REI Archives - Blacker Friday

Black Friday sale at REI? It’s not happening!

If you’re headed to REI this Black Friday, then you shouldn’t. REI shocked the retail world back in 2015 when it announced that all 143 stores nationwide will be CLOSED not only on Thanksgiving day but also on Black Friday itself, giving all 13,000+ employees both days off. Since then, the stores have been closed every year, but not until this year has it become official that Black Friday will be a company-wide holiday for all employees going forward.

They call their campaign “#optoutside” and encourage their employees and customers to take the day to not only hike, bike and spend the day outdoors, but also to help join one of their many cleanup events nationwide. That means all stores will be closed on both Thanksgiving day and the day after that on Black Friday. They will then reopen on Saturday morning as usual at their regular business hours.

This is not the only store to do this. Patagonia and Brooks Running have also followed suit in year’s past and have closed their doors on Black Friday. Canada Goose also doesn’t ever run a Black Friday sale. You can read up more about REI’s OptOutside events happening this Thanksgiving weekend at rei.com/opt-outside.

Where to find Black Friday 2023 Deals on Outdoor Gear?

Here’s some of the other stores like REI where can you pick up deals on outdoor gear this Thanksgiving weekend:

The last Black Friday Sale from REI was in 2014. Here are those details.

For all of us outdoorsmen and women, REI is the go-to store for all of our gear. And for those who waited and prospered their purchases until now, the wait was worth it. This year we saw up to 50% off deals on items not normally discounted. If you were lucky and got in-store or online early, you could save on the latest camping gear, running shoes, bike accessories, and gps monitors. The sale started on Thanksgiving day on REI.com and Friday at 8:00am in stores.

For those into winter sports, the Black Friday was the perfect time to pick up a new REI-brand Revelcloud jacket at 40% off (men’s, women’s and kid’s sizes), new ski and snowboard equipment, and some warm winter boots (including Salomon’s Quest 4D Gore-Tex boots for just $159.99).

But our favorite deal had to be the REI outlet coupon (for use at rei.com) which let you save an EXTRA 30% on one single item purchased on the already discounted outlet stuff. Coupled with free shipping and extra member savings, the sale prices topped out any of the other sales we saw all year.

Finally, for those that take advantage of REI Adventures, you could save $800.00 (about 20%) on all 2015 departing Machu Picchu: The Inca Trek Trail adventures if purchased by Cyber Monday. This trip includes a guided 9-day adventure following the ancient path to Machu Picchu. It includes exploring Cusco, seeing ancient ruins, and visiting traditional Andean towns. Each day included about 5-7 miles of guided hiking with either camping or hotel says in the evening (3 nights camping and 5 nights in hotels). Best of all, just about all the gear and food is included so there is little needed to bring besides a sleeping bag and some cash for food.

Here’s a look at the full Black Friday ad: