In spite of the fact that Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday are among the busiest shopping days of the year and literally good days for raking profits, REI chose to ditch the holidays and announced they were closing its 143 stores nationwide. The announcement was made public last month and was also a closing notice was also posted on their website amid its #OptOutside campaign.
Due to the increasing backlash against retailers opening on Thanksgiving and the growing sentiment that holiday shopping has generally spun out of control, REI opted to boycott the annual shopping tradition during Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, NBC News noted. Since the Seattle-based outdoors retailer is closing its stores nationwide, the company urged employees and customers to enjoy outdoor activities and share them on social media using the hashtag #OptOutside.
"Tomorrow we are closing our doors and going outside," the company's announcement read as posted on its website. "The only doors we want you busting are the outdoors, with us." While REI CEO Jerry Stritzke said in a statement, "The idea has struck a chord - far more than we expected. Clearly people are looking to do something a bit different with their time."
Even though REI doesn't make as much money on the holiday as giant rivals like Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy, their move made a big gain in brand awareness. It also let the company align itself with complaining consumers, part of a trend in marketing known as "shared-value" branding.
Aside from closing its stores on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, REI is also paying almost 12,000 employees to enjoy the outdoors as part of its #OptOutside campaign, which immediately went viral on social media.
"Get outside and escape the crazy frenziness that is Black Friday in the world of retail," 13-year REI store manager Nikki Mashapure explained, as per Fox 8. "So we really want to extend the family feeling and whole concept that is Thanksgiving, and carry that into the next day instead of going out into the retail madness."
With REI's #OptOutside campaign, the company has reportedly gained more than 1 million supporters, pledging to attend some of the 300 events listed on the website Meetup.com. Some of the outdoor activities include volleyball and surfing. The company was also supported by 150 companies, nonprofit organization as well as state and federal agencies, Time reported.
"We did this to share our passion for reconnecting with the people we love, in the outdoor places we love," Stritzke said. "But honestly we are surprised by - and very grateful for - the number of groups joining in."
Meanwhile, REI won't disclose how much money it may stand to lose by shutting down on Black Friday, which is the top sales day of the year for many brick and mortar retailers.
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