Are Any Stores Closed on Black Friday 2018?

Stores may already be decked out for Christmas, but for many people, Thanksgiving weekend marks the real start of the holiday shopping season. This year, 180 million people will shop either in stores or online over the Thanksgiving weekend (including cyber Monday.), according to Best Black Friday.

Much of that shopping will happen on Black Friday. While the rise of online and mobile shopping means it’s less essential to get up early and wait in line for the best deals, plenty of people still head out to do their shopping in person. And most stores welcome these eager holiday shoppers. But not all of them.

The one store that’s closed on Black Friday

REI stores are closed on Black Friday. | Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images

For most stores, the day after Thanksgiving is a critical sales day. But one store is skipping the shopping frenzy.

Outdoor retailer REI has closed on Black Friday since 2015. Instead, it gives its employees a paid day off and urges everyone to #OptOutside rather than spending the day circling the mall parking lot or fighting other shoppers for a discounted TV.

Not only will every one of the chain’s 153 brick-and-mortar locations be closed, but the REI website will also go dark. (So you can’t sneak in a purchase before you head out for a hike.)

Why does REI close on Black Friday?

While closing on the biggest shopping day of the year might seem counterintuitive, it makes sense for REI. The chain points out that in a given year, 150 million Americans don’t spend any time outdoors. By encouraging people to get out and enjoy nature, the company is staying true to its brand and maybe even creating a few new customers who will visit the store to shop on the days it is open.

“Day in, day out, we’re looking down instead of up, looking at our phones instead of the world around us,’” REI CEO Jerry Stritzke said in a statement. “We’re asking people this year to reevaluate that picture of themselves. To see technology as the starting point to a journey outside, not the destination. And to go explore the world with someone they love – on Black Friday and every day.”

Will any stores follow REI’s lead?

So far, no other big chains have followed REI’s lead and started closing on Black Friday. Competitor Dick’s Sporting Goods will open its doors at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, after also opening between 6.p.m Thanksgiving night and 2 a.m. Friday morning. Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and open again at 5 a.m. on Black Friday.

Patagonia stores will also be open, but the chain is taking a more low-key approach to Black Friday. It’s not running any big Black Friday promotions, which Black Friday 2018 says is part of an effort to encourage shoppers to spend more time outdoors. (The politically active company did close down on Election Day this year to make sure all its employees had time to go vote.)

Stores closed on Thanksgiving Day

Barnes & Noble stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. | Ablokhin/iStock/Getty Images

While few stores are willing to give up Black Friday profits, a significant number of chains are opting to stay closed on Thanksgiving. Here’s a partial list of major retailers that will be closed all day on Thursday: