8 ms·
REI to shut on Black Friday to have employees go outside
- steven2012 11y agoGood for them. I'm old enough so that I've been to enough Black Friday sales that I know nothing but shit is offered. I don't even leave the house on Black Friday simply because it's such a pain to go anywhere. I'd rather pay extra and avoid the lines, so good on REI for hopefully starting a trend that rolls back Black Friday a little.
- niels_olson 11y agoWhy stay in? The parks are empty! Personally, I go surfing.
- wil421 11y agoYou'd be surprised a lot of outdoor people go do things the day after thanksgiving because they have off. Last year I went trout fishing and it was unexpectedly crowded.
- codyb 11y agoAnd also a lot of times they're with groups of family and friends they don't get to see every day or weekend.
- michaelbuddy 11y agoIn the united states more people travel further over the thanksgiving holiday than Christmas.
- nether 11y agoLast year we did Mt Whitney via the mountaineer's route. This year I'm doing Williamson and Tyndall.
- froo 11y agoAs a non American.. it really confuses the heck out of me that Black Friday sales are starting on the preceding Thursday at like 6pm in some cases.
- pyre 11y agoIt's one of those things where the starting line just keeps moving forward. I remember several years ago when people were lamenting how the day after Halloween was when stores immediately started stocking Christmas supplies and decorations. Now Halloween isn't even the starting point. I suspect that this somewhat has to do with the decline in retail dollars and the higher-ups are milking whatever they can get their hands on to keep sales going.
- freshyill 11y agoI went Black Friday shopping a few years ago when midnight was the earliest opening. We got some good deals, and it was fun, but I don't like that I'm partly to blame for making all those employees work on Thanksgiving. We don't have nearly enough national holidays in the U.S., and I don't want to take this one away from anyone.
- froo 11y agoI really don't get some public holidays either. Here in Victoria, Australia, they introduced a new public holiday this year the day before a sporting event to celebrate that sporting event (the AFL grand final). It's official name is - I kid you not "Friday before the AFL Grand Final" It is incredibly bizarre.
- adevine 11y agoAs an American, it confuses the heck out of me, too. I sometimes think of the "retail ruining of Thanksgiving" as a pretty good argument against libertarianism. That is, if government mandated that stores can't open on Thanksgiving, pretty much EVERYONE benefits: stores don't really WANT to open early, they just want to open before their competitors. A mandated open time prevents the "race to the bottom... of Thanksgiving morning". Similarly, bargain hunters don't want to miss out on Thanksgiving either - they just want to get the best deals.
- yeukhon 11y agoThis is why online shopping is a goldmine.
- intopieces 11y agoWith the workers safely hidden in the warehouses, we can ignore their plight and feel like we did the right thing for someone, at least.
- freshyill 11y agoBack 15 years ago or so, when I was in college, a friend and I went by Best Buy and Circuit City to get really cheap spindles of CDs. The CDs were junky, but they didn't need to be great. Right after college, I worked Black Friday at Best Buy and we had some really junky DVD players for $35 or so. Hell, we got two full trucks the night before Thanksgiving at our small store and we had them stacked so high in the warehouse that the stacks eventually collapsed and we were just throwing them onto huge piles. They're packed pretty well, but I can't guarantee that we didn't break any of those junky players any worse than they already were. However, a few years ago (2009), my wife and I went out late Thanksgiving night for a midnight Toys R Us opening… then Old Navy… then Walmart… then Kmart. It was certainly crazy, but we saved around $300. We got video games, Lego sets and toys. All of it was stuff we wanted, and none of it was junk. Would I do it again? With the perspective of how it interrupts Thanksgiving for all those employees, I think probably not. I'd be part of the problem. But it definitely paid off at the time. Sort of aside— you don't have to drop your turkey leg and rush out the door on Thanksgiving to get in line to get good deals. Ignore the doorbusters and drop by the stores anytime later in the day. There's lots of other good stuff that's legitimately on sale that's still there all day. Costco doesn't even open early on Black Friday, and their sales go through the weekend.
- zeckalpha 11y agoHow much did you spend to save $300?
- freshyill 11y agoWe were shopping for a December birthday and Christmas, so I'd guess somewhere around $600. In my $300 number, I'm also including a copy of Lego Rock Band for Xbox 360 that Old Navy was giving out for free just by being one of the first 100 or so people in the door and making a purchase, so that inflates it a bit. That's actually an interesting story. Old Navy was #2 on our list of stores, I think a 3 a.m. opening. The line wasn't all that bad—everybody lined up along the front of the store. Around maybe 2:50, a bunch of people started showing up, waiting just in the parking lot in front of the store. As soon as they opened the doors, these people tried to rush the store and skip the line, pushing the people who had been waiting out of the way. You'd better believe the people who had been waiting in the cold for a few hours were not happy about this. There's thousands of Black Friday fight videos on YouTube. They aren't caused by polite people suddenly turning into assholes at the thought of cheap junk. They're caused by assholes trying to cheat a pretty orderly system.
- kennydude 11y agoIn the UK, ASDA did one last year and people were fighting over "Polaroid" TVs aka ASDA's own brand .__.
- herbig 11y agoWill their website not be taking orders as well? I love REI, but this is a pretty transparent marketing ploy. Also relevant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day
- gkoberger 11y agoSo? It's in line with the brand, their employees aren't subjected to the terrors that come with Black Friday, and they still get sales. Everyone wins.
- ZanyProgrammer 11y agoI'm happy and hope it starts a trend, but REI doesn't seem like the kind of store that gets a ton of traffic on Black Friday. I'm sure they'll lose some business (hopefully offset by goodwill) but they don't seem like the typical retailer that really looks forward to Black Friday.
- justinator 11y agoI'm curious why you would think that. REI stocks many things for outdoor recreation for the Winter season, including skis, snowboards, snowshoes, jacket of all varieties, wool socks, ice climbing gear/mountaineering gear in general... boots! - the list goes on. The REI near me has a full-service bike shop and ski/snowboard tuning area. Then there's the people that need gear for taking off the winter going to South America. Or, you're just stuck indoors, rockclimbing, which has it's own set of accessories, including rock shoes, harnesses, ropes, chalk, etc, etc, etc. Yeah, REI does some business around this year, believe me.
- buckbova 11y agoREI is not a dicount retailer. So high volume at dirt cheap prices is not their business pLan, like say a Walmart.
- ZanyProgrammer 11y agoFrom what I remember, the local REI-located very close to Frys-never got insane levels of Black Friday traffic. Also several years ago went to a diff REI on Black Friday, wasn't overwhelmed.
- pm24601 11y agoWhat an excellent way to get and retain quality employees. Too bad REI can't suck all the good workers out of Walmart.
- erobbins 11y agoI'm sure both of them would come over with a decent offer :)
- stephenitis 11y agoIt would be funny if REI employees ended up going outside to camp at electronic and department stores as a result... It'd be nice to see their employees sharing stories as a result. p.s check out http://www.hipcamp.com http://www.hipcamp.com
- chetanahuja 11y ago"if REI employees ended up going outside to camp at" They're certainly well equipped for said camping.
- joeclark77 11y agoWon't they all just go shopping?
- joeclark77 11y agoWow... tough crowd.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- whafro 11y agoREI changed their return policy from effectively "forever" to one year. Sounds like perhaps that move gives them the freedom to pay all their employees for a day during their slow season.
- gkoberger 11y agoOne year still seems like an overwhelmingly liberal return policy. They're just trying to find the balance between being fair to customers, and being taken advantage of as a rental agency.
- voltagex_ 11y agoHeh. I was shocked at how bad consumers have it in NA - https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/repair-replace-refund https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees...
- refurb 11y agoUmm... that's different. REI is known to allow you to return a product for a refund even when nothing is wrong with it. Your links infers to a law that gets you a refund if something is wrong with the product.
- voltagex_ 11y agoRight - but REI is unusual, right? I believe Costco has the same policy.
- shkkmo 11y agoThat change happened over two years ago, I doubt it has any relevancy to this choice.
- tashoecraft 11y agoProbably considering how badly people were taking advantage of the policy. Returning 10 year old socks because they got a hole.
- brandonmenc 11y agoWhen I was in retail I loved working Black Friday - the day went by fast, and you could usually snag overtime.
- marpstar 11y agoMe too. I feel like it's a rite of passage as an American teenager. I guess the people who have families of their own are the most affected, but Black Friday was at least exciting compared to every other day of the year.
- securingsincity 11y agoFor those who don't know, this fits really well into everything REI stands for. They are a Coop where you can join and as a shareholder a customer can make back a percentage of what they purchase. Both them, the products by vendors sold in their store and their competitors (LLBean, Patagonia) pride themselves on reuse by offering many loose warranties, these are often lifetime warranties. As someone whose father worked retail for 30 years, and working several Black Fridays myself, I can't say I wasn't moved.
- codyb 11y agoI'm a club member here in NYC. Their store is beautiful, a wonderland for someone interested in outdoor activities (I get those feelings in bookstores, craft and building stores, and electronics stores as well). I was really happy to see this. My Mom always feels awful for black friday workers so it's a bit ingrained in me to feel bad when people are working when they could (should) have the opportunity to be enjoying holidays with family and friends.
- mc32 11y agoThey are not the cheapest for camping equipment, etc... But on the other hand you get a generous warranty so that many times this ends up cheaper than buying from the places which essentially are "final sale" outfits. So, in the long run, they can be cheaper and the staff are more knowledgeable than average (for retail) about the things they sell. That means they hire enthusiasts (hikers, campers, cyclists, etc., and not random JC student who do not care much about what they sell.
- davidw 11y agoAs an aside, one of the few stores that I miss from Europe in the US is Decathlon. They're a cut above the really low-end discount outdoor stuff places in the US - in some ways nearly on par with REI's store brand, but a bit cheaper. It's a great place to get cheap "pretty good" stuff for sports/activities you aren't that serious about. If you find you're really into something, you can always move on to more expensive, higher quality gear at a more specialized retailer.
- tdicola 11y agoEnjoy the outdoors.. in late November?
- outericky 11y agoSure, why not? Most people have the day off. It's a great time to get outside. Most locations aren't prone to snow just yet at that time of year.
- urda 11y agoYeah, it's pretty fantastic you should try it sometime.
- manachar 11y agoThe old adage, "there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes" is especially relevant to REI staff and customers. Some activities work better than others of course.
- morcheeba 11y agoOh yeah!! The trails were less crowded this weekend and my spiked shoes made easy work of the ice. Can't wait for enough snow for snow shoes... treking out hours before sunrise to catch the alpenglow on the mountains -- majestic!!
- thaumaturgy 11y agoThanksgiving is a prime time to stay in Joshua Tree. The weather there is usually really nice and often the entire park will fill up the day before Thanksgiving. Even if you're not a climber, there's a ton of fantastic hiking and exploring to do there.
- wwweston 11y agoSure! I mean, I guess it depends heavily on where you live. But I've lived in Sacramento, So Cal, and Utah. For the first two November is actually quite a bit nicer than the hotter months July-September. And while November isn't the prettiest month along the Wasatch Front in Utah, if the snow has started falling it's great for snow sports (including snowshoeing, if you're not a slide-down-it kindof person). And if the snow hasn't fallen (and/or if you want to drive a few hours south), there's plenty of hiking to be done.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- blazespin 11y agoThey're a co-op and can't afford to discount on Black Friday. Seems fairly straightforward.
- thaumaturgy 11y agoREI has sales, clearances, warehouse sales, seasonal sales, discounts, "garage sales" (used/returned/rental gear), etc. all the time.
- JonahBraun 11y agoActually they frequently have member sales with insane prices.
- chrismealy 11y agoAt some point the Black Friday arms race becomes so insane the only move left is to quit. REI is too cool for this bullshit anyway.
- rkuykendall-com 11y agoNot the ONLY move... http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52a1db6969bedd87275aaf04-500-322/cardsale.jpg http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52a1db6969bedd87275...
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- atomical 11y agoYou're going to have to plan ahead. If you can't plan ahead how are you going to finish a hike successfully?
- michaelbuddy 11y agoEvery business wants publicity especially for good things. Why be torn over it. The employees at the corporate level were already enjoying the day off. So should the retail staffs. They can make it up other ways. I used to work at a company who depended on black Friday and cyber Monday, because their products just weren't that attractive on their own. rei customers aren't really the the type who are overhyped about sales anyway. They are more of the relaxed functional types.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- bdcravens 11y ago> I'd be a lot more impressed if REI put up new signage in their stores beneath all "sale" signs that said, "Don't buy this because it's on sale. Think about whether you really need this item. You may have already have something that can be repurposed or repaired and completely obviate the need to buy this item at all." But wouldn't they then be accused of the kind of reverse psychology PR they're already being accused of?
- prawn 11y agoSurely any other people can prepare one day in advance or adjust their outdoor plans so that REI employees can all take the day off?
- nosuchthing 11y agoWith foresight, adventurers have ample time to prepare for their journey on this REI shutdown. This is about being a good company who cares about their employees. Also, you've set up a 'false dilemma' where you're assuming because the company wants to give their employees the busiest shopping day of the year off as a holiday, that they must also give them every Sunday off or else they're being disingenuous.. interpret it however you wish, but granted what I know of REI as a company this seems all in good faith and any marketing side effect however intentional does not discredit the action at all.
- nostromo 11y agoMaybe Black Friday is developing the GroupOn problem. It's a great way to lose money on the worst customers that will never come back anyway.
- smt88 11y agoThey don't lose money on Black Friday. In fact, they make a tremendous amount of money. That's why it's "black" -- going from red (negative earnings) to black. This is because they sell the products at a low price, but they're still profiting. Also, retailers gain loyalty from low prices, rather than lose it.
- bdcravens 11y agoThis. I think the perception is that the avatar of the typical Black Friday shopper is the people who wait 12 hours in line to get in a fight over TVs at WalMart. Truth is, most of the sales occur during the day on Friday from fairly normal people. (I think this is similar to the idea that all iPhone users must be hipster iSheep)
- supercanuck 11y agoThe only reason they make money, is simply they are adding more days to the "retail calendar." Those loss leaders are still getting traffic through the door when there use to be none. Something is greater than zero.
- ascagnel_ 11y agoThe problem is that the loss leaders go on sale at some ridiculous hour (I'm not waking up to go shopping at 5am when there's a big crowd). Unless you're willing to get up very early for cheap stuff, the shelves will be picked clean.
- smt88 11y agoNot true. Many retailers have their Black Friday deals online as well. The only difficult thing about getting the loss leaders is timing the purchase before the supply runs out.
- gry 11y ago“The owner, the employees, and the buying public are all one and the same, and unless an industry can so manage itself as to keep wages high and prices low it destroys itself, for otherwise it limits the number of its customers. One’s own employees ought to be one’s own best customers.” -- Henry Ford
- pyre 11y agoThis can't apply generally though. For example, how many workers that manufacturer yachts are going to be able to afford them? What about cruise liners or oil tankers? What about (e.g.) dental supplies? Should all employees in the manufacture and distribution of those supplies be licensed dentists?
- thaumaturgy 11y agoI bet it's possible to find the intended meaning in that quote even if there are some situations where it doesn't apply very well.
- sharkweek 11y agoWhile I applaud the principle of the quote, the overall philosophy always remind me of Office Space: Peter Gibbons: Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you'd do if you had a million dollars and you didn't have to work. And invariably what you'd say was supposed to be your career. So, if you wanted to fix old cars then you're supposed to be an auto mechanic. Samir: So what did you say? Peter Gibbons: I never had an answer. I guess that's why I'm working at Initech. Michael Bolton: No, you're working at Initech because that question is bullshit to begin with. If everyone listened to her, there'd be no janitors, because no one would clean shit up if they had a million dollars.
- daxfohl 11y agoMy first thought was to figure out the strategy to improve earnings here. It wasn't until a few minutes later that it hit me, there isn't one (gasp). And then it occurred to me that, isn't it weird that we live in a world where this is almost unthinkable? Running a business like it's just something you want to do? Just...weird.
- hammock 11y agoOne of the benefits of not being a publicly traded company.
- daxfohl 11y ago@existentialcoms has a pretty relevant tweet to this perspective six hours ago: I don't know what the meaning of life is, but if it isn't "working hard so the shareholders can make more money", then we are in trouble.
- pyre 11y agoWell, the "shareholders" here include employees and customers. From that perspective, some of the shareholders are gaining something from getting a paid day off (arguably even the customers are gaining from having happy retails workers to help them in-store).
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- rgbrenner 11y agoIt's possible that their stores are deserted on black fridays because everyone is at electronic stores/malls/etc (and it's late Nov, which might be a low point during the year anyway)... so they operate at a loss on that day and could save money by closing. Same reason stores close at night.. not enough customers to justify running 24 hours.
- zitterbewegung 11y agoREI's are in strip malls in Chicago. I think this is a corporate PR campaign and not the fact that they couldn't get customers.
- owly 11y agoDear AppleStore, I dare you.
- landryraccoon 11y agoApple doesn't even pretend that they care about anything other than money.
- kfriede 11y agoAnd REI has some history of caring for the employees and customers more than profits. Apple doesn't have this history, and would get ridiculed for having ulterior motives.
- juddlyon 11y agoSeems like a genuinely cool move and good business at the same time. Good for them.
- Zelphyr 11y agoIn case anyone at REI corporate is reading; I applaud this move and will likely be getting a membership as a result.
- jason_slack 11y agoDear REI, When I need something "outdoor-sy", I come to your store. The staff can always answer my questions, they do it wirh respect and passion. You are a little more expensive than ordering online, but I pay the extra money for the detailed service I always receive. I applaud closing on Black Friday and having the employees go outside. I mean, you sell outdoor gear, this lets your employees get a no stress day to enjoy what they sell. This gesture and demonstration of your core beliefs will continue my dedication to shop at your locations. Thank You, A Customer.