“Lloyd and Mary Anderson founded REI in Seattle, Washington in 1938.” I started going to REI in Berkeley in 1985. The Berkeley store is still clean and friendly. The co-workers know their stuff and take pride in their equipment.
Thanksgiving was created by George Washington to give thanks to the Lord for victory over the British and for the assistance from France. Black Friday is boring and Thanksgiving is family time. Amazon deals are every day. I use REI for big purchases (bike, back pack) to get advice.
I remember driving from Portland to Seattle in 1973 to go to REI, when the Seattle store was either the only one or the closest one (don’t recall which).
I got a Kelty backpack that I still use, and a pair of boots that are long gone.