REI

Buyer beware. After pressure to be a member, I joined. I bought a cargo box for my car. At the web site it said it was eligible for a dividend. After purchase the receipt said not eligible. I spent 45 minutes on the 1 – 800 number. They tried to call the SF store and no one would answer. Yvonne at the 1 – 800 number was very nice. Apparently the box was on sale even though there wasn’t any identifying info to say it was on sale not eligible. Yvonne said I could talk to Manager Dale by he would not come to phone. Judy finally picked up after being on hold for 20 min. She offered to return my item and then charge me for full price to get dividend. That makes no sense to me. I would be 50.00 in the hole and have to spend dividend at Rei I would have been ok if they explained that at the beginning but to give me the run around for 45 minutes to offer a absurd solution is really poor customer service. Good Bye Rei!
The manager reached out to me. He said all the right things and made it right. Faith restored

ONE person on the register during LUNCH on a FRIDAY. This is awful staffing and terrible service. Things laying all over the floor my kids could have tripped on. So disappointed in REI

As always, REI gave me the feeling that they are so «prestigious», they don’t give it a shit about what you are asking for.
I was there to rent a tent and the woman staff at the counter had an «ass face». The situation got worse starting when she couldn’t find my membership. She failed to understand «four — o — four» as 404 as a telephone area code. I couldn’t understand her questions when she tried to navigate their systems. At some point we got a misunderstanding and she even gave me the «white eye» expression! Seriously!!!
She didn’t provide me clear instruction about the rental process and didn’t give me a god damn please when moving me around for payments. She never looked directly at my eyes and she did not react at all when I thanked her. To be honest, I have no idea what I was thanking for… her being herself?

This place is a dump. The customer service is horrendous.

Cool spot in the city to find outdoor gear. Bought a bunch of stuff here to travel abroad and signed up for their membership which you get a decent dividend on every year.
Pros:
— big store w/​good selections
— in the city, relatively easy to get to and has parking
— membership is $ 20 for life as long as you keep it active
— 10% dividend on a lot of things you buy
— friendly and knowledgeable staff
— great sales/​discounts
— order online and ship to store for free
— claims to be 100% satisfaction guaranteed or you can return anything, still gotta test this one out
Cons:
— regular priced items are a bit more expensive than Amazon. I always scan with the Amazon app to compare prices
— packed on the weekends, good luck finding parking in the lot you’re better off parking on the streets
— doesn’t carry all the big brands

Nice place, lots of wood and it’s very clean inside. Multiple floors, huge selection. I picked up a Kuhl jacket there.

This is purely for the person who helped me pick out my hiking boots in the shoe section. I forget his name but he was incredibly helpful and guided me well when I didn’t know a whole lot about hiking boots.
I told him my situation and most common use cases. I mentioned that I want something potentially good for snow hiking as I was going to Yosemite soon. He advised that the mesh on shoes are what allows water to come through (duhh, it totally makes sense when he says it). Even with that advice, he didn’t push me towards the fancy waterproof shoes. He left it for me to decide.
I also wasn’t sure about my sizing. He says to go half a size up your normal shoe size and when testing it going downhill on the rock sample (they have one in the corner), your toes should never touch the shoe. And, LACE ‘EM UP TIGHT! He advised that it should be tight enough that you can’t place your finger through the laces. That’s some intense lacing.
I learned a lot from this guy and am very appreciative that I was able to learn about hiking boots from him.
And, REI members get a 1 year return policy. New or used.
Note: Can be quite tough to find parking in the lot here. There’s always street parking. But best to come not during peak hours.

Great service
Helpful team
Knowledgable sales associates
Returns aren’t as welcome as they should be
I was sold a pair of used ski goggles which is strange because they are kept in a case and were inspected by a sales associate before placed behind the register :/

This is like a grown-​up playground for those who love outdoor activities. It’s your one stop for almost everything.
REI is definitely on the more expensive side but what keeps me coming back is their sales! The first weekend of every month usually has a used gear sale which I don’t mind. Most items are in pretty good condition and used once. To participate in this sale you must be a member which is a 20 $ fee you pay once only.
The staff are pretty friendly here as well.

I’m in love with my new shoes. Thanks to the patience of one individual. I forgot her name but she is awesome! Fitted me with men’s shoes since I have huge man feet. She understood my taste and helped me find the best choice for my new hiking habit (hope I can sustain this new habit). Anyway, I’ve never really been in an REI but this visit really turned me on. I hope the next visit to other locations closer to home will be as good and I can continue finding awesome shoes that keep me moving toward my goals.

Hrm.
Dunno if I can let it slide because I went in the store right when it opened, but I received no help while selecting a sleeping bag and mat/​pad. Maybe I don’t look like the prototypical REI customer for this area. who knows, but that stuff ain’t cheap by any standard and I think it should garner even minor assistance even if only to up-​sell me on the $ 300 bag/​mat over the $ 200 one, right?
Not sure if this is the norm here, but I review it as I experience it. Oh, and about 3 employees walked by the section I was in during the 30 minutes I was there shuffling around the selection.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review of this place. I usually come here right before ski season to update my snow gear. But with the California drought and poor snow pack for the past few seasons, I haven’t had much opportunity to hit the slopes. So I have neglected to come here. I was in the market to purchase a bicycle a few weeks ago and came in here to have a look. They have a nice selection of bicycles but a bit out of my price range. Still, a good place to check out.
Recommend this place if to just shop around and price compare. They do have a very large selection of hiking and outdoor gear.

Amazing service! Came in to get my first pair of hiking boots for a trip and a staff member helped me pick the right shoes for what I was doing. They have makeshift rocks where you can try out the shoes, so you get a sense of how they’d feel in rougher terrain. Their selection is huge so I was able to get everything I needed for my trip.
I was very impressed that I decided to get the $ 20 lifetime membership since I’ll definitely be coming back. You’ll get 10% of all total (full price) purchases sent back to you. In addition to coupons and sales, the staff member I spoke with also said members get access to what they call a «Garage Sale» where they resell items they can’t sell on the floor (items maybe used once or not at all, but aren’t in original packaging anymore) for a much lower price. Since good gear is usually pricey, discount off of something somebody used once and in still good condition sounds good to me!

I have been spoiled by the REI flagship store in Seattle. There’s no waterfall, 3-​story parking garage, outdoor bike trail, or climbing wall here. However, there is a small parking lot here shared with other businesses. It’s usually pretty full and hectic on the weekends. Try coming on a weekday instead.
After adjusting my expectations, there’s aren’t many negative things to say about REI. The staff is always courteous and knowledgeable about the gear. When they’re busy on the weekends, expect to wait a while to return/​purchase items or get your questions answered.

This is my fav recreational equipment stores in the city and the best period of the year is around May when they have their biggest sale of the year for 20% off most items in the store. If you have their membership (which is only $ 20 for lifetime membership) then you get in on some nice discounts throughout the year as well as a 20% off coupon off any full priced item. So my tip is to save that one for some nice big ticket item and look around for other sales around the store.
Overall, the service here is always great. Plenty of salesfolks around to flag down and help you out. Tons of cool stuff lives here and I wish I could just buy them all! The only thing that sucks for this particular store is the parking situation. It’s pretty limited and is shared with some other businesses that have reserved spots so just be careful where you park.

Shopping here is no fun if you don’t look like a kale-​eating, BMW-​driving überman and may need some help figuring out what to get. Welcome to invisibility.
I’ve left this store in a huff twice now, after waiting for 20 minutes for somebody to help me. In neither case was it particularly busy, and other customers were easily getting assistance.
The selection is pretty kack, too. Berkeley store is way better.

The community room in the back corner of the store is terrific for seminars!
It’s an intimate setting where you can ask questions & talk easily.
Terrific instructors!

5-​stars for the excellent return policy
5-​stars for the friendly staff
Negative 5 stars for the entire lack of Medium size everywhere, especially on sales size, and another negative 5 stars because they have so many X-​larges, always on sale, just to rub it in. Ugh.
3 stars total!

REI is the go to store if you are looking for anything outdoors related. I would say that REI is the Whole Foods of outdoor equipment. They have a lot of good stuff, but the price will definitely be more expensive than other places.
Be advised, the parking lot entrance is very narrow. If you come at a busy time, parking inside the lot can be difficult. Luckily, there are people directing traffic to vacant parking spots.
The employees that I have encountered are extremely knowledgeable and helpful. I purchased a water filter and freeze dried food packets for a backpacking trip to Big Sur. They had a lot of different flavors as far as freeze dried food goes. They only had a few at Wal-​Mart and I wanted to treat myself to the good stuff! However, the price per packet was about $ 1 – 2 more.
They have really cool gizmos and gadgets here for whatever outdoor activity you are planning on doing. I will be back for camping/​backpacking needs.

Situation
— Looking for last minute hiking gear
Pros
— There are plenty of items to choose from
— The staff there is excellent
— The member discount is pretty nice
— Parking lot is available for cars and they have a motorcycle/​scooter spot, as well
Cons
— The prices can be a bit on the higher side