Thanksgiving is upon us.
Cue the turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Don’t forget about the kick-start on holiday shopping, too.
With many retailers gearing up for their Black Friday sales—some beginning on Thanksgiving Day itself—I’ve enjoyed reading about national outdoor retail cooperative REI, which will be closed Thursday and Friday in an effort to honor its employees and customers.
It’s refreshing to see a retailer of such magnitude be authentic to its brand. REI is all about promoting the outdoors, so its messaging to #OptOutside resonates well with its co-op members and consumers—an authentic brand voice is important to customers. Their customers identify with the outdoors and spend much of their personal time appreciating nature, often with friends and family. With most merchandise devoted to climbing mountains and backpacking in wondrous locations, like the Appalachian or Pacific Coast Trails, REI’s core mission is to inspire, educate and outfit members and the community for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.
A company that promotes outdoor stewardship in its community is leading by example for its employees with #OptOutside. It doesn’t get any better than that.
I enjoy a good sale as much as the next person (hello, Cyber Monday), but nothing beats relaxing by the fire with the ones you love.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-Whitney Herrick
Senior Account Executive
