REI Closing it's Door's on Black Friday

Outdoor gear and sporting goods retailer REI is closed on Black Friday this year.  No sales.  No 4 a.m. shoppers.  No 3 hour lines. 

 In an unconventional move for the biggest day of consumerism, REI's 143 stores are shutting it's doors on Black Friday. 

Instead of promoting sales, REI is launching a campaign urging people to spend time outdoors rather than go shopping.  Using the hashtag #OptOutside, REI wants people to share their outdoor activities on social media during Black Friday. 

The campaign resembles Patagonia's 2013 ad that ran in the New York Times during the holiday shopping season.  The ad read, "Don't Buy This Jacket."  Patagonia’s wild success has been based on honesty and their abandonment from conventional marketing.  Patagonia ads commonly read, “Reduce, repair, reuse and recycle,” and provide steps towards taking action in environmental policy acts.

In 2013, Bloomberg reported that Patagonia sold close to $575 million.  According to Forbes, Patagonia has doubled profits in the last three years.

REI's decision to close doors on Black Friday may be an effort to touch consumers in a way that subtly draws more business to the company in the long-haul.  USA today asked President and CEO of REI Jerry Stritzke about the decision. 

"The thing that is powerful to me is this clearly is not a financially self-serving act," he says. "It's an act where we're really making a very clear statement about a set of values." (USA Today)

Either way, this decision is a reflection of how Patagonia has influenced large businesses.  Perhaps, we will start to see more large corporations follow in this same direction and end the mindless consumerism that takes place on Black Friday.  One can only hope.