REI — Local services in Spokane

I am extremely Disappointment with Rei ! I come from a very large family of 12 siblings and better than half of them were encouraging me to become a member of Rei because of their selection and I was interested in buying some new Keen boots, but mainly because of how they stand behind there product's.I live approximately 160 miles away from Spokane which made me think about the feasibility of buying a membership and how often I would actually make the drive to make use of my membership,But because of encouragement of family members I decided to stop by and see what they had to offer.So about four years ago I stop by the store on Monroe in Spokane and discussed with a sales representative about the benefits of becoming a member! He was excited to tell me all the benefit's of becoming a member but the one he really sold me on was the fact that if you bought shoes or boots from them they (REI) would stand behind them for one Year , the example I was given was ( If they don't feel right, ,you don't like the looks of them, what ever) they would replace them if you were unhappy. I thought at the time this seem a little over the top but how could you beat a Warranty like that so I bought in. Well I finally got a chance to try out there fancy Warranty recently, I purchased a Pair of Keen Voyageur Mid height boots in July of 2015 and started wearing them I also have a pair of Keen Targhee 11 waterproof boots I purchased from Rei that I substitute in to wear in the winter months of the year . so the Voyager boots were worn from July to late November then switched into the Targhee model for two and a half months and as of mid February I switched back into the Voyager boots. shortly after switching back into the Voyageur boots I started experiencing high levels of foot pain ! upon inspection I discovered the arch of the boot appears to have broke down , so I figured the I would wear the Insulated Tarhee boots again till I could get a chance to make the 160 mile drive to use my wonderful warranty!! so in Mid march I make the drive to get the boots exchanged and SURPRIZE REI 's warranty is only good until you buy there membership , I guess I should not be at all surprised In a day and age when there is so many scam's and it's the norm not to stand behind your word ! I was told when they Inspected the Voyageur boots that they had been well used and past there life expectancy, and they would not replace them ! So I guess to sum up what they told me is Keen boots if you actually wear them(rather than leave them on your closet floor) last approximately 6 months or less ( which I know is not true) and REI DOES NOT stand behind there word on their Warranty ! I got to admit I really feel like a Idiot for buying into this and driving 160 miles to but a product for more Money than they could be purchased locally ! Hope This saves someone else the Headache and...

I have been a member at REI for the past two years. In the past I would have been first to point friends and family here for outdoor and recreational gear. I appreciate the many friendly and knowledgeable employees that work here, and that I am able to go into the bike section and be helped by an employee who is experienced at biking. (shout out to Harald!) Another reason I shop here is the various member perks, such as the 10% back on purchases as well as the 1-year return policy.

However, today I had an encounter with an employee that was so uncharacteristic of the typical REI experience that I felt compelled to not only write this review, but stop giving them my business altogether.

I was “helped” with a couple returns by an older, long-haired female employee. From the moment I brought my items into the store she seemed to be annoyed at the fact that I needed to make returns. One of my returns was a bulky cooler, and I started to bring it up to the counter, but before I could she barked “stay right there.” This was her first and only greeting to me. I was having problems pulling up the item number on my phone, so I asked if she could find it on her end, and her response was “you have too many recent purchases for me to look through”. I asked if she could at least try to help look since it was loading very slowly for me, and she just stared blankly in return. She was cold and unfriendly the entire transaction, to the point of ignoring me when at the end I thanked her for her “help”. I do not abuse the return policy, and was transparent about the (valid) reasons for my returns. Yet I was treated at best as if I was trying to take advantage, and at worst as a nuisance.

This is not the first time this particular employee has been unpleasant towards customers including myself. I shop here often and have witnessed her interactions at checkout. As far as I have seen in the past, she does not smile or greet customers in any manner close to “warmly”. I have found myself letting others go in front of me at checkout before so as not to end up in her line.

One should be able to expect that a business that touts itself as a center for community engagement as well as charging for membership would not treat its members so poorly.

I must stress again that this experience is not representative of the usual experience at REI. I would hate for the actions of one employee to tarnish the reputation of a company my family has loved for years. But they are far from the only option for outdoor retailers around. Why not shop somewhere with a better customer...

I used to shop at this REI regularly, but with online shopping being so easy, I have not been to the actual store in about three years. I used to love the wide selection of attractive clothing and the helpfulness of the staff. When I went to shop there this past week, the store was clean and inspiring as usual, but as it turns out their customer service dropped in quality significantly. One person pretended to help me find what I needed in an absent-minded manner, then disappeared as if rushing off somewhere (the store was empty), but that was no biggie. But then I went to the women's clothing section with the intention of trying on many articles of clothing before my upcoming trip. I rang a bell to get the attention of a customer service person, so I could be let inside a changing room. I was only allowed to take in up to seven items at a time, so when swapping from one batch of items to the next, the customer service lady was standing there but didn't offer to take what I was indicating that didn't work but pointed out the area where I am supposed to walk to and assemble the items (straighten them out, hang them on hangers, and hang the hangers where indicated). I barely registered what was happening, perhaps used to helpful dressing room attendants in most other stores, but since I had an armful of items to try on as my second round and my purse was still in the changing room, I asked the customer service lady if she would not mind assembling my two unwanted items and hanging them up where REI likes for them to be. I wasn't getting a response, there was a crazy language barrier with this attendant, but I repeated myself a few times using different wordings, then finally left the items and walked into the changing room to try my new batch of items. When I walked out the first two items were not at all assembled but waiting for me, I guess, to do it. (I dutifully assembled them and hang them up.) As I was walking out of the changing room the second time, the same customer service lady was in view with nothing to do. I walked on to see some yoga clothes. While I was looking at them, the woman suddenly waved a sweater and a hanger that had been found thrown on top of a display and she asked me accusingly if I had left these items there. I said no defending myself instinctually, and left the...