This Black Friday, REI wants its customers to #OptOutside. Yes, there is a hashtag (because, of course), but what the store is doing really is noble: On Friday, Nov. 27, they’ll be closed. For the entire day. Oh, and they’re paying their employees to #OptOutside, too.
In a statement posted on REI’s OptOutside website, President and CEO Jerry Stritzke writes, “We’re a different kind of company — and while the rest of the world is fighting it out in the aisles, we’ll be spending our day a little differently. We’re choosing to opt outside, and want you to come with us.”
It’s a bold move in a time when the consumer monstrosity that is Black Friday is still making headlines every year: for the crazy store opening times, yes, but also for the fights, tramplings, and deaths that occur in the rush to nab slightly-discounted goodies. Already in 2015, we’ve read the news about the man who’s camping out in front of Best Buy for 33 days (okay, yeah, he’s trying to break a world record and is also raising awareness for homelessness), and there’s even a website devoted to posting all the Black Friday deals for eager post-Thanksgiving spenders.
Is REI’s move a sign that Black Friday is finally dying? Well, probably not. But with the help of companies like REI, its hold over Thanksgiving weekend could slowly be weakening. Already the number of Black Friday shoppers is dropping: Last year, according to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, overall shopper traffic between Thanksgiving Day and the Sunday after was down 5.2 percent from the year before. Some of this is due to the growing trend of online shopping (Cyber Monday, anyone?), but still, the tide seems to be turning away from the madness. REI might be the first to announce its withdrawal from the Nov. 30 shenanigans, but we’re betting it won’t be the last.
