REI to Stay Closed on Black Friday, but Pay Employees

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REI, and outdoor specialty retailer, will be keeping its doors closed for Thanksgiving and Black Friday 2016.

REI, Black Friday

REI won’t be letting customers into any of its 149 physical retail locations on Black Friday of this year. It also won’t be processing any transactions on its website during the busy shopping day. However, it will still pay all 12,287 of its employees for that day.

REI’s decision to close its stores and still pay employees is part of its #OptOutside movement. The movement is designed to let employees have time to spend outside with their families and loved ones during the Thanksgiving holiday.

REI is also launching an outdoor activity finder to help people find local events in their area. This feature isn’t limited to the company’s employees and can be used by anyone to find an outdoor event near them. It claims that citizens of the United States spend 90% of their lives indoors, and that this should change.

REI is working with 275 non-profit, government and corporate partners to motivate millions of people to go outside during the Thanksgiving holiday. The #OptOutside movement will include information from experts in the outdoors community that will be shared on social media websites.

“The moment we announced our decision last year, people who build their lives around the outdoors really embraced the idea of reclaiming Black Friday,” Jerry Stritzke, CEO of REI, said in a statement. “It took on a life of its own and became about much more than REI.”

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Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2016/10/rei-black-friday/.

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