REI — Local services in Marina

I worked with Megan, Rachel, and Jacob in the cycling department at the Marina, Ca location. I am not an experienced cyclist and was unsure what I was looking for. I initially worked with Rachel who provided extremely informative input on what kind of bike would be best for the places that I want to bike. She advised me against one that I had originally been looking at because it was discontinued and the last one was the wrong size for me. She then directed me to the Co-Op CTY and DRT bikes that were both within my budget and appeared to have everything I needed. She also pointed out that there was one on clearance(previously owned) that was 15% off. I came back a day later as it was raining fairly hard and I couldn't/didn't want to test ride it. I was then assisted by Megan who allowed me to test the fit of the bike in store and assisted me with test riding it in a nearby portion of the parking lot. It was a great experience but I wanted to take a couple of days to discuss it with my wife. I came back the next day and was assisted by Rachel and Jacob. Jacob set me up with the clearance bike(Co-Op CTY 2.2) as well as a kickstand and water bottle holder. He then installed them and assisted us in finding road tires for my wifes bike(An older Trek). We walked out of the store with the Bike(with Kickstand and Waterbottle holder), a new bike seat, road tires and accompanying tubes, and the tools necessary to change the tires myself. Jacob did some final checks on the bike and installed the water-bottle holder and kickstand for me. I cannot say how great of an experience this was and how grateful I am that REI has all of these great resources in store. I strongly recommend going to this location and discussing options with the staff. I was never pressured to buy anything and felt like I walked out with everything that I needed to have a great riding experience. Thank you Rachel,...

I purchased a pair of Keen Voyager woman's hiking boots for $125.00 3 months ago. I knew the sales lady didn't know size I needed when she had me purchase a 7.5 after going through her tests (walking and jumping on the little bridge display), but I went with what she said anyhow.

The boots were the size I ware in most all other shoes, but they we tight around my upper back ankle and toes. She said I didn't want much room in the boot because it could cause my toes to hurt. That's nonsense I said! With hiking socks on, I need to go up a 1/2 to a full size, but she said not to.

The boots hurt me from day 1! I wore them for 3 months and broke them in... but then one day, the back of the left boot began to cut into my ankle 4 miles into a hike. I was miserable! I had another 4 miles to get back to my car and nothing I could do but keep going. By the time I got to my car, my ankle was terribly blistered and bleeding. It was a mess and very painful!

My husband took the boots in the next morning and asked for a replacement. The cashier asked him for the receipt, but I paid cash that day and lost my receipt. He was told there was nothing they could do about it. He explained the whole story about the day we bought them and was still told he had to have a receipt. My husband asked if they could at least help with meeting us halfway on another boot, explained what I endured on the hiking trip; but the cashier would not budge.

Long story short... I'm left without a hiking boot after being convinced to purchase a boot I knew was the wrong size because I listened to what I thought was the professional in the store that day.

I don't think I will ever shop at REI again, or at least not the store in Marina, CA.

Trust in your own opinion when you shop there... the sales people don't have a clue when it comes to the proper sizing of a...

REI has always been a great company with excellent customer service and quality products. Today I had to return a few items due to sizing and the staff member was very helpful. He needed help with the last item and asked the manager, Jared, to step in. The three of us engaged in a meaningful conversation about the world right now, and their presence and attentiveness was greatly appreciated. REI is progressive in their actions and the team members shared that given the latest news, the company would support any employee in need of help regarding the loss of rights. What struck me most was being able to connect with two strangers about the vulnerability we all feel right now and to offer tenderness to one another. This exchange, prompted me to help an elderly couple in the parking lot. They had a number of items to load so I offered to put them in their truck. We had a great conversation and I learned that their names were Judy & Glenn and they had been married for 49 years. They were kind-hearted and offering my presence left me feeling more hopeful. Our nervous systems have been overworked these past years but today I was reminded of all the goodness that there still is and when we open ourselves to each other, we connect more deeply to the meaning of it all, and perhaps find some hope along the way. Not what I was expecting when doing a simple shoe exchange, but maybe that’s where we are meant to find love and grace for each other....