REI

This was my first time at this location. Employee "Elizabeth" was very helpful with my returns! I observed the store very clean & merchandise displayed well! I was asked by several employees if I needed help, (which is always excellent!) as I browsed. I enjoyed seeing the glass case of gear "from way back when"! I highly recommend this location!!

Fantastic selection everything outdoors, helpful team. Well organized store with ample parking available.

I've been a fan of REI for probably 15 years, and a member for 11 years. It's still a fine place to buy whatever you want that they carry, but the customer service is pretty uneven. I recently experienced this when I went to talk to an associate about good replacements for my tent of 14 years. I had researched most of their online offerings, and they seemed to fall into two buckets that weren't quite what I wanted. I had a good chat with the associate who initially stopped to chat, but she was quickly ushered away by another associate who clearly felt that the first associate should be elsewhere. This second associate proceeded to hear the fact that I wanted to buy a new tent and had a single reason I wasn't about to buy the same model, glanced at my current tent's specs I'd brought, and immediately started pointing at options and talking about how they could do so much better on weight. I should have immediately clarified that I wanted her to _listen in full_ to my 3 priorities for the tent first, before trying to identify specific models - weight was nowhere in my top 5 priorities. But I didn't call her out on her aggressive "settle for what we have" salesmanship, so the conversation went on for a full 5 more minutes of back-and-forth, with her trying to say that what I was looking for didn't exist, making sweeping generalizations that made me question how knowledgeable she was about tents beyond the store's current inventory, and saying things like "you're the only person I've ever found who didn't want x feature". Towards the end she slipped in some sort of "you can order this online since you're a member" "you are a member, right?" that was just weird. So, if you want to talk to an associate who is well-versed in a given sector of outdoor products and can advise knowledgeably, you may get lucky and find it at this store, but it's by no means guaranteed. (For those curious - Durston's X-Dome 1 looks like it ticks all my boxes, with Mountain Hardwear's Nimbus UL2 a close second that REI carries.)

REI has everything you could need or want. Their staff are extremely knowledgeable about their products too. We recently needed to purchase a personal locating device for a backcountry camping trip and the staff were able to tell us about all their products, the pros and cons, etc. The same was true when trying to decide what base layers to purchase for cold weather hiking. They actually gave me more info than I thought possible! I also never have to hunt anyone down for help as staff also approach you if they are not already busy. Love their concern for the environment, including going bagless! Bring your own!!!

I recently tried to return a pair of pants I purchased at REI after they shrank despite me carefully following the fabric care instructions. When I explained this to the associate, I was told that shrinkage is not an acceptable reason for a return. What frustrated me most wasn’t the policy itself, but the way the situation was handled. The associate argued with me, insisting that the pants could not have shrunk because of the fabric content. I’ve had amazing experiences at other REI stores in the past, and I even signed up for the Co-op because of the company’s reputation for customer service and their return policy. If I had been dishonest about the reason for my return, the pants likely would have been accepted with no issue. Instead, by being upfront, I was essentially told that what I experienced wasn’t true. As a customer, being argued with rather than offered a solution felt dismissive and unprofessional. A manager’s role should be to find solutions and support customers, not to tell them they are wrong about their own experience. This was disappointing, especially compared to the positive experiences I’ve had at other REI locations.

This store and company as a whole has really gone downhill. Some of the rudest and least helpful staff I've run into. Ive been buying gear from their stores and on their website for a loooong time but they seem only interested in alienating long time customers these days. This isnt my first issue with this company in the last couple years, but it will most certainly be my last.

Everyone we spoke with was extremely helpful. We came in for a tent and left with an amazing tent that held up perfectly to some stormy weather, along with purchasing some clothes and a few other items. We are very happy customers.