With Only 6 Words, Patagonia Explained the Brilliant Reason It Closed All of Its Stores and Paid Its Employees to Take a Week Off

The last week of the year is when many companies give their employees a break. That makes sense in many cases. It's a nice perk to give your team when there's not as much going on.

There are many businesses that stay open. Retailers, as well as restaurants and shopping malls. If everyone else has a week off, you should keep your doors open.

It's not Patagonia. Last year, the high-end, earth-conscious retailer said it would close its stores at the end of the year, and this year it is the same thing. There is a sign on the front door of the store.

"We believe in quality of life. Our stores will be closed December 25th thru January 1"

A lot of things I like about that sign. It's fairly easy. The first six words make it clear. Quality of life is a priority for the company. It is willing to sacrifice a week of sales during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. The company is still paying its workers.

The retailer said last year that it would be closing for a week.

At Patagonia, we do our best to not be bound by convention and to look out for people and the planet. For the last week of this year, we are shutting down our stores, warehouse and offices in the United States and Canada because our people need a break.

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the most difficult for retail employees. It really shouldn't come as a surprise that those employees might need a break, and that's why they're getting it.

It costs the company a lot in terms of lost sales as well as how much it pays employees to take a week off. If you really believe something, you have to act like it, and that will cost you something.

Many companies have a lot to say about what they think. They have mission statements and values and talk a lot about how much they value their employees or the environment. It's not the same as actually believing it.

Pay attention to what the organization does. You can say you believe something. It's hard to act like that.

Quality for Life is something the company talks about all the time and it's a clever play off of that. It's committed to making products that can be handed down. The longer a product lasts, the less it ends up in the trash. That's an important value if you're a company that makes the earth a better place.

If you make a product that can be passed from father to son, you create opportunities for them to make memories together. Those memories are carried with products that last a long time.

It's not just about products. It's not just about trying to sell as much as possible. It's not about being open all the time. They may need to take a break.

Sometimes doing the right thing will cost you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. You're doing it wrong if you only do the right thing when you make money or benefit. Quality of life is what the right thing is about at Patagonia. That is something it actually believes in.