View Full Version : REI CLOSED on Black Friday but there's more!
Here's this from friends at the LifeEdited site. I like the stance that REI is taking. Kudos to all at REI including the CEO!
http://www.lifeedited.com/rei-is-making-black-friday-a-bit-brighter/
Good for them. The commercialism of the holiday season is getting ridiculous. I've seen Christmas displays since before Halloween. Open on Thanksgiving DAY is increasingly common.
garlic08
11-21-2015, 08:19
I haven't bought anything at REI for years, but after hearing that news last week I actually decided to go there to replace some worn-out clothing. I cycle past the Denver flagship store regularly (it's sited at a major trail junction) and it's a regular bathroom and water stop.
Despite the nice move for Black Friday, apparently a lot of REI employees have some major beefs with the CEO and current management: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/business/expecting-warm-embrace-rei-chief-is-harangued-in-reddit-forum.html
Pedaling Fool
11-21-2015, 11:23
I'm 51-y/o and I still don't really understand these terms like Black Friday and the others centered around shopping; I'm totally shopping-illiterate:)
So I don't really have a point of reference for this, but it does sound like a good thing.
colorado_rob
11-21-2015, 12:06
Despite the nice move for Black Friday, apparently a lot of REI employees have some major beefs with the CEO and current management: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/13/business/expecting-warm-embrace-rei-chief-is-harangued-in-reddit-forum.htmlSeriously? Employees of a company having a beef with their management? WHAT is this world coming to????????????
Anyway, Kudos to REI for "fighting back" on this Black Friday craziness !
I haven't bought anything at REI for years, but after hearing that news last week I actually decided to go there to replace some worn-out clothing. I cycle past the Denver flagship store regularly (it's sited at a major trail junction) and it's a regular bathroom and water stop.
And a regular Starbucks, climbing wall, and outdoor deck sitting, people watching along the S. Platte River stop with opps to check out Natural Grocers and Wilderness Exchange 1 block away. Awesome bicycling around D... without snow on the ground. But you Denverites would likely throw on the skis or snowboard to get around. :cool: One of my fav REIs.
Seriously? Employees of a company having a beef with their management? WHAT is this world coming to????????????
Anyway, Kudos to REI for "fighting back" on this Black Friday craziness !
My sentiments.
Not intending to go down deeply into the negative complaining of commercialism but I'm now seeing Black Friday MONTH being advertised.
REI is offering solutions, offering to break the consume consume shop shop shop always connect to and prioritize the economy(MONEY) pattern!
YIPPEEEEEE!
This makes me feel even better about shopping at REI. Treat the employees well, employees will treat customers well. The insanity that has become Black Friday through so much of the retail world has to stop. GOD BLESS YOU REI!!
SWODaddy
11-21-2015, 14:11
Even though I know this is at least partially a marketing ploy (as the article suggests) - I don't care. Good for them. I hate everything about "Black Friday" (or black Thursday as its now become)
I'm at a phase in my life where I'm trying to get rid of things, not acquire more. Not that I ever was much of a shopper. Probably you have more of a chance of getting crushed to death in a mob at the mall than you do of dying on the AT, anyway. Black Friday is not in my vocabulary, and neither is the "holiday shopping season," a phrase and concept I loathe. I do enjoy Thanksgiving as a family occasion, but after that I grit my teeth until January 2.
I'm at a phase in my life where I'm trying to get rid of things, not acquire more. Not that I ever was much of a shopper. Probably you have more of a chance of getting crushed to death in a mob at the mall than you do of dying on the AT, anyway. Black Friday is not in my vocabulary, and neither is the "holiday shopping season," a phrase and concept I loathe. I do enjoy Thanksgiving as a family occasion, but after that I grit my teeth until January 2.
Statistics bear it out that over the last 10 yrs you're more likely to die or be injured at the hands of a human OFF THE AT a Walmart on Black Friday shopping than on the AT! Kinda puts risks in perspective of who and in what environment death and injury from humans from other humans is likely to occur?
The TJ MAX collection of stores will also be closed.
Wayne
Sent from somewhere around here.
Slo-go'en
11-21-2015, 22:09
I took advantage of REI's pre-Thanksgiving sale (ends the 23d) to buy a pair of down booties and a pair of down slippers, for little more then what the booties normally cost. Can't wait to get them :)
Just don't try to check out with paypal. For some reason the system hangs and you have to close the browser to get out of the loop. Finally had to resort to the card.
scrabbler
11-21-2015, 22:39
This is old news and someone like you Dogwood has probably seen a variation on the article link you posted dozens of times.
Where's the "MORE" that prompted me to click through?
Smoky Spoon
11-22-2015, 00:04
I applaud them. Too much commercialization is this country already. Most Americans havee way too much stuff as it is, so kudos to REI.
This is old news and someone like you Dogwood has probably seen a variation on the article link you posted dozens of times.
Where's the "MORE" that prompted me to click through?
Someone must not have read the article! It is NOT just that REI is closing upon volition of company policy! There is MORE. Since it seems it's too hard to click on a link I'll post what's more.
Not only will REI stores be closed, but the company will give its employees a paid day off to spend outside. REI president and CEO Jerry Stritzke says this about the campaign:
For 76 years, our co-op has been dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a life outdoors…We believe that being outside makes our lives better. And Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth…
That's initiating CHANGE to a connection with the outdoors rather than a connection to consumption and materialism. REI even puts their money where their marketing and HEART is. This move again demonstrates REI's commitment to fufilling their Mission Statement fostering a connection with the outdoors and Nature rather than rampant unquestioned accumulation of "stuff.
One thing about backpacking is that less can be more in terms of real and perceived comfort on the trail and the opposite is true in regular life where adding an object can appear to make life better, often superficially, while imposing no obvious and immediate cost as it does in backpacking (weight carried). This is why people accumulate so many objects that not soon after acquisition are useless and sit in a pile of other unused objects. People then store these things in their homes. When their homes fill up, they fill up their garages displacing their vehicles to the street. And when the garage fills up, people pay storage companies for units to hold yet more stuff.
Of course the analogy in "real life" is that the "weight" of these habits comes in two main forms: the burden of the financial resources used to acquire worthless objects and the fact that life becomes more complicated as you own more stuff - you become less able to move and less free in general.
As the financial burden, often seen as small with each added acquisition, increases in a cumulative effect, we have less ability to spend free time on outdoor pursuits, with friends, and family and more time working to acquire money to acquire yet more stuff. Then eventually we can't retire early enough to enjoy retirement years while in good physical health (important for us here who enjoy active pursuits).
I'm a capitalist and believe in individual consumer choice yet I have made my own choice to try to minimize the amount of stuff I acquire and this has grown more pronounced as I have discovered my ability to live for many weeks, or a couple of months with nothing but a lightweight backpacking kit. As that lifestyle has become more familiar, the stuff I have seems more wasteful and I have eliminated more and more of it - giving away a lot of items and even selling my car which was wasteful and used only occasionally.
But to each his own! Without the consumer culture in the US we would fall into deep recession fairly quickly and the holiday season is a big component of consumer spending.
Ahh, Coffee gets it. A hike is about efficiency, less waste/NO WASTE, greater independence, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY, SOBRIETY from societal and cultural norms hence vast opportunity for CLARITY and SELF-ACTUALIZATION and HEALTH, less about accumulation and regular impulse shopping, wt and volume becoming greater factors hence rampant habitual unquestioned consumption and materialism are avoided, a bond with Nature/disconnection with a bond to or prioritizing of money, etc MUCH opposed to what we are accustomed in society or what's commonly called progress or civilization.
As in John Muir's day so it is as TRUE as ever, "Thousands of tired, nerve shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain(wilderness/Nature) is going home; that wilderness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
This is not just about adventure John Muir is referring to but MUCH MORE.
http://adventure-journal.com/2013/10/the-aj-list-20-inspiring-quotes-from-john-muir/
QHShowoman
11-23-2015, 18:49
Someone must not have read the article! It is NOT just that REI is closing upon volition of company policy! There is MORE. Since it seems it's too hard to click on a link I'll post what's more.
Not only will REI stores be closed, but the company will give its employees a paid day off to spend outside. REI president and CEO Jerry Stritzke says this about the campaign:
For 76 years, our co-op has been dedicated to one thing and one thing only: a life outdoors…We believe that being outside makes our lives better. And Black Friday is the perfect time to remind ourselves of this essential truth…
That's initiating CHANGE to a connection with the outdoors rather than a connection to consumption and materialism. REI even puts their money where their marketing and HEART is. This move again demonstrates REI's commitment to fufilling their Mission Statement fostering a connection with the outdoors and Nature rather than rampant unquestioned accumulation of "stuff.
I am a fan of REI (and a former employee), but I do wonder what the fine print is on this. Like, as a part-time employee, we didn't get paid days off. If the store was closed for a holiday, we didn't work and didn't get paid. So I wonder if this is just for full-timers?
Regarding Dogwood's comment on waste, I find it amazing how much waste I generate in day to day life compared to what I generate on the trail. I can go five days on the trail and come out with a gallon ziplock bag maybe filled 1/3 full at the most. At home, I'll take out a nearly full 13 gallon kitchen trash bag every few days! And that's with all recycling separated.
I am a fan of REI (and a former employee), but I do wonder what the fine print is on this. Like, as a part-time employee, we didn't get paid days off. If the store was closed for a holiday, we didn't work and didn't get paid. So I wonder if this is just for full-timers?
You quit too soon? :)
Rabbity9
11-24-2015, 16:12
At least it sounds like the CEO, who took over somewhat recently, is genuinely surprised by the complaints. It really doesn't make sense for REI to penalize employees who don't sell a ton of memberships but are otherwise reliable, knowledgable staffers. I really value the REI employees who tell me what gear they like and what my best value will be, not the ones who try to sell me something I already have.
Plus, it doesn't make much sense for them to push memberships unless people don't use them. I've only been a member for a couple of years, and thus far I haven't bought any big ticket stuff like kayaks, bikes, or the fanciest most ultralight gear, but the dividends I get back have more than covered the $20 I originally paid. They lose money from me because I'm a member, basically.
QHShowoman
11-24-2015, 16:23
At least it sounds like the CEO, who took over somewhat recently, is genuinely surprised by the complaints. It really doesn't make sense for REI to penalize employees who don't sell a ton of memberships but are otherwise reliable, knowledgable staffers. I really value the REI employees who tell me what gear they like and what my best value will be, not the ones who try to sell me something I already have.
Plus, it doesn't make much sense for them to push memberships unless people don't use them. I've only been a member for a couple of years, and thus far I haven't bought any big ticket stuff like kayaks, bikes, or the fanciest most ultralight gear, but the dividends I get back have more than covered the $20 I originally paid. They lose money from me because I'm a member, basically.
From what I understand from employees, the push to sell memberships really happened in the interim between when Sally Jewell left and Jerry Stritzke took over and how hard the push was really depended on store leadership. When I worked for REI back in the Sally Jewell days, we had monthly membership requirements, but nothing bad ever happened if you didn't meet your monthly goal. I think we may have gotten an extra $1 per membership sold, if I remember correctly.
There were lots of other changes that impacted staff negatively that took place during the interim between CEOs that I think REI is still trying to recover from.
JustaTouron
11-25-2015, 16:23
At least it sounds like the CEO, who took over somewhat recently, is genuinely surprised by the complaints. It really doesn't make sense for REI to penalize employees who don't sell a ton of memberships but are otherwise reliable, knowledgable staffers. I really value the REI employees who tell me what gear they like and what my best value will be, not the ones who try to sell me something I already have.
Plus, it doesn't make much sense for them to push memberships unless people don't use them. I've only been a member for a couple of years, and thus far I haven't bought any big ticket stuff like kayaks, bikes, or the fanciest most ultralight gear, but the dividends I get back have more than covered the $20 I originally paid. They lose money from me because I'm a member, basically.
The point of getting you to become a member isn't the membership fee. It is having the postal address, email address and phone number of a consumer in the outdoor equipment market. Plus if that consumer feels they are ahead of the game every time they buy something all more the better.
Sent from my SM-T110 using Tapatalk
The point of getting you to become a member isn't the membership fee. It is having the postal address, email address and phone number of a consumer in the outdoor equipment market. Plus if that consumer feels they are ahead of the game every time they buy something all more the better.
Sent from my SM-T110 using Tapatalk
I give a PO Box and Google Voice number. :)
Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
QHShowoman
11-25-2015, 18:02
I give a PO Box and Google Voice number. :)
Sent from my SM-T800 using Tapatalk
As somebody who understands the business of buying and selling names, it doesn't matter as long as the address is valid. And if it's an old address, the post office will update it, anyway.
In contrast, not only will Gander Mountain be open at 5 AM on Black Friday, they will be open from 8 AM to Midnight on Thanksgiving Day. A relative of mine, and her small child, will be unable to attend Thanksgiving Dinner because she has to work. I, for one, will NOT be doing any shopping at Gander Mountain in the foreseeable future. True Greed.
Offshore
11-26-2015, 10:00
As somebody who understands the business of buying and selling names, it doesn't matter as long as the address is valid. And if it's an old address, the post office will update it, anyway.
True that - Going to the (ineffective) effort of using a Google Voice number and PO Box to attempt to hide one's identity from that nefarious REI marketing team is about one step away from aluminum foil hat territory. Besides, if dervari was that concerned about his privacy, Google Voice is a far, far bigger issue than REI.
Since my holiday shopping consists of some extremely minor gifts (I'll probably give my husband a scarf, and give the (adult) kids some gift certificates and/or charitable donations made in their names), the idea of going shopping for anything besides food and normal household supplies on Black Friday or any other day between now and Christmas makes no sense at all.
On the other hand...one of the outside places you can go on Black Friday is visit Glacier National Park on the cheap--GNP is having a no-entry-fee day tomorrow.
Front-country camping in GNP is also no-fee this time of year, I believe. It's not for the faint-hearted, of course. It's zero degrees right now...but all the more gorgeous for it. There's not a lot of snow on the ground in the low country yet, so getting around on foot is still pretty easy. Microspikes help. Some of the higher places already have 100" of snow, so there are hikes for which snowshoes are a good idea. Some of the impatient youngsters are wagging their skis around, but it's not really time for that yet.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
JustaTouron
11-26-2015, 11:46
I use google voice, because it allows me to tell it to forward calls to my cell phone during business hours and to voice mail at night.
Sent from my SM-T110 using Tapatalk