Outdoors firm to close for Black Friday

NEW YORK — Specialty outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. will keep its stores closed on the day after Thanksgiving for the second straight year, even though it’s one of the busiest shopping days of the year. It will also again pay employees for the day off in a campaign that encourages people to spend time outdoors.

Online shoppers can put items in their cart, though no orders will be processed that day.

Chief Executive Officer Jerry Stritzke said the company’s move last year, which it dubbed #OptOutside, gained momentum on social media from various outdoor groups. He said he saw more than 20,000 social media posts from Recreational Equipment’s 12,000 employees. Many had their first Black Friday off in more than 20 years, he said.

Recreational Equipment, which has 149 stores, is now working with more than 275 organizations from the nonprofit, private and public sectors, including the National Parks Service, to push the idea.

The Thanksgiving weekend has been fiercely competitive, as many stores that were opening earlier and earlier on Friday are now open on Thanksgiving itself. That has hurt business on Black Friday, which had been the traditional kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. But there’s also been a backlash, as employees have complained that stores are putting profits over workers celebrating the holiday.