Outdoor retail store REI will be closed on Black Friday.
Yes, that’s right. On the biggest retail day of the year, the company will close all of its 143 stores and give its employees a paid day off. There won’t be any Black Friday promotions, and online orders will not be processed until Saturday. The stores will also be closed on Thanksgiving.
The co-op launched a campaign Tuesday, called #OptOutside, to encourage its employees and customers to spend Nov. 27 outside, rather than in stores.
In a statement on the #OptOutside website, CEO Jerry Stritzke said the company is dedicated to “a life outdoors.”
“We believe that being outside makes our lives better,” Stritzke wrote. “And Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth.”
The website also provides viewers with a search tool to find outdoor locations near them to visit on Nov. 27.
RELATED: Staples to close stores on Thanksgiving
REI is the only large retail company to announce its closure on Black Friday. Other companies, including Staples, Costco and Nordstrom, have said they will not open on Thanksgiving, which has not always been the case.
REI, which was rated number 58 in Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” said it will still have holiday sales — they just won’t happen the day after Thanksgiving.
Nicole Brown