knolwedgable outdoor professionals coming to bend

[Couloir]

Tualatin store is still open. I was there a couple of weeks ago. In fact they're remodeling. They're installing a bunch of Sybian machines for the MILFs leaving Club Sport!

[Alex]

To those ppl (like layton, Couloir, bunglehead) b#tchin about the quality of service at REI, or EMS, I suggest you politely stuff it up yer butt!

 

Unless you've worked there and have dealt personally with the countless uneducated morons like yourselves that come walking through the doors every day looking for the absolute best deals on gear, or looking to return merchandise that you broke but are unwilling to accept responsibility for - which naturally keeps wages absolutely low - then be happy and understand that the service you get at EMS and REI is just about the best service you will get in retail, period. Take a moment to compare this service with Payless shoes, Walmart, Lowes, or Schucks Auto supply, and you will perhaps gain a new appreciation for sales people who, while they might annoy you from time to time trying to sell you a "membership" , are typically very responsive and available!

 

Alex

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Whatevs...REI suxx until they start carrying the latest Hilti gear.

[cj001f]

or looking to return merchandise that you broke but are unwilling to accept responsibility for

100% satisfication covers every reason - and is the only reason I can think to buy something from REI They'll pay shit wages irrespective of the return policy because they can.

[Couloir]

Good Lord...

 

Ok, look, I have been going to / buying from REI since I was a kid when they had ONE store in Seattle. It used to be referred to simply as "the Co-op." We'd drive from Portland just to go there. It was a blast! My family spent tons of time in the wilderness and that where we bought our stuff.

 

They have always been a great company. Sure you can argue about the BOD and the notion of the "co-op" as it is now, but it's a pleasure to do business with and a great place that has a solid history.

 

Please don't misconstrue my remarks as being disrespectful to any employees or the organization as a whole. Some of my jabs on this thread simply reflect a knee-jerk reaction to what others have posted---and to what I have experienced lately. I literally have had people over and over again ask me, "how's it going?" over and over again, as though they they aren't keeping track of who they are talking to. But frankly, I'd take that over zero contact at all. How about a simple, "Hi." Or, "Hey, thanks for coming in today." It's simple and non-commital. Just remember who you say it to and it won't be obnoxious.

 

I also completely understand retail. You can't have the best of the best when you're aren't paying them very much. Fine. I think we can all live with underpaid people not always giving the best advise. This is almost a separate discussion.

 

FTR: I have NEVER returned or exchanged anything at REI. Nothing has ever failed or prematurely worn out. If something I've bought wears out, it's because I wore it out and it gets tossed. And I go buy another. My son still uses a sleeping bag my dad bought in ~1972!

 

I don't look for sales because traditionally REI isn't known for their sales. The vast majority of their clothing and hard goods are at retail. Although that seems to be changing, I don't think of REI as a place to get a great deal on something.

 

This topic has gone on long enough...sorry I've made it even longer. As for the Tualatin store remark; they are remodeling. What they plan to do with the new space I have no idea.

 

Finally, re: The Sybian machines for the MILFs from Club Sport, it seemed to blend nicely with some of the spray on the Local Gym thread. Sorry if it seemed disingenuous.

[EWolfe]

I wrote a letter to REI today. Other members should do the same. It is OUR store, after all. A co-op.

 

Here's my letter:

 

I heard that REI is opening a store in Bend, Oregon. I am very disappointed.

 

I have been an REI member for close to ten years, and while I like our store, I am disappointed to see what its growth is capable of doing. I joined REI when I lived in Spokane, where I grew up, because the only places to get high-quality outdoor equipment were at REI and Mountain Gear. However, I moved to Bellingham, Washington from 1995 to 1998. I loved the variety of small shops there like Base Camp, Great Adventure, and American Alpine Institute. Since the REI store has opened there, I think the only other surviving shop that sells comparable high-quality outdoor gear is AAI, which only carries the very high-end mountaineering gear. The REI store there languishes in its strip-mall solitude.

 

Bend, Oregon is a mecca of recreational opportunity. Local business like Mountain Supply, Pine Mountain Sports, Redpoint, and others have sprung up and thrived through the years in the effort to meet the town’s demand for gear. There is almost nothing that REI sells that can’t already be found in Bend’s great shops. I know this and I don’t even live there; I just travel there to play.

 

REI was founded in Seattle “BECAUSE (high quality) GEAR COULD NOT BE FOUND LOCALLY.” It says so right on our website. I am a member who will speak loudly against a store in Bend. How many other REI members feel the same? Just because 5000 members live in Bend doesn’t mean they all want a store there.

 

I like REI and what it stands for, but I cringe to be a part of the Wal-Martization of another great western town.

 

Good luck with that.