REI Reviews Summary

Customer Service

Pros:

• "Man their customer service was great. Attentive to needs and not pushy on sales."
• "The staff are helpful and they have a lot of inventory to browse through."
• "Highly professional stuff, very welcoming atmosphere."
• "Knowledgeable, friendly staff."
• "Great customer service, Lilia was kind and detailed oriented."
• "Good customer service and not pushy. Overall good vibes."
• "The staff is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable."

Cons:

• "REI’s union busting is disgusting."
• "I find the customer service here can be hit-or-miss."
• "The Asian saleswoman was extremely rude with a and did not assist us at all."
• "If you’re white then the service is right. If you’re an Asian woman like me, don’t expect them to treat you respectfully!"
• "The slowest service known to mankind."
• "I have never met such rude people in my entire life."
• "Very, very bad customer service. Mostly lazy, not interested and poorly informed staff."

Membership and Returns

Pros:

• "If you become a member you automatically take advantage of returns through dividends and yearly discounts that often allow you to break even."
• "Sales and discounts are very generous and have a super hassle-free return policy."
• "If you get a membership, you can make returns anytime up to a year from purchase without a receipt!"
• "Becoming a member requires only one single payment of $20, which very easily pays for itself in no time due to all of the member perks and events."
• "Membership is Lifetime! No need to renew yearly like Amazon Prime or Costco and others."
• "Membership is a must if you're going to frequent this shop. You'd get a percentage of your purchase at the end of the year plus amazing discount coupons."
• "Join the co-op. The benefits are amazing."

Cons:

• "I went up to the counter with an item and they told me I can't buy it because I'm not a member."
• "Horrendous experience. I picked out an item and was told I couldn't buy it because I'm not a member."
• "When it was my turn to pay the employee said that HE CAN'T SELL ME THE PRODUCT BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY FOR MEMBERS."
• "Terrible experience with this Brand. They do not offer simple and free returns, you can't exchange in an easy process."
• "Would not recommend shopping here. I grabbed some 'member only' shoes from without knowing."
• "All I wanted to do was buy some pants. When I went to try them on the man who was opening the dressing room for me wouldn’t stop trying to sell me a membership."
• "Walked into this REI and spent some time judging what headlamp I wanted to buy. When I decided on a good one I bring it to the front for them to tell me I have to buy a membership for the privilege to buy it from them."

Product Selection and Availability

Pros:

• "This store is amazing. They have everything. Except help."
• "This store has everything you can think of for camping, hiking, climbing, etc., and then some."
• "The place is well-stocked and they have everything you need for equipment, clothing, gear or anything you need for your outdoor adventures."
• "Very helpful staff and a great selection of quality outdoor and climbing supplies."
• "The selection is massive."
• "This store has all the equipment you'll ever need to explore the great outdoors- including a bicycle expert."
• "Nice selection of bikes and REI has its own in-house brand of bikes."

Cons:

• "They stopped carrying Vibram Five Fingers and have no other barefoot/minimalist options that I could see."
• "REI does not inspect their returns and puts product, particularly camping gear, right back on the floor."
• "They said online that they had a ski shop with ski boot fitting, but all the employees in the soho store told me they do not have a ski shop and do not do ski boot fittings."
• "The only issue is that their stock on a lot of sized items have been low and they on many occasions were out of stock."
• "REI is completely sold out of my size."
• "The place has gone drastically downhill. understaffed, staff no longer engaging as before, does not carry most sizes."
• "Additionally, the inventory management results in frequent out of stock situations."