REI — Attraction in Millcreek

Customer Service is lost on this place.

I've had two poor recent interactions here. The associates are too absorbed in their own heir of self righteousness to care about customer service.

First, I was shopping for a sleeping pad. I was at the display where they have the demos available. I pulled one from the display and placed it on the floor to test it. I'm not a veteran sleeping pad shopper so I was unaware of any store etiquette for this. A sales associate came by as I was picking one up and insisted I use the platform built on the other side of the display, that was not immediately visible, to test them out on, instead of the floor. Made sense. I was immediately apologetic and started to move that direction with the pad. She doubled down to reinforce her point that they just didn't want the pads on the dirty floor. Yes, I got that the first time and already apologized. But she felt the need to scold me like a child. Then she walked away; never once asked if I needed any assistance.

After purchasing a sleeping pad, I had to return to the store a few days later because I discovered that valve was defective. I went to the return/exchange counter. There were three associates there and I was the only customer at the time. I stated I had purchsed the pad the other day and it had a faulty valve. The associate behind the register started immediately processing the transaction without any follow-up questions other than what she needed to find the purchase on my membership. One of the associates was sitting on a nearby bench and stated he was on break but didn't want to be in the breakroom because it was lonely. I can relate. However, the three of them started conversing like I was invisible. I had to interrupt them to let them know I wanted to do an exchange. Again came another mini lecture about how it's easier (for them) to get the product I want to do the exchange for before going to the counter. So again, I apologized and went to the other far end of the store to get a replacement. I returned to the counter where I realized I grabbed the wrong size as the product was color coded the same, and in the same bin as the size I needed. So again, I went to the other side of the store to get the correct one. Meanwhile, the three associates kept their unrelated conversation going, and never once offered to help.

I'm over it. I shouldn't need a rule book or lesson on REI etiquette to shop at a store. As a patron, I expect to be treated as a priority over socialization.

I've had multiple exemplary interactions at Scheel's instead. I suppose it's time to divert my business there.

A few other gripes: I've had an unplanned purchase of multiple small items only to discover at the register that they have no bags. I had to shove them all in my pockets to get to my car.

I can take my dog into a Sierra Trading Post and Scheel's, but not an REI. I know I'm not entitled to this. But I wish REI would revisit...

Went here to get some rental Kayaks for a float trip down the little grand canyon in the Swell, The rental employee who helped me was nice enough, but he made a mistake and did not include 1 of our pumps in one of our rentals, So we received two rental kayaks and 1 air pump. When we reached our put in location and unrolled our kayaks we soon realized we had one pump. Took us twice as long to pump our kayaks and get out on the water but that was okay we were just excited to get out!

Upon returning our kayaks I was greeted by a older gentlemen who began instructing me how to unroll, pump back up, and wash off our kayaks, He mentioned that we were missing a pump. I explained to him we never received the pump when we picked the kayaks up. That only one pump was rolled into our kayaks. that seemed to be the end of story and never got a apology for the missing pump. I'm not sure if this is common practice to make your patrons process their own returns or not, Working at a SUP/Ski Rental shop for 5+ years this seemed very strange to me that, that service was not included in the rental fee, but that is besides the point. The REI employee telling me what to do with my kayak stood 2' besides me watching me struggle to get the now inflated kayak stood straight up it started tipping and was in limbo for more time then he needed to react and just help me get it set up. While I was holding on and asking for help, I ended up dropping the Kayak, and Breaking my sunglasses all while he just stood there looking at me. That wasn't great.

Then the rental manager (im assuming) a mid twenty's something female I wish I got her name, came out and stated that we were missing a pump and that every inflatable came with one. I explained again to her that when I picked up the Kayaks I was never even shown the two pumps and that upon arriving at our put in we unrolled our kayaks and realized they had forgotten to pack a pump. In my experience humans make mistakes and that NOTHING IS CERTAIN. She repeated that every rental inflatable comes with a pump. I explained again that it was not originally included with our rentals. so she repeated again what she had said, I maybe explained 3-4 times that the pump was not ever included in my rentals. after she repeated that every inflatable rental comes with a pump for the 4th time, I got very angry. I cursed that they cannot treat their customers like that, My friend who was with me had to ask her if she was calling us liars or what the game was. We were both brought to the point of nearly yelling and cursing, about a mistake that was made by the REI RENTAL EMPLOYEE's.

You should never treat your customers like that especially when you don't know where the mistake was. I walked away from that experience not believing what happened. Infuriated and swearing that I would never rent or recommend anyone to...

Let me tell you about REI, the ultimate store for all your outdoor gear needs. This place is wild. I went in looking for a simple camping tent and ended up walking out with a canoe, a backpack, and an entire survival kit. I didn't even know I needed a waterproof solar-powered radio until I saw it, but now I can't live without it.

The staff at REI are so knowledgeable, it's almost scary. They can tell you the exact weight of a sleeping bag just by looking at it. They also have this secret language that they use to talk to each other that sounds like a mix between bird calls and Morse code. I don't understand it, but it's impressive.

The store itself is like a labyrinth. You think you've found everything you need, and then you turn a corner and there's a whole section dedicated to portable espresso makers. I mean, who even needs that when you're camping? But apparently, it's a thing.

One time, I went to REI to return a pair of hiking boots, and they asked me what my outdoor adventure plans were for the day. I said I was just going to hang out at home, and they looked at me like I was crazy. Apparently, not going on a hike every day is a foreign concept to them.

In conclusion, if you want to go to a store that will convince you that you need a bear-proof cooler and a GPS watch that tracks your heart rate, then REI is the place for you. Customer service is top notch and the inventory is excellent. Just don't go in there unless you're ready to spend all your money and completely change...