shopping days of the year, with stores opening early and offering deep discounts to draw crowds.
The Big Picture: REI started this in 2015 with a simple question: What if we closed on Black Friday? The campaign, called Opt Outside, has grown into a national movement with more than 7,000 partners including parks, nonprofits and outdoor brands encouraging people to skip shopping and go outside instead. Over 10 years, REI employees have spent more than 1.2 million hours outside on their paid days off.
The Sources: REI
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
