REI — Attraction in Grand Junction

Beware all of you REI customers! This independently owned company has taken mask wearing policies to the next inappropriate level, even breaking the Americans with disabilities act over and over again! Not only do they require you to wear a mask, as you will see below, they require you to wear it up to the eye bone and below the chin. This is so you can go into their overly priced store and be treated horribly by their staff. After speaking with their headquarters, it is up to the discretion of their employees to decide how you should be wearing your mask. I was in the Grand Junction store on 10/1/20. The employees kept approaching me and telling me that my mask needed to be up more, even though my mask was already up to the top bridge of my nose. After asking to speak to a manager a gal by the name of Molly approached me and immediately stated that the REI mask requirement was that the mask, not only must cover the nose, but must go past the nose to the lower eye rim. When I asked her for the corporate number she stated that I could get it online and that REI was independently owned and had the right to make you wear your mask up to the eye rim or any other way. I told her that I was going to contact the corporate office and proceeded to leave. Molly then followed me out of the store yelling at me, stating that she had also decided that I was no longer allowed back into the store. I then contacted their corporate office and I was then told that the employees do have the right to make you were your mask as high or low as they would like if they feel it would protect them more, even if it’s up to your eyeballs! This all explains why there are never any cars or people in this store! There are so many other retailers that sell the same stuff, at a lower price and with friendly staff. Why waste your time with such a...

Bottom line: Great store if you love the outdoors and being harassed. Wouldn't recommend to a friend or neighbor.

I've had some really good experiences at this store. However, I cannot shop here any longer due to the hyper aggressive mask enforcement policy.

To be sure, I try to be respectful of businesses, and wear a mask whenever required. This particular store takes mask wearing to an embarrassing and unnecessary extreme. (This seems so odd because the place is staffed and patronized largely by the healthiest people I've ever seen.)

Last time I was in the store was over a month ago. I was looking at shorts, when a scraggly redhead fellow in a different department crossed the store to tell me to pull my mask up over my nose (ironically putting us both at greater risk of infection). I left immediately and swore not to return.

Recently I was in the store again for the first time since, because I love the place and didn't want to give up on it so easily. I entered the store and wore my mask well over my nose to avoid confrontation. I found a pair of shoes I liked from the clearance rack and I would have bought them... had the tall fellow passing by not stopped and crouched down to tell me to pull my mask up - which had slipped just below the tip of my nose as I bent over from the bench to tie my boots.

The recurrence of this uncomfortable event - in spite of my direct and conscious attempt to avoid it - has strengthened (if not completely solidified) my resolution to spend my money anywhere but here.

I will not shop somewhere I know I'll be harassed by employees for how I wear a mask when I can go to any other outdoor supplier in town and shop in...

I'm leaving four stars here because every time I go into this store, the employees are nothing but great. Always friendly and helpful, so despite what I'm going to say next that's a reason I continue to shop this store. HOWEVER! I'm astounded at the lack of selection of normal REI type products here. I moved to Grand Junction from the Denver area last summer, and I loved the store in Lakewood. That good location wasn't that big, and this Grand Junction store seems only somewhat smaller. But their shoe selection seems like about half as of that other store. Just like every other American these days, a deal on something is kind of nice, but their "garage sale" area is a jumbled dark corner. The other regular sale racks are racks miscellaneous racks of different sizes. You can't really figure out what's what without just looking through everything. NOT! I believed if things were organized and merchandise properly that clearance stuff would probably go away quicker. I realize it's not the management's fault for the lousy location corporate has put the store in, but I think it's not the best example of what an REI store should represent. I hear REI is closing stores and doing things that other corporate businesses do. This is probably why...besides the fact that you can go anywhere and pay straight retail for the same name brand stuff. Just sayin... I know how corporate conglomerations work, and local management can't do much about it. But hopefully someone from corporate will read this review. With a growing town of this size and recreational paradise in all directions, this store should be a little more into it than...