REI Closing on Black Friday

REI (Seattle) announced that its 143 stores will be closed on Black Friday. The retailer, however, will pay its 12,000 employees for the day’s work so they can spend time outdoors, reports Forbes.

According to the company’s President and CEO Jerry Stritzke, this decision reflects the company’s mission which states that being outside makes our lives better.

“Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth,” Stritzke said. “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.”