On Nov. 25 millions of people across America waited out in the cold for some of the best advertised products of the year.

Black Friday, named after the black, or the profit side of the ledger, occurs every year after Thanksgiving.

In 2012, approximately 307.6 million people participated in Black Friday according to CNN. Many Americans, however, choose to stay inside with their families over the break.

This year, stores like Walmart and Toys R Us started their Black Friday sales on the night of Thanksgiving.

Other stores like REI have decided to take a different approach than the traditional Black Friday experience. These companies closed their doors on Black Friday this year.

A few years ago REI started #OptOutside in attempt to encourage people to spend more time outdoors and with their families during the holiday season. In addition to not participating in Black Friday, REI pledged to pay its employees to #OptOutside.

Black Friday is often criticized for taking away from family time during Thanksgiving breaks. In a poll on SHSCedarPost.com, 18 out of 40 voters said that they don’t shop on Black Friday because it takes away from family time during the holiday.

Black Friday is messy and chaotic, but millions of people take the opportunity to buy Christmas gifts for their loved ones year after year in an experience that is unique to the holiday season.

While many consumers fall prey to falsely advertised deals and marketing scams, people fall for marketing scams everyday of the year. America doesn’t need a holiday for that.

So if you think that Black Friday is a pointless marketing scheme that only creates a distraction from the holiday, there’s a simple solution: don’t participate. As for us, we’ve chosen to #OptOutside.