OPINION
Company Revolts, Brings Value Back to Holidays Recreational Equipment Inc.’s #OptOutside Campaign shines negative light on the commercialism of the holidays.
REI’s noble decision to sacrifice one of its top 10 most profitable days of the year in order to allow its employees to celebrate a stress-free holiday will hopefully put the pressure on other retail marketers to consider the well being of their own employees before BY TARA JUNGDEN their own profit margins. On top of the REPORTER 143 nationwide store closures, REI is Black Friday. The also sending home employees working holiday from for the online store with a message hell. Causing appearing to all online shoppers four deaths and visiting the day of Thanksgiving and/ 76 injuries in or Black Friday encouraging them the past seven to #OptOutside. Orders that are years, this day placed on either of these two days are has come to be expected to be processed and shipped associated with agitation and anxiety the next business day. for all those involved, both shoppers Between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on and employees. It is for this reason Thanksgiving day last year, thousands that outdoor/sporting/clothing chain of Walmart employees were scheduled Recreational Equipment Inc., has to work. In this four hour time span, decided to close its doors this Black more than 10 million transactions Friday and encourage employees and were completed. The immensity of this consumers to #OptOutside. statistic makes the insanity revolving In 2014, 23 percent of Black around Black Friday crystal clear. Friday shoppers camped out during CEO, Jerry Stritzke said Thanksgiving night that he thinks Black “REI’s noble instead of spending Friday has gotten out time at home. The decision... will of hand. It was time to holiday initially take a step back from hopefully put the based on family, the consumerism pressure on other of the Thanksgiving food, and tradition has been trampled weekend, and it is retail marketers by the excitement because of this, and to consider the surrounding the the fact that REI is extreme sales. It well-being of their a business centered is for this reason around the outdoors, employees before that REI rejected that it was to be this holiday season their own profit expected for them to kickoff day, and pull a stunt like this. margins.” released its public Closing doors and statement encouraging customers encouraging employees and shoppers and employees to choose an outdoor to spend time in nature rather than adventure with family over shopping. shopping is something Stritzke REI decided not only to allow believes will be appreciated. employees Thanksgiving day off, but REI’s decision has already caught also offered Black Friday off, paid. The the attention of retailers like Danny push for early-bird Black Friday sales Korman, owner of “green general to have stores open on Thanksgiving, store” Park +Vine in Cincinnati Ohio, prying employees away from family prompting him to follow their lead dinners, has proved to the public just and close doors on Black Friday. As how intrusive and commercial this REI makes Black Friday closures an holiday has become. The company’s annual thing, hopefully other stores encouragement of followers of the will follow its cue and close their campaign to post pictures of their doors too, because Black Friday is an unconventional, outdoor exploits these unnecessary “holiday” that only feeds two days is meant to push followers to the outside world’s stereotypical view make #OptingOutside a Thanksgiving of Americans as material obsessed weekend tradition. consumers.
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LE JOURNAL December 2015
ISIS Requires U.S. Action President Obama’s response to the Paris attacks and now San Bernardino shootings demonstrates a need for a shift in mindset towards the terrorist group. BY PAIGE DUSSOLD REPORTER
The recent terror attack on Paris, France rocked the world. Then two radicals killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California. Even though the terror organization ISIS has, according to CNN, claimed responsibility for the attacks, U.S. President Barack Obama is showing little incentive to put a clear stop to their efforts. President Obama referred to the Paris attacks as a “setback,” during the Group of 20 summit press conference in Antalya, Turkey. A mere setback? Over 120 innocent people, including an American student, were murdered by ISIS, and he is still making decisions based on the same policy. Question after question came from reporters asking President Obama what his new plan was in response to the attacks. He did not acknowledge that the horrible event was anything more than a setback. It is time for Obama to make a
stronger stand against ISIS, and act like it is more than a distant threat. British Prime Minister David Cameron has already expressed his concerns that threats to the UK have “intensified” in light of recent events, according to the BBC. British Parliament has authorized airstrikes to targets in Syria, and Germany is next in the line of nations taking up arms to defend their safety. This is exactly the kind of action the U.S. has needed since we knew these threats were a possibility. Going to war against ISIS would not be a ‘War On Islam’. It would be a war on a radical terrorist organization that is threatening our national security. Being a Muslim does not equate to terriorism. In fact it’s far from it. According to Pew Research, there were 1.6 billion Muslim people worldwide in 2010. These peaceful Muslims are threatened everyday the same as everyone else. You can’t blame these 1.6 billion people for the acts of a few radicals. But Obama needs to see that constant political correctness and refusal to step on any toes will make us a weak target. ISIS has their sights on the U.S. and our allies. Regardless of religious affiliation, Obama needs to take these threats seriously. Without decisive action, we could be looking at more events similar to that of Paris or San Bernardino, California. President Obama, stand up or stand aside.
Go to Glory, Madame Dykes
