REI — Local services in Asheville

We love REI, being a co-op member is well worth it as you can make returns without reason and try out different items and gear. We are avid backpackers and we also run a regional hiking group and have progressed to gradually upgrade to ultra-lightweight gear and we have utilize our membership to try out and lighten our carry-weight. The only bad rap we have with REI is that they seem to be very brand/ item selective and we find the staff have very little (if any) hands-on knowledge of items and they rely heavily on their handheld electronic devices to read off script/ soecific details of items from the online details. Staff also seem to zone-in on specific brand/ item recommendations without backing up a reasoning with their own outdoor/ field experiences, which strongly suggests to us that the staff are given incentives to promote certain brands each week/ month. As such we take staff recommendations with a grain of salt! We often find that the staff's knowledge is so bad, we often end up educating them! Sadly, REI has gradually become a kind-of outdoorsy 'grocery store'. One recent employee of a store for over 2 years did not even knowing how many ounzes are in 1lb in reference to a backpacking weight of an item. I wish they would return to employing staff that are true & real outdoor enthusiasts and/ or at the very least require a basic knowledge base of the inventory they sell and give staff the opportunity to try out different items in their free time to enrich the customers shopping and their own real-world...

I recently purchased a bike from REI and thought when I picked it up I'd bring in my sons ride for a front shock and brake diagnosis. I ended up having ~$100 work done to my sons bike. Full disclosure....I have worked on bikes for over 40 years, but disk brakes and the different bleed kits still elude me, and I currently don't have space for tooling. Unfortunately, after the service, the brakes were still an issue. Additionally, I had installed a new chain but ended up removing too many links (I just needed a new pin to adjust the length). So...I brought the bike back in, discussed the issues, and thought I had agreed to addressing the brake, and a new chain pin ($2). When the bill was later emailed to me, in addition to the work I had agreed to and the $2 chain pin charge, it also had a charge of $20 for a chain installation! When I came in to pick up the bike and mentioned the chain installation charge, I was very emphatically denied by Joe, whom I believe is the manager. I was also told that I had discussed the installation, which was simply not true. I was a big fan of REI prior to this. I think REI is good, maybe even great, at what they do best, selling hiking and camping gear. I'd advise others, at least in the Asheville area, to consider using an actual bike shop, there are plenty. Most local shops are looking to gain long term customers, and will not pull this kind of petty nonsense. I will not use REI again for my cycling needs, but I'll try to overlook this incident for my other...

Several years ago, I used to avoid shopping at REI because the prices were higher than what I could get elsewhere. Ah, how naive I was.

I do almost all of my outdoor shopping at REI now. The #1 reason for this is that they have the best return policy. I think the only place better is Costco (which obviously has very limited outdoor gear). You have an entire year to return everything and you can return it used! I don't mean just slightly used, I mean shoes covered in mud used. I wouldn't return a product at the end of its life, but it's so nice to be able to actually wear shoes on the trail before committing to them.

Plus it's nice that you can usually find an REI wherever you're traveling so you can trade in your shoes mid-trip when you realize you bought the wrong pair (like I did at this store).

Beyond that, they sell high quality stuff. If you shop the REI brand, it's usually a bit cheaper too. If you pay $20 (one time fee) to become a member, you get 10% cash back and at least 4 20% off coupons per year.

The customer service is always great. They make good recommendations and it's easy to return stuff because they just look it up on your account.

You will rarely find me buying outdoor gear...