Outdoor retailer REI is known for gear that makes the outdoors accessible. Now the retailer is using the holiday shopping season to make a statement about the importance of outdoor activities, and not just for customers.

On Black Friday this year, REI stores nationwide will be closed, according to Fortune. In addition, the retailer is offering employees a paid holiday day, to encourage them to spend more time over the holiday enjoying the outdoors.

REI operates 143 stores, and last year offered Black Friday sales on hiking equipment, clothing and other items. The retailer, which operates as a consumer coop with members nationwide, explained that sales will still be offered throughout the holidays, so customers will not miss out.

The company has a reputation as a great place for employees, and is one of only a dozen companies to be named to the Fortune list of “100 best places to work” every year since the list was initiated in 1998.

Other companies have also decided to close this Black Friday, including Staples, which also announced the move as a way to give employees more free time over the holidays. With recent critiques of the “shopping creep” that commercializes the holidays, some stores see such moves as a way to gain goodwill among workers and customers.