REI — Attraction in Dallas

My wife and I were on our way to spend a few hours at the Half Price Book's flagship store that's across the street. (If you haven't been there it's HUGE!) On a whim, we stopped in so I could do a little research on a shoe I had in mind for a massage therapy patient I've been working with.

Since my client has recently switched to a standing desk at work, the most recent version of the Merrell Trail Glove is the shoe I had in mind.

When we reached the shoe area at the back of the store, Bennie, a rather tall laid-back guy with glasses asked if he could be of service. Having passed all of the factors that I look for in an athletic shoe, I asked Bennie if I could try on the Merrell Trail Glove. Although I didn't like the shoe for myself, I could appreciate the way that Merrell constructed the arch. Meaning, rather than alter and restrict how my arches moved when my feet made contact with the ground, the Trail Glove allowed my arches to flex at the appropriate time (i.e., pronate).

Since the Trail Glove is completely flat, flexible, and has an adequate amount of space throughout the toe box, I felt like it would be a good fit for a client who planned on walking and standing at his desk.

A few days later, my client ended up heading over to REI to try the Trail Glove on for himself. Having dealt with lower back pain and a bout of plantar fasciitis, he loves how much different his feet feel.

Even though I didn't plan on purchasing a shoe for myself, I ended up ordering the Merrell Vapor Glove.

Right before we left, I noticed a lone pair of women's Merrells that weren't on the main shoe wall. Seeing as how this shoe had a more aggressive tread than any of the other Merrells my wife has, we felt like the Mix Master Move Glide Trail Running Shoe was worth trying on. And that shoe turned out to be a great fit.

Having tried on a few pairs of shoes that day, my wife and I agreed that Bennie was knowledgeable (and confident). Having looked for shoes in the "barefoot" category before, I also appreciated that Bennie didn't show any bias towards any particular...

Update to prior post below: After a few month hiatus from REI, we returned, cautiously optimistic whether things may have improved, or just same ole same ole. We've been a number of times in the past month. Each time the service has been great, both from the cashier area and those working on the floor. We've always liked REI because of the quality of items they sell, but stopped going because of the service. Glad to see they seem to now have a staff that matches that quality. Kudos to REI for hiring good people. Love the new store and new location!

post from 3 months prior: REI is a great store and great concept. We've been loyal customers for several decades. We moved to Dallas a couple of years prior to REI moving to its new location, and really didn't have problems with the service at the old location. Unfortunately, the employees at their new local are tarnishing its image. Seems every time we're in, they have someone new working the register. Mostly seems to be either someone who doesn't have a clue of what they're doing and/or some self-deluded, overly confident smart mouth fake. It's irritating when some 20 something employee refers to customers (twice their age) as 'hey buddy', or 'what's up dude'. The older woman that is consistently there, seems to know how to do 'stuff', but just stands in the background. Am tired of being their guinea pig because they haven't done adequate training. She may know how to run the cashier area, but fails at training (possibly just burned out). That, or they simply can't find anyone qualified to work there. Maybe they just need to suck it up, pay someone more, and find decent people to avoid the constant turn over. It's to the point that we dread going in there anymore. It's time consuming and irritating. A shame really, because REI is a...

Our daughter is a member of Boy Scouts of America and recently her troop got a spot to hike at Philmont Ranch in Cimarron New Mexico. I had very little hiking experience aside from a few day hikes and decided to go into REI to make sure that we were properly outfitted. I had the Philmont list of items that we were required to bring and ended up meeting Ryan in the REI store. Ryan went through the list with me and meticulously showed me what items were absolutely needed, the things I should spend top dollar on, and showed me alternatives to the requirements that would make our hike pleasurable one. He was patient and spot on with all of his recommendations. I spent Father’s Day weekend with my daughter and can say that it was one of the most enjoyable Father’s Day weekends I have had ever. If it had not been for Ryan’s expertise and patience I don’t know that my daughter and I would’ve been outfitted properly and that we would’ve been prepared enough to tackle the back country and enjoy ourselves. He prepared us by giving excellent recommendations for backpacks, sleeping bags, pads, and the proper apparel. It was clear that hiking and the outdoor experience was something that he cherished and because of his recommendations it is something that we now cherish. I can’t say enough about the level of customer service that he provided. Please see Ryan and the staff at this location for all your camping and...