Welcome back to the daily gratitude minute. This is Scott Colby from say it with gratitude. You know, I started the daily gratitude minute, three years ago. It was Thanksgiving day, November 28th, 2019. And the idea was to record a daily audio. That was about a minute long. Sometimes it goes two or three minutes.

Now I have not been successful at doing this daily, but here we are three years later, this is episode three 90. So it's been inconsistent, but it's pretty darn good, right? To still be doing this three years later. So today I want to share a message that I shared with you three years ago. Today's the day after Thanksgiving here in the U S so it is Friday and it's known as black Friday.

Black Friday has been regarded as the beginning of America's Christmas shopping season. And it's a day where many stores offer highly promoted sales and open very early, such as, as midnight, or may even start their sales at sometimes on Thanksgiving day. This day has also been known for customers waiting in long lines for stores to open. I'm not sure if they do that any more, but traditionally this went on for years.

Customers, we're hoping to get the best deals and even a time where there's a lot of pushing and shoving. If you can believe it or not. Imagine just kind of elbowing out people next to you. Trying to get a good deal. Especially a lot of times there's a limited number of a sale item. Flat screen TV is one that comes to mind.

It's definitely not a day where people seem grateful for what they already have. And in fact, a pretty funny, but true quote I've seen going around says black Friday, because only in America, people trample others for sales. Exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have. It's funny, but it's sad because it's true.

Now I love one of the big retailers here in the U S that has taken a stand against black

Friday.

And that's R E I. Five or about eight years ago. I think it is now. REI is chief customer officer Ben steel, joined colleagues at a table, brainstorming black Friday campaign ideas. When a novel idea came to his head. What if they just closed up shop altogether. So that's what they did. REI is not open on black Friday the day after Thanksgiving. One of the biggest shopping days of the year.

And as Ben steel put it, people thought we were crazy. Retailers were saying, why the heck would you give up one of the busiest shopping days of the year?

And to be really transparent steel didn't know if it would actually work, but he wanted to focus on his employees. Ultimately the risk paid off in the REI team found that much to their surprise. The mass of anti shopping effort in campaign seemed to resonate for both customers and retail workers who had grown weary of black Friday.

Imagine working these long hours the day after Thanksgiving, and sometimes on Thanksgiving day.

So what had initially been intended as a galvanizing moment for REI employees?

Has evolved to, into a larger cultural movement.

REI uses this hashtag called opt outside, encouraging people to forego long lines.

And big box department stores on black Friday and had outdoors instead. You know, I love that because I love the outdoors.

So I want to encourage you to do the same head outside today. Get out into nature, use it as a time to get some peace and quiet time to spend.

With people that you love and a time to really reflect and think about all you have and all that you're grateful for.

I'm Scott Colby with say it with gratitude. And this has been your daily gratitude minute. Cheers.