REI closing on Black Friday for 1st time in push to #OptOutside

Outdoor gear and sporting goods retailer REI will not open on Thanksgiving or Black Friday this year.

REI's 143 stores will be closed while it launches an #OptOutside campaign urging customers to spend time in the outdoors instead.

"Any retailer that hears this will be startled by the idea," said REI President and CEO Jerry Stritzke, who admits he was apprehensive about closing at first. "As a co-op ... we define success a little differently. It's much broader than just money. How effectively do we get people outside?"

The company's members pay a one-time fee for a share of the business. Its roughly 5.5 million members contribute about 80 percent of its sales.

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