Glad to see at least a few companies standing up to black friday.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/26/news/companies/rei-black-friday/index.html

Like the CEO says in the article, black friday has gotten out of hand.

10/27/2015 9:05:12 AM

i don't think anyone had a problem with black friday. the main gripe was about the stores starting "black friday" on thursday.

10/27/2015 9:07:09 AM

I'll bet you a lot of the retail grunts care

can't imagine anyone is too thrilled about having to show up to work at 3AM the morning after a major family holiday

10/27/2015 10:52:11 AM

Black Friday is garbage.

People think that they are getting great deals on cheaper versions of products.

The reason you got a great deal on that $150 laptop or $200 LCD TV is because it was the cheapest version of that product they make.

Not to mention EVERY major retailer does the same sales or better online.

If the Big Box stores were smart, close on Black Friday, save money on employee wages and just run better sales online.

10/27/2015 11:33:34 AM

Quote :

"i don't think anyone had a problem with black friday."

there have been large protests and petition campaigns for a few years now, plenty of people have a problem with black friday even when it starts at midnight

[Edited on October 27, 2015 at 12:40 PM. Reason : stay closed all day, open at noon at the earliest]

10/27/2015 12:40:05 PM

why do people have a problem with black friday?

yeah, i think it's out of hand. but i don't ever shop on black friday so it doesn't impact me.

i guess i understand why things about it aren't good...like, people sometimes get hurt (or killed, right?) in the rush. and stores have intentionally low supply. and retail workers have to work on a holiday which probably totally sucks for them. if you don't like it, don't shop on that day. i just don't understand what ^ says about protests and petitions against it. am i being stupid for not "getting" the outrage?

Quote :

" If the Big Box stores were smart, close on Black Friday, save money on employee wages and just run better sales online."

this seems smart to me.

10/27/2015 1:01:02 PM

because workers should be allowed to have time with family and black friday keeps encroaching on Thanksgiving more and more

Quote :

" so it doesn't impact me. "

well there is your problem, if it doesn't impact you it's not an issue

[Edited on October 27, 2015 at 1:08 PM. Reason : me me me me me]

10/27/2015 1:07:24 PM

Black Friday epitomizes corporate greed, ignorant blind hyper-consumerism, and mob mentality.

I always pictured black Friday die-hards as either the Walmart types that do anything to save $5-bucks, soccer moms with no life that have nothing better to do than drive their SUV's around strip malls all morning in the burbs, or the Apple Fan boy types that'll camp out all night just to brag that they are the first person to have a new iPhone 6S (which is hyped up for features that my Samsung S4 had in 2013.)

Glad one corporation is taking a stand against this crap. Pac-NW for the Winz....

[Edited on October 27, 2015 at 1:34 PM. Reason : a]

10/27/2015 1:32:42 PM

now I can spend that day with my chirren

[Edited on October 27, 2015 at 1:38 PM. Reason : s]

10/27/2015 1:38:13 PM

Quote :

"because workers should be allowed to have time with family and black friday keeps encroaching on Thanksgiving more and more"

so it's the employees petitioning and protesting? then, yes, that makes sense. i misunderstood your post and thought it was consumers protesting for other reasons.

and i don't care for black friday...but i don't really blame stores for being open and making money even though i do agree it's shitty for low wage retail employees to work on thanksgiving. sorry...i guess i'm realizing i just don't have a particularly strong opinion about this.

10/27/2015 2:27:05 PM

it's also consumers, because not everyone is selfish and some people are able to recognize problems even though they aren't impacted by them

10/27/2015 2:34:58 PM

yes, i understand that. like i said, i thought you meant consumers were protesting for other reasons. because i mentioned in my original post that employees having to work on a holiday isn't cool and probably totally sucks.

i didn't realize i was being selfish for acknowledging that low wage employees working on a holiday sucks yet not leading the charge to ban black friday.

10/27/2015 3:06:19 PM

I'm going to knock children out of the way so I can get some cheap ass TVs, video game consoles, laptops, etc. Then I'm gonna get some generators and go setup a big multimedia venue in Moore Square so that all the less fortunate people can have a great time late into the night, with the volume loud, the needles of drugs flowing, and lots of panhandling.

10/27/2015 3:11:20 PM

Quote :

"i didn't realize i was being selfish for acknowledging that low wage employees working on a holiday sucks yet not leading the charge to ban black friday."

Quote :

" but i don't ever shop on black friday so it doesn't impact me. "

10/27/2015 3:47:53 PM

again, i've acknowledged in each post that it must really suck to work on black friday and/or thanksgiving.

i was a bit confused as to what the outrage about black friday was about...i kinda assumed it was something new and unrelated to folks having to work thanksgiving. you informed that i was wrong, and the outrage most certainly was over people having to work those days. i agreed that that is shitty. i'm unsure what else you want from me.

10/27/2015 4:33:52 PM

Quote :

"because i mentioned in my original post that employees having to work on a holiday isn't cool "

the day after a holiday is not a holiday.

also, when i was in school and worked retail, i enjoyed working holidays. because $$$$$$$.

10/27/2015 4:36:46 PM

If you don't like working a retail job that requires you to work the day after a holiday, then get another job that isn't in retail.

^^and don't worry about dtownral, he goes off on his holier-than-thou rants every now and then.

10/27/2015 4:39:16 PM

Was going to chime in but HUR said everything I was going to say:

Quote :

"Black Friday epitomizes corporate greed, ignorant blind hyper-consumerism, and mob mentality. I always pictured black Friday die-hards as either the Walmart types that do anything to save $5-bucks, soccer moms with no life that have nothing better to do than drive their SUV's around strip malls all morning in the burbs, or the Apple Fan boy types that'll camp out all night just to brag that they are the first person to have a new iPhone 6S (which is hyped up for features that my Samsung S4 had in 2013.) Glad one corporation is taking a stand against this crap. Pac-NW for the Winz...."

But yeah I got that email from REI yesterday. I will most certainly be outside and no where near a store.

10/27/2015 5:05:45 PM

Quote :

"the day after a holiday is not a holiday"

to be fair, don't a lot of stores open at midnight? which, i assume, means employees getting there on thanksgiving evening/night to set up and prepare

10/27/2015 5:18:30 PM

Also aren't a lot of stores open on thanksgiving like Walmart:

Quote :

"Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, will keep most locations open around the clock — as usual — but begins the Black Friday sale specials at 6 p.m. on Thursday. (And the store is not apologizing for it.) They are offering a 1-hour guarantee if you line up at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day."

I think REI is simply saying there shouldn't be a holiday dedicated to spending money and consumerism and people should get outside instead.

From their email:

Quote :

"This Black Friday the co-op is doing something different. We’re closing all 143 of our stores. Instead of reporting to work, we’re paying our employees to do what we love most—be outside. We want you, our members, to be the first to hear—not just what we’re doing, but why. We’re passionate about bringing you great gear, but we’re even more passionate about the experiences it unlocks for all of us. Perhaps John Muir said it best back in 1901: “thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home.” We think Black Friday is the perfect day to remind people of this essential truth."

They even mention they're paying their employees to be with their families and be outdoors. I think the message is more companies should do this...?

10/27/2015 5:24:32 PM

Quote :

"the day after a holiday is not a holiday. "

Apparently my employer thinks it is...

Black Friday is a mandatory vacation day yeah Christmas Eve and New Years Eves are not. I'm not returning to the East Coast and would just assume come into work and save that day for when the weather is nice.

10/27/2015 6:22:16 PM

Quote :

"I always pictured black Friday die-hards as either the Walmart types that do anything to save $5-bucks, soccer moms with no life that have nothing better to do than drive their SUV's around strip malls all morning in the burbs, or the Apple Fan boy types that'll camp out all night just to brag that they are the first person to have a new iPhone 6S (which is hyped up for features that my Samsung S4 had in 2013.)"

Speaking as a long veteran of the retail wars, this is largely correct.

Black Friday is all well and good, and working retail you sort of accept that weekends and holidays you will be working. The problem is that now Black Friday has crept well into Thanksgiving day. We're looking at Wal-Mart, Target, Toys-R-Us, Sears and others maybe opening at 4pm this year. That effectively means that many people will be staying many, many hours past closing time on Wednesday night/Thanksgiving morning and then back again 12 hours later to finish prepping or prepare for open. It's absurd, especially considering how much less profitable it has become with cyber-monday and an ever more competition for fewer dollars.

We're legitimately only a few years away from a tipping point when it will swing back the other way and large retailers will open at normal hours or just a couple hours early for black friday. It's not worth it anymore. In fact, in most big box stores even with black friday that's still not the busiest selling week of the year.

10/27/2015 6:35:17 PM

I bet they're only "paying" salaried employees. I seriously doubt they are paying their hourly employees not to work.


I am too lazy to research this, though, so feel free to call me out when I am wrong.

10/27/2015 6:35:47 PM

Bullet is an anti-labor, corporatist sheep

10/27/2015 7:16:46 PM

Maybe we could get homeless people to work the stores on Black Friday? Oh wait, you'd rather them all just starve to death.

10/27/2015 7:23:25 PM

The day after Thanksgiving has been a traditional day off for employees for as long as I can remember.

How come no one complains though about the thousands of grocery store employees who have to work nearly all day on Thanksgiving, if not all day long? That has been going on for a very long time, it was happening before I left Food Lion in 2005. In my opinion, if you don't have those rarely thought about ingredients for your turkey or casserole, then you should've thought about what you're cooking in advance.

10/27/2015 7:26:41 PM

Quote :

"I bet they're only "paying" salaried employees. I seriously doubt they are paying their hourly employees not to work. I am too lazy to research this, though, so feel free to call me out when I am wrong."

As far as I can tell they're paying all employees even hourly ones a day off.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/10/26/rei-closing-on-black-friday-for-first-time-in-its-history/74627872/

Quote :

"REI will have no Black Friday promotions and won't process any online orders until Saturday. Just a small handful of its approximately 12,000 employees will be on call, while the rest get a paid day off."

I just asked my friend who works at REI to confirm though.

10/27/2015 8:03:50 PM

Quote :

"How come no one complains though about the thousands of grocery store employees who have to work nearly all day on Thanksgiving, if not all day long? "

they do, people complain about this every year

IMO the compromise should be noon to noon

10/28/2015 9:47:25 AM

^Plus, grocery stores rarely close for holidays, especially when they are one of the few stores that are necessary for the enjoyment of the day. I'm sure plenty of people have serious needs for groceries at 5 on Thanksgiving day. There are a lot of essential jobs that have to be done, even on holidays, its just part of the market.

The need for a shitty model LED TV, or a brand new overstock Northface Jacket isn't really a "must have" for a big family dinner.

I've got a couple of friends that work for REI, and they are really happy with the decision. Not only do they get to stay up late with their families and participate in the ritual post-dinner festivities, but they don't have to deal with the black Friday shoppers, which are a completely different demographic than their day to day customers.

10/28/2015 10:18:57 AM

Quote :

"Bullet is an anti-labor, corporatist sheep"

lol. dtownral is a weirdo.

10/28/2015 10:50:53 AM

This is just a marketing stunt more than anything for REI. No one really goes to a store like REI on Black Friday anyway so they get an ass ton of free advertising by news outlets reporting on this. Plus all the anti-corporation/capitalism people will be like "REI is awesome, let's go shop there on the following Saturday" or they will hit them up online on Black Friday and buy overpriced stuff. It's a great move by them.

10/28/2015 5:37:29 PM

No doubt it's a marketing stunt but REI is consistently ranked one of the best companies to work for. They do care for their employees so they're also doing it for them.

Also I don't get why people say REI stuff is overpriced. Sure it's current season outdoor gear but REI doesn't set prices. It's all msrp on the tag. You're going to pay the exact same msrp on a North Face 2015 winter jacket on Amazon, REI, or at Walmart unless the item is overstocked, last season, or there's a big end of season sale. Plus REI gives you 10-15% cash back on all purchases (member or member+card). Plus their REI branded stuff is actually really cheap compared to more expensive name brand stuff.

10/28/2015 5:53:57 PM

^That's because they're a co-op. Privately held companies and co-ops are usually great to work for. Once a company gets to the point were they're publicly held things tend to go downhill, not always, but usually.

10/28/2015 6:06:36 PM

Good point. They have the cheapest outdoor stuff too. I picked up a REI brand waterproof down puffy jacket last year for $63 and it's gone with me on multiple outdoor trips and is still good as new.

Seems like black friday at REI is dumb anyway. I've gotten the best stuff from their yard sales, outlet deals, and sale racks and I'm pretty normal in dimensions. If you're really small or really large then you could clean house at REI as a lot of their discounted stuff is on <S or >L items (I guess that holds true many places).

10/28/2015 6:13:27 PM

Not to mention they're warranty is NUTS.

I bought an outdoor speaker several years ago and used it consistently for about 5 years. The zipper on it busted so I took it in to find a replacement. They looked up my member info, found the receipt from when I purchased it and offered to replace it with a brand new one. After searching they didn't have anymore in stock and the company stopped carrying it, so they just refunded the full amount back to me and I bought it on Amazon.

I've heard of people bringing in raincoats, backpacks, tents with seams or stitching that came undone after years and year of use, and they replace it with new. You basically buy for life.

10/28/2015 6:26:34 PM

Yeah, I'm actually going to return some boots I bought there several years ago. The soles have come unlaminated from the boot itself. It's a manufacturer defect (I've read several reviews since that mention this), and while I've put some mileage on them there's no way they should have come apart like this. I fully expect that I'll be able to return them easily. Love REI.

10/28/2015 6:29:21 PM

Pretty sure I heard they limit it to one year now

10/28/2015 6:32:33 PM

Quote :

"I dunno, when I watch the linked video, is see a guy perhaps not aiming directly for the cop with his car, but who is not at all concerned that he is about to hit an officer with his vehicle in the process of trying to evade capture. There are other ways to solve that situation without shooting someone, but using his weapon is a reasonable course of action there to me, especially considering that if someone wouldnt be opposed to running over a cop with a gun drawn to avoid arrest, what else might they do in the course of their escape?"

I'm sure if the suspect were African-American moron would have a totally different attitude on this situation...

Quote :

"It's a completely senseless death over a fucking sting pot buy that the cops set up. Why are we even doing shit like this. It's like getting involved in a high speed pursuit over an expired tag. If you really feel like you needed to get this guy just wait a few days and arrest him on his way into work or when he's leaving his house."

Exactly.

Perhaps if the person presented a clear and present danger to the public, was a fugitive, murder suspect,
etc then even in this situation the use of force may have been warranted.

Quote :

"Cops love to say "you can't outrun motorolla" and yet here we are, another unnecessary shooting."

good call

#ALM


[Edited on October 28, 2015 at 7:02 PM. Reason : s]

10/28/2015 7:01:30 PM

lol

[Edited on October 28, 2015 at 7:02 PM. Reason : s]

10/28/2015 7:02:04 PM

Impressive wrong thread skills.

10/28/2015 7:03:10 PM

lol

10/28/2015 7:33:32 PM

Quote :

"Pretty sure I heard they limit it to one year now"

Officially they changed it to a year but unofficially if you bring something in you bought over a year ago and it's clearly a manufacturing defect and you haven't worn the shit out of it (meaning you used it a lot anyway) then they'll be nice and refund or replace it for you.

10/28/2015 8:05:25 PM