REI, the famous outdoor gear store, made major waves when it announced that they will be closed on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when U.S. stores do their biggest business of the year.
But that's not all - REI will be giving their employees a paid day off, encouraging them to spend the day outdoors!
Tell Target: Follow REI's lead! Help end the greed, and give your employees a paid day off on Black Friday!
It is good that REI is giving its employees extra time off with their families for Thanksgiving, but it's even better that they're helping turn the tide against the excessive greed and runaway materialism we see every Black Friday. Shopping is fine; obsessing about material goods and profit is not. We've seen people trampled, stabbed, shot, and even killed on Black Friday - and for what, a cheaper TV?
We Americans need to re-evaluate our values and reconnect with relationships, not double down on plastic goods, electronics, and ever-increasing profits for store executives. The chains will do anything to get us to spend more this holiday season, but we can tell them that that's not the society we want. They can offer the sales without the harmful event.
Tell Target: Join REI and lead the charge for renewed American values! Treat your workers and your customers right, and resist the Black Friday tide this year!
Dear Mr. Cornell,
As a leading national corporation, Target has the ability to set an example for retailers across the nation by closing its doors on Black Friday and taking a stand for your employees and customers.
I strongly urge you to join REI and give your hardworking employees the paid time off they deserve this Black Friday and Thanksgiving. Your employees deserve the chance to spend this time with their family, and the rest of us deserve a break from the greed. The holidays shouldn't be a time for an obsession with profits and cheap goods at all costs - that's not the society we want, and I'd like to shop at stores that share my values.
[Your personal comment added here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
