REI

Love, love love this place. So I said 3x love, right? Why?
#1 — LOVE their return policy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come back from a camping trip totally disgruntled about something I had purchased. To date, I’ve returned a backpack, sleeping pad, compression sacks, etc even after using it on a trip and they have gladly taken it back so I can look for a better fit.
#2 — LOVE the employees who work there. They genuinely want you to have a great experience with the equipment you buy and enjoy the trips you take.
A couple examples: 1) I was in the checkout line with the AMC White Mountains map and the cashier suggested a lighter, larger and waterproof map and hopped upstairs to search the pile for it. 2) On a different occasion, another employee had helped me to get fitted for a backpack for almost an hour. 5 star service.
#3 — LOVE the location. Close enough from home that I can make a quick trip down during lunch hour. While I’m there, I usually make a quick pit stop over at Whole Foods as well.
What’s not to like?

I have been a fan of REI for almost 30 years, since my first visit to the Berkeley, CA store. It’s my go to store for anything outdoors. I was so glad when the Hingham store came because I would need to travel to Framingham or Boston.
I’ve been happy with the service I get and with REI as a company overall. However, recently I had some problems with a roof rack, bike rack, and a new bike I bought. It took a couple trips to the store, but I have to say that the staff went out of their way to take care of me, which I really appreciated! I should have taken down everyone’s name, but in particular Eric and Carey were really fantastic!
If you need any needs for outdoor equipment, clothing, etc., I HIGHLY recommend REI and the Hingham store! I’m glad to be a member to a great company like this that has great quality products, training classes, staff that is familiar with all the products, and even has a yearly rebate back to members!

STAY AWAY FROM THE BIKE REPAIR – BRING IT TO A REAL BIKE SHOP!!!
They will replace parts and do work without authorization and charge you for it!!!
My experience:
I brought in my bike to get the Gold tune-​up service done and they said it would be completed on Tues ⁶⁄₃. I received a phone call at 6PM on Tuesday telling me my bike was ready and informing me that my front dérailleur was rusted and needed to be replaced and when I picked it up I owed an additional $ 23 on work I had not authorized.
I don’t believe this work needed to be done as I had inspected the dérailleur before I brought it in and I believe it was fine. When I asked them to produce the original part for me to see, they couldn’t find the original part. I couldn’t take my bike without paying, and the manager was out.
The salesperson promised me that the manager would call me to settle the issue, but I have not received a call in the week since I picked up the bike. I’m going to escalate this with REI, but thought that a online review would also help others.
BUYER BEWARE!!!

The situation: REI is an outdoor and active life wonderland. If something makes you sweat and there’s gear that goes with it, they sell it. If it can kill you, they’ll train you on it. Also applies to kayaking which is harmless as a puppy’s ear.
The shpeel: REI is also a cooperative, or a business owned by an disassociated association of people who pay a membership fee and reap in a massively distributed divided gain. Translation: pay $ 20 once, be a member for life and earn approx. 10% cash back for all purchases made in the form of a mailed check every year. And who doesn’t love getting mail?! Also, if your initial purchase has any single item over $ 100, the membership pays for itself, as you’ll get 20% off the most expensive item in your first purchase. For you of the local community mindset, a portion of their profits goes towards regional enrichment programs, trail and park maintenance and other feel-​good initiatives. Our man Erik waxed fondly about REI-​backed funding for his school’s science program. Totally rad.
The net result: moderately priced name brand goods sold by a knowledgable staff who welcome newbs to any hobby/​sport/​obsession with a warm smile, unlimited attention and a series of classes to help learn you to expert level. Achievement, unlocked.
Now, let’s see how quickly I can break my arm.

I am starting to become a huge fan of REI. I’m not really an outdoors-​y kind of gal, but I started to notice the vast selection of workout gear sold by REI, specifically cold-​weather running gear. Let’s face it, in New England, you need a solid breathable fleece layer to keep you warm.
The staff is friendly and if you buy into a membership, you will receive a discount on each purchase AND receive dividends. You really need to consider the amount of money you’ll spend and the frequency of visits before purchasing a membership, but when it comes to big-​ticket items, it has the potential to pay off.
Even better, the sales racks are always full of merchandise from last-​season or going-​out-​of-​season. I easily stocked up on running shirts from TNF for $ 16/​piece. Now, that’s a bargain! Nike, Patagonia, TNF, and many others are available in the fitness section and if you spend some time browsing the sales racks, you can easily find a great deal.
My only complaint is that the store is always rather cluttered and it can be hard to find specific things. Oh, and be prepared to climb the steps!

This has became my fav store in Hingham! The staff here is knowledgeable and friendly. They are willing to take an extra step to be helpful.
I can’t afford everything in here but it’s always nice to day dream while I’m here!
With membership, I get 10% annual refund. so it’s like at least 10% off anytime I go!

I’m a mom and pop shop type of guy and really didn’t want to have anything to do with REI regarding my bike. After several bad experiences with my local mom and pop bike shop, I decided to give REI a try since they are one of the few authorized Cannondale dealers near me. The guys that work in the bike department… CJ, Eric, and Don… are extremely knowledgeable and professional. They really seem to have a genuine passion for bikes and for helping others with their bikes. My experience so far has been that when they said something would be ready, it was ready.

Nice, knowledgeable staff.
I picked up a pair of Osolo boots for a hiking trip in a couple of months, and after I bought them I compared the price to other stores including the Kittery Trading Post. Their price was right in line with all of the other stores.

This review is a paean to one of my favorite stores, the stalwart REI. I first became acquainted with REI back in the day when I was living in Washington State.
I’d visited the original out-​post in Seattle and was struck by the sheer amount and quality of the outdoor equipment. I quickly signed up to be a member.
Climbing was and is a big deal in Washington and they had anything one’s heart might desire at good prices. The camping and backpacking stuff was also terrific.
At that time I had recently learned about the then bourgeoning idea of cooperative businesses of which REI is one of the grand-​daddies.
I loved the concept.
The company began when a couple named Lloyd and Mary Anderson opened up shop in 1938 in Seattle with the primary purpose of outfitting mountain climbers with excellent Austrian equipment. As the company grew they expanded their merchandise to include anything you’d need for camping and backpacking.
Decades later, the company took a broader perspective and began including all kinds of outdoor equipment for sale.
When I first joined the REI the idea of cooperatives was in it’s heyday. In fact, at that time I was working in a vegetarian restaurant cooperative myself.
The idea is a simple one. You buy into the company, in this case with a small membership fee and at the end of the year you receive a dividend on the profits. With REI that comes to about 10% of the total of your purchases every year.
You don’t have to be a member to buy things at REI but that’s the only way to get an annual dividend. At $ 20.00 for a lifetime membership, I don’t know why one wouldn’t join if you’re any kind of outdoor enthusiast.
While the store has really expanded now to include all kinds of outdoor and adventure equipment and clothing, it still holds a very special place in my heart for times gone by and good times yet to come.
I’m fortunate that there’s an REI a few miles from my home and I’m there pretty regularly even just to poke around. Most recently we purchased another kayak rack for one of our cars.
REI frequently offers workshops and classes in various outdoor activities with staff that I find to be always friendly and enthusiastic. This is a business I believe in and really appreciate. They lose one star because the prices now tend to be high, dividends aside, and I know the original mission of the Andersons was to sell good equipment at affordable prices. Nevertheless, REI is pretty cool in my book.

This review is only for the bike section of this REI store, and one employee in particular. I ordered my bike online through REI and had it sent to Hingham, which was the closest store for me. When it was ready to be picked up, CJ called to tell me that it was ready. He was super helpful in store and made sure I had everything I needed, the seat was the right height, etc.
three months later my bike was stolen, which was a major bummer. I reported it to the police but unfortunately I didn’t have the serial number for the bike. I called this REI to see if there was any way that they still had that information from when I bought it, three months ago. CJ answered and told me he’d call me back, and that he would have to look through old invoices for it. Much to my surprise he called me back five minutes later with the serial number, and even answered another question for me later in the day on top of offering to send me the actual form with the serial number on it just in case I needed it. He was very helpful and actually seemed to care, which you don’t see very often. Anyway, still no sign of my bike, but if I ever do get it back it will be thanks to CJ!

REI is my go to store before any international trip. For Iceland they helped me find the perfect sleeping bag and hiking boots. For Vietnam they helped me find everything I needed to prevent Malaria and a water purification system. The staff is always so knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommended!

REI ROCKS! Literally! There is a rock wall inside!!!
They have climbing sessions, too! Go in and check out the registration wall or their website for times and dates!
REI has the best camping gear. A little more pricier than the other guys. But, you get what you pay for. I love the doggy section and find the coolest stuff for my dog. They also have the greatest camping games.
REI is so fun! :O)

I love this place — although I cannot afford most of the stuff here, the customer service is way incredible. I came here looking for a bike & the guy that helped me was sooo nice & explained every concern I had. Today, I brought in a tire that one bike place said would need to be replaced. Not only did I not need a new tire, but the bike specialist tweaked it a bit so it would be ok to ride — he did this for free! These people are great!