REI is DA BOMB

[Sardine]

I ordered holiday gifts for my parents and my sister and her husband this year online at REI.
The usual emails followed: expect delivery on 14 Dec. I didn't look for delivery status until today, Friday, 15 Dec, due to exceptionally busy time this week at work. (REI's website uses USPS for delivery. You can change the delivery agents by calling the 800 number to place your order. Online they offer only USPS. I didn't know this when I placed the order.)
Long story short: to my surprise, USPS's website was reporting the package delivered on the 13th at 2:20 pm!
( I wouldn't have bothered checking if I'd already rec'd the package! )
I went looking for USPS's number for my zip code PO. All I could find on the USPS web site was their 800 number with those ghastly computer generated voices pretending to be human and asking you to say specific words. I rebelled. I only said " I WANT TO SPEAK WITH A HUMAN!"
I couldn't find the local Post Office's phone number on the USPS web site.
REI's order status page gives you their 800 number on the same page. (Here is a major clue to retail philsophy.) I called it. They wanted me to check with the USPS first.
So I made a second effort to locate the local PO for my zip code. I found it, not on the USPS web site, but on Google. (HERE IS A SECOND MAJOR CLUE TO THE VENDOR'S PHILOSOPHY ABOUT ITS CLIENTS.)
I won't go into all the gory details about my conversation with the local PO staff. Suffice it to say, that when I explained my story all she could say was "well!" in a smirkey aren't you and idiot sort of way. They couldn't explain what they'd do to track down the lost package or when I might expect to receive a call back about it.
So I called REI back with my problem, using their 800 number.
REI's telephone customer service rep [hereafter called (((( MY HERO ))))], after hearing my story, says she thinks she can help solve my problem and asks if I'll hold a minute while MY HERO checks.
MY HERO can send a replacement order, over night, on REI's dime, for delivery next Tuesday, but two items are out of stock. I say, I'm not worried about the out of stock problem: lets just find something comparable in price and color and material, we can go up or down 5 or 10 on the price and I'll pay the difference. We find replacement items for the out of stock items. MY HERO states REI'll eat the difference of price and still send it overnight UPS on their dime. (I'll let you know if UPS comes through!)
There are other reasons why I think REI is "DA BOMB" but they'll make me seem biased. My daughter, who works at REI's Atlanta store, had nothing at all to do with this situation and the customer service rep didn't know my daughter worked at the Atlanta store. My daughter got pretty pissed at me for not using her to use her employee discount to get these gifts, when I told her this story this afternoon.
All's I can say is I've never met a retailer like REI for customer service and, yeah, you can get gear for cheaper, but I've NEVER found customer service at any retailer as good as you get at REI

[the goat]

yeah, they're customer service is pretty damn good. which is a rare thing, imo.

[Pacific Tortuga]

I've been buying every thing from REI the last six months. Gifts for everyone, birhday's, Christmas, hanukkah, weddings and of course ........ me all at retail prices. I know this is fiscally irresponsible but I keep thinking of the size of my dividend check in early March. I have bought 90% of what I'm carrying already so I will just use the check for this and that as I hike. REI sells the main stream gear and thats fine (i lean towards cottage gear) but I believe in them and their customer service completely. REI is DA BOMB

[iamscottym]

I've had similar experiences with REI. And for their trouble, they get virtually every gear dollar I spend.

[Topcat]

There is a reason that they are listed as one of the 100 best places to work (and it isnt pay...lol). Some people on Whiteblaze dont like them, but i put them up there as one of my favorite stores. I especially love my dividend.

[rafe]

I've had mixed success with REI. It seems my mind turns to mush inside that store, and I've bought some really silly gear there. The sales staff will try sell you what they have in the store, and not necessarily what's best for an AT thru-hike. (How would they know, anyway?) OTOH, I've also had the sales staff encourage me to return stuff that I'm not happy with. And so I have... I've spent megabucks at REI over the years, so I'm not feeling too guilty about it. It's definitely not the place to go looking for ultralight gear.

[Jerm]

OTOH, I've also had the sales staff encourage me to return stuff that I'm not happy with.

REI does not stand for Return Everthing Incorporated for nothing!

[stumpknocker]

I love their name brand lite-weight and mid-weight microfiber shirts. I've used the last two for over 5,000 miles without any real signs of wear. My heavy-weight REI shirt almost never gets used because it makes me too warm.

I would wear holes from my backpack in Patagonia Capilene shirts in less than 2,000 miles. I did that several times before I switched to REI brand shirts.

I also know a couple former thru hikers that work at REI in NE Atlanta.

[chknfngrs]

REI is all about heart. The folks who work there (especially in Customer Service) are very good at what they do. REI has excellent customer service. At times, their sales specialists CAN be overbearing and try to fill your cart with things you don't need, but I always talk back and they seem to 'get it' that I don't really need the help.

Retail's not always the best place to work...most of the time, in the retail world and any store for that, if it's nice outside, you're working inside and missng some of the goodness that good weather provides. Benefits are in the employee programs. Also to be a part of the Forbes Top 100 list, my good friend and longtime REI employee said the company has to pay to be involved! Yow!

[Sly]

I was in the Perimeter store the other day checking out the Antifreeze (down) and Gossamer (primaloft) jackets when the sales person asked if I hiked? Well yeah!

Anyway, she was real helpful and found one out back in the color and size I wanted. Most of the people in the store were great, laid back and not pushy at all.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod...S_CLOTHING_TOC

[Almost There]

I like REI, if I know what I am looking for. Their customer service and return policy are second to none. One thing, if you are going there for shoes or boots, know what you want, they will try to push boots every time if you are a backpacker.

[squeeze]

da bomb: (adjective) Great; awesome; extremely cool.

In case anyone else was wondering.

[QHShowoman]

The sales staff will try sell you what they have in the store, and not necessarily what's best for an AT thru-hike. (How would they know, anyway?)

I can't speak for ALL REI locations, but in the store that I work at, you can't work in the camping, climbing, biking, or paddling departments unless you are pretty experienced in those areas. We have several thru-hikers who work in our store and in addition to working the sales floor, many of them conduct workshops and classes on backpacking, long distance hiking, etc., so they really know their *****, so to speak.

And incidentally, REI was #9 on Forbes Top 100 List last year ... and has been on the Top 100 list EVERY year since Forbes began publishing it. And for a retail store, their pay is nothing to snort at. When I started at REI, I was making more than $3 over the state minimum wage; a year and two raises later, I am almost making DOUBLE the state minimum wage. Not too bad for someone who only works about 15 hours a week and much better than many other retail jobs.

[Egads]

I shop at REI Atlanta & Online and had good experiences with both. The service is top notch & the staff is knowledgeable of their products.

REI has good sales about 4 times a year & they give members dividends to apply against purchases.


REI Management take notice:
You can't buy any product that is not marketed to the masses.

Don't even think of asking to see a tarptent, quilt, hammock fly, freezerbag coozy, gearskin or any light weight pack, etc...

Where are the light weight products that thru hikers really want?

Where are the high end brands like Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, Mont-Bell, Nunatek?

I like to put my hands on products before I buy them. You can't do this when buying on the internet.

[chknfngrs]

Egads: REI is not obligated to carry anything. Were I you, I'd contact said vendors and ask them why they aren't in REI. Most likely you'll hear that they're not large enough to turn a profit big enough to make sense for REI to carry them in the first place. That's why you should go through those high-end guys directly.

Alas, to compute your comment on in-hands shopping, I cannot argue with you. Nothing will ever take the place of a outfitter/shop. It makes it harder sometimes to buy all that great stuff, doesn't it!

[Jim Adams]

Stumpknocker,
I have been using capilene simply because it doesn't retain odor. How is the REI stuff that you were talking about? I will switch in a heartbeat if it works as well and lasts longer!

geek

[rafe]

I can't speak for ALL REI locations, but in the store that I work at, you can't work in the camping, climbing, biking, or paddling departments unless you are pretty experienced in those areas. We have several thru-hikers who work in our store and in addition to working the sales floor, many of them conduct workshops and classes on backpacking, long distance hiking, etc., so they really know their *****, so to speak.

OK, quick example from the weekend before last. I was allowed to roll out and set up an MSR MicroZoid tent. Glad I got the chance, because it really was too small, even for me... so one more tent to scratch off my short-list. When I asked the associate if they carried single-wall tents, I was told, no, "because they don't work for New England conditions." Now, as I understand it, Tarptents are becoming somewhat popular among thru-hikers, and get rave reviews almost everywhere. Unless I'm quite mistaken (it's happened before ) this associate was feeding me a bit of bull.

[chknfngrs]

I think some REI staff can get carried away with things. They get so excited to talk gear that sometimes they forget some folks don't speak Gearhead.

I also think single wall tents are not preferable in conditions other than dry, arid environments.

[ahodlofski]

REI is great...be sure to hit the REI.com website...then look for the REIOUTLET tab...they have great deals...sometime insane deals...on there on random gear. I got a Marin county road bike for $699 marked down from $1099 last year. That and a great new ski hat for 5 bucks. YAY!!!

Plus..that dividend check you get back at the end of the year...so sweet.

[ahodlofski]

Oh yea...be very careful if you ask a question at the store...leave looooots of time for the answer.