BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Instead of running from store to store this Black Friday, REI wants its customers to run outdoors. And it seems like the company is putting its money where its mouth is.
The outdoor and fitness retailer announced it will close all 143 stores on Nov. 27. The company's 12,000 employees will get a paid day off, but REI's CEO, Jerry Stritzke, said there's a bigger benefit.
"I think for us Black Friday was kind of one of those iconic days that has come to mean more about shopping. So the idea of being up on a mountain, maybe finding some snow, is pretty awesome," Stritzke said.
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REI's decision is a bit uncommon. Most stores have continued to push their opening times earlier and earlier. Places like Costco, Burlington Coat Factory and Home Depot are part of a short list of retailers that refuse to open on Thanksgiving, but REI is the first to lock its doors on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
The decision comes with a price, though. Stritzke said Black Friday is one of the top 10 most profitable days of the year for the company.
But according to the National Retail Federation, as more and more shoppers have turned to online shopping, Black Friday sales have dropped in recent years.
Speaking to FOX25 via Facetime, the vice president for the chain Rachel Ligtenberg said, "Our REI employees suggested this was another way we could really celebrate the beauty and wonder of the outdoors."
When asked why they are choosing to do this now given that they've been in business since 1938, Ligtenberg said, "Late january we had a discussion about another way that the co-op could celebrate the holidays and here we are."
REI has a plan for online shoppers, too.
The company's homepage will urge customers to "opt outside." But for those who just can't wait for the latest hiking gear, online sales will continue.