[catwoman]

I just took my trekking poles that I've had for 1 1/2 yrs to REI to find out if they had any of the plastic parts that go on the bottom of my poles so I can attach snow baskets. The ones that were originally there apparently came off at some point in time without my realizing it. First, the guy went looking at the shelves to see if the parts I needed were there. They weren't, so he took my poles in the back to see if they had any spare parts from other poles. He replaced the whole bottom section of the pole (and he was not planning on charging me), which would have worked, but they only had one of them. So, he told me to just go ahead and return them and get new poles! So, I found some that I liked better than the ones I originally had (the new ones were $80). As I'm returning them, I was asked how much I originally paid and I told him it was 1 1/2 yrs ago and I didn't remember but that I think it was somewhere between $60 and $80. He said he thought he found what the price was and that was $75. So, he deducted 10% for the dividend and I paid a whopping $13 for brand new poles! REI's awesome! Yeah, they do charge very high prices on a lot of things, but the low risk due to their return policy (and sometimes great customer service) makes it worth it. Just wanted to share my experience.

[Dante]

I slam REI from time to time, but I've experienced some very good customer-service there. For example, they let me exchange my mother-in-law's old yellow t-rest for her when the old-style metal valve gave out.

[Tom]

Unfortunately, REI has been out of stock on almost everything I've wanted to buy as of late .

[Scrooge]

You're right on that one, Tom. That's why I turned to you for the Zipka. On the other hand, I got my Zamberlan hiking boots because they were the REI "staff pick" and I couldn't be more satisfied.

[salish]

I've been shopping at Seattle's REI since 1969 or so, and I've been guilty of badmouthing them over the past few years, especially as they've gotten larger and their service has declined. But, I experienced a ray of hope this past year when I bought a Zip Stove on sale for $37.00. I got the stove home and discovered that the burner bowl wouldn't fit into the base fan assembly without tilting to & fro by quite a significant amount. Meant the cooking pot would be in danger of falling off or slopping food all over. I took it to the REI servce desk and asked if I could exchange it with another Zip stove, and the guy said it was the last one in stock, and they weren't stocking them anymore. He then called around to four different REI stores and finally found two Zip stoves in a Colorado REI. He had the Colorado REI guy take both of the stoves out of the box and assemble then to see if there was any wobble to the burner assembly. There was, so I passed on these stoves, also. I thought this was great customer service and I passed it along to the store manager. ps- I found an older, unused Zip Stove at Second Bounce complete with it's original cookpot/container for $20. And it doesn't wobble.

[#19]

I'm the guy that bought the Alta altimeter watch on-line at REi and then returned it to buy one for half the price at Gart Sports. Seen other things like that over the years and it iritates me that a "CO-OP" can be over priced so often. I brought back 5 yr old LEKI trekking poles that would not extend anymore and bought new much better ones for under $15 difference. Love their return policy. But, a friend of a friend works there full time and from what it "sounds like" they pay their employees I'd be willing to get less dividend so they could pay a decent wage. Think the guy had been their 3-4 yrs full time and was making about $10 an hour. Could be wrong, but if I'm right - it's not enough.

[McPilchuck]

I go to the Lynnwood REI when I need something for the most part, my number is under 90,000, go it in the 1960s when they only had the one store on the Hill.

[polarbear]

I think the REI has always had pretty good service. I remember the sleeping bag my sister bought there as a kid being put through the washing machine and getting torn badly. She went to the REI to see if there was some way to repair it--I think they had ripstop nylon tape or something. Rather than give her the obvious response that it should have been hand washed to start with, they replaced her bag. I miss the old store too. It will take a few decades for the new building to have the atmosphere that the old one did. There are nice things about the new store, though. When I bought my boots there, having a boot ramp to try them out on was really a plus. The also REI does a good job putting on various talks on things like avalanches, bike repair, etc that I wish I could take better advantage of--a valuable resource. I've bought most of my stuff there and haven't done alot of comparison shopping, so I don't know how their prices compare. One would think that with the expansion they've gone through that co-op members would be getting better deals because of the higher volume of stuff being sold, though I'm sure expansion doesn't always go hand and hand with success. I believe they had to close their store in Japan. I'm sure the question of how do you stay close to your co-op roots is something they always have to deal with.

[scot'teryx]

Returnable Equipment Incorporated I do not like them, wait, I do like them! It is a love hate relationship, but they took back my poles recently after 6 months and 200 miles of use and I got new ones. But then I hate the prices for anything that is useful - that is where I love rei-outlet.com!

[Backpacker Joe]

Marmot, Marmot, Marmot, Marmot! I've worked at both places. I know marmot is more expensive, but I'll shop there till I dont shop NO more! TB

[Allison]

What I love about MEC: The same things that people say they love about REI, plus the following: A ton of their stuff is NOT made in China. They will only name the country of origin if they can fully confirm it. In other words, if a garment is cut in the States and assembled in China, they don't try and pretend it's American-made. They also have a lot of stuff that is made in Canada. Their proprietary goods are of excellent quality. Really good stuff for hardcore enthusiasts. MEC can knock off Arc'teryx like nobody's business. Their staff knows the gear. The people on the phone know the gear. They even know why some of the stuff they sell can't be mail-ordered into the States, which is a convenient reason to go to Vancouver, and then do a little smuggling on the return trip. The store is not a theme park. It is also not full of fat tourists buying Gramicci crap for the grandkids. The gear is so cheap they don't have to have sales. One time I had a piece that needed repair, and I needed to take it on a trip. I called their customer service and gave them the whole scoop, and they got the thing repaired and back to me lickety split so I could have it for my Portugal trip. No charge. All hail MEC! www.mec.ca

[catwoman]

MEC sounds good, too, but they just don't sound so convenient being hours away up north and across the border.

[polarbear]

Hmmm...MEC does seem to have good prices if one takes into account the exchange rate. You just need an excuse to go to Canada, like hiking to Lake Garabaldi for instance. Now that is a great excuse!

[Backpacker Joe]

How about the Bugaboos, anyone ever play around up there? They are enough reason to venture into Canada.

[Newt]

Thanks Allison for the infor on MEC. I got a gift cert. for Christmas and plan on doing a long weekend in BC when I do the shoping. I had been under the impression that they didn't mailorder to the US so didn't pay much attention to them. I too spend way to much at REI. I've always had trouble at REI. Bought a compass that had no instructions. I now open all boxes before going to the counter. Orderd a pair of Tivas. When I picked them up they were 2 left feet. They reordered and then I got 2 different sizes. Finally got what I wanted and then was told that they may not apply to the return policy. Once was at the main store to by a pair of gloves on sale. They didnt have my size so stopped in Lynnwood. They had them but at the regular price. Had to go thru a bunch of bs to get the sale price. I was also told a few tiimes that the web prices may NOT apply to the store prices. I told them they should state that on the web. I'm dumb about some things but when I know more than the sales person i gotta wonder. It has been hard to shop at REI. Hippy New Year NN