Many Skip Shopping Altogether, #OptOutside This Black Friday
SEAL BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Many people skipped shopping altogether this Black Friday and opted to spend the day in the great outdoors.
It was all part of a movement started by outdoor sporting goods store REI, which announced back in October that it would not be open on Black Friday.
REI instead said it wanted its customer to spend more time outdoors and share what they're doing via social media using the hashtag #OptOutside.
Via Twitter, several people shared photos:
For 13 years, REI kept its stores open for Black Friday.
But this year, the retailer went against the grain and closed all of its 143 locations nationwide on Friday, including its Huntington Beach store.
The company declined to comment on how much money it was losing by closing on Black Friday, but said that more than 1 million people promised on their website to spend the day outdoors.
