REI

Great selection of what ever you will need to hike in the PNW. Most of the staff is very helpful and seem to have a good time. Become a member, get your rewards and enjoy. Great return/​exchange policy. I really like the store, this would be a 5 star review, but the last 5 times I’ve gone in with my wife this guy who I will call «the dude» from the backpack area makes a bee-​line right at us starts talking us up about what-​ever and we loose an hour of our life… can’t tell if it’s the AXE for men or her hottness… need more intel…

I went in today to buy shoes and Ethan assisted me. He was super helpful, patient, and very knowledgeable.

Very nice, knowledgable and helpful sales people. 5 stars for them.
However, it boggles my mind at the prices for outdoor equipment sold here. REI was established in the 1950’s as a people’s co-​op to get mountaineering and hiking equipment at reasonable prices. Such equipment seems to have become a fashion statement rather than a utilitarian tool for outdoors recreation.
Thorstein Veblen was right !

I’ve had two excellent experiences at this REI recently. I just bought some road cycling gear and Jared was extremely helpful in getting me the right stuff and explaining everything. It was great. Plus, I found out it was his first day on the floor! I also had great help in choosing a backpack, the girl was very nice and very helpful. This REI is nothing but awesome.

So, today I got to see how the REI return policy works. Last week I bought a fitness tracker from REI. At the time of purchase they only had the tracker with the black band. After I purchased the tracker I saw on line that there was also a versions of the tracker I purchased with a grey band. I was never really in love with the color of the tracker I purchased, so I thought I would exchange it for the grey version. REI’s policy states 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed, they say that they stand behind everything they sell. They also say if you are not satisfied with your REI purchase, you can return it for a replacement or refund within one year of purchase. Since I had the receipt and purchased the tracker only week ago I figured this would be a non issue. At the register the sales associate told me he was not sure what REI’s return and exchange policy was and that he would have to get the return and exchange guru. The guru he got was the sales manager. The sales manager asked if the tracker had been worn and I told him it had been. The sales manager then told me that there was no way he would allow an exchange or a refund since the tracker had been worn. I asked him where in the return policy it stated that you could not exchange something that had been worn. He told me it said it guaranteed 100% satisfaction, but since I only did not like the color I could not exchange it for the grey one. Not liking the color did not matter. I talked to him about the actual verbiage of their «100% Satisfaction Guarantee» and the meaning of the word satisfaction and the sales manager told me that the bottom line was that he was not going to allow an exchange. I then asked him if I could just return the tracker since he was not allowing an exchange. Again the sales manager told me he wold not allow a refund or exchange and that it was his final decision. As I was walking towards the door I told the sales manger I was very unhappy with him not honoring REI’s «100% Satisfaction Guarantee» and that I would be taking it up with REI’s corporate office. The sales manager then came after me and told me to wait and that he really wanted to have a conversations about this issue. Funny… I thought we had a conversation that ended with him telling me he would not honor the return policy and allow me to exchange the tracker. The sales manager then told me that REI valued their members and since I was a member he had the power to go outside of REI’s return policy and return the tracker. Hmmm… the return policy is a «100% Satisfaction Guarantee» allowing a return anytime within 1 year of purchase. How is an exchange, with a receipt, within one week of purchase a violation of their policy? Did the exchange request come later than the 1 year listed on their website? Nope, a week is less than a year. Did I still have the receipt? Yes. Did I still have all the packaging? Yes. All the sales manager would say was that not liking the color was not really the same as being dissatisfied with a purchase. I have to disagree… 100% Satisfaction is 100% Satisfaction. In the end the sales manager, Mr. B., did the exchange for me. Even though I got the exchange I requested I am still completely 100% dissatisfied with the poor customer service I received from the sales manager and also 100% dissatisfied with how REI chooses to interpret their 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. I guess what I learned is that a at REI a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is not truly a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee… I also learned that if you purchase something from REI make 100% sure that you love everything about it, including the color, because if you do not love everything about it returning or exchanging at REI is a huge hassle. Very disappointing REI, very disappointing.

Love the atmosphere and the helpful staff. They are knowledgeable and take great pride in helping you find what you need to make the most of your next adventure.
Big fan.

This REI location is wonderful. They really do have some of the most friendly and knowledgeable employees I have ever encountered in a retail store. It is obvious to me that they all really love their jobs and the company they work for which is a huge plus for my experience as a shopper. The store itself is always clean and well maintained and there is always a staff member nearby to answer any questions or give assistance. My husband is an avid outdoorsman and he was elated when they finally opened an REI in Olympia. Now we don’t have to drive all the way to Seattle to spend our money!

REI has very high quality gear, much of which is very affordable for what it is. This is a place to get things that will last, not things that a cheap and will break within a year. I have looked both here and at Cabella’s for similar items, and always REI had the better selection and quality. Become a member and you will get money back to use at REI. This store is of course much smaller than their Seattle store, but they have an impressive amount crammed in here. They do NOT have an «as-​is» section for members, as they do in the basement of the Seattle store, which is disappointing. They have a fantastic clothes selection upstairs — a wide variety to choose from, and good selection of clearance items as well. All in all, if you need something for being outdoors, go here.

There’s an impressive selection of gear to be found at this smaller (well, smaller compared to the Seattle REI, Cabela’s, Sportco, and other sporting goods warehouse stores) REI– but the real score here is the employee assistance.
REI stocks a variety of high quality outdoor gear, especially for climbing, hiking, cycling, paddling, skiing/​snowboarding, etc. (you won’t find any hunting or fishing equipment here, however). This location is compact but seems to be well organized, with gear grouped by sport on the ground floor and clothing/​footwear on the upper floor. When I was shopping here recently, I was approached and offered assistance by an employee in just about every section that I browsed.
When I *did* need some help with selecting and fitting a new overnight pack, the employee who assisted me spent the better part of an hour fitting, making adjustments, going over the features of various packs, and adding weights to fill out the packs for trial ‘hikes’ around the store. I wound up needing a pack with a shorter frame for head clearance but a longer hip belt– a non-​standard combination that I would not have been able to find ‘off the rack’. Due to this being a busy sale weekend, it was also a combination that the Olympia REI store was unable to fulfill at that moment. One of the great things about REI, though, is that they can (and will!) order anything the company stocks and have it delivered to whichever location you want at no additional cost. Less than a week later, I received notification that my new pack had arrived in Tacoma. Joy!
The prices at REI are definitely in the higher end for sporting goods, but with that you get one of the best customer satisfaction/​return policies around and some great service at the store. The employees are a healthy mix of fresh, young faces eager to please and older, seasoned outdoor types that actually have a lot of experience with the type of gear sold here. Be sure to sign up for a membership if you haven’t already– the 10% annual dividend on full-​priced goods and semi-​annual 20% off coupons will more than make up for the one time cost.

It’s REI, of course it’s as good as it gets. Okay, the prices could be a little better and many times you can find a better price on line, but you have to wait for it to come and you can’t see, feel or try it on first. Here you can. They have a very good selection of gear for the size of the store. They do have two stories so be sure to go up stairs.