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REI Holiday Shopper


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Please do not consider the below a defense of REI.

 

We are not their target audience, people! This is not your parents' REI any more. They are just another retailer. If you want the goods, go to Feathered Friends, Marmot, Jim Nelson shop, Barrabes, MEC, or any number of other specialty outdoor retailers to get your gear.

 

By not stocking the stuff people like us want, REI is doing its part to keep these other retailers in bidness. It would be great to be able to go there and get all the stuff you neeed in one place, but this is not the sort of business that REI is anymore, at least for anyone who gets out more than a few times a year.

 

I *have* noticed, however, that REI Brand stuff is getting a little cooler and better than it once was, though it's still too expensive. Fortunately, MEC Brand stuff is even cooler for the most part, and is a reasonably short road trip away from Seattle. smile.gif

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I like REI.

 

The store is close to home, easy exchanges, nice people.

Yes and even, some of their products are quite good- sometimes the very best.

Here is a case in point and a little chestbeating to boot. My friend just bought three brand new pairs of gloves with the intention of "demoing" them all and returning the two he didn't like. We just took a road trip to hyalite last week. I wore the rei brand gloves leading up a soaking WI5 pillar. The rei gloves performed better than any of the other gloves any of the four of us had on our trip. We probably had at least 2 dozen gloves with us (north face, mountain suckware, marmot, columia, and black diamond, etc). Plus guys, much of our gear is made in the same sweatshops regardless of the brand name. bigdrink.gif

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I was at the flagship store Thursday night, it was actually cool, ran into Pete Whittaker and got to talk to him about a rescue we were both involved with, then saw a cool slideshow of a lady who was skitouring in Greenland....beautiful pictures, great story.

I noticed on their sales floor on the way out, there were no tents set up. REI must figure people don't use tents in the winter.

Also, that winter sports flyer, couldn't find AT or telemark gear...

It also had a conspicous absence of winter safety gear. As if the advertising team figured "avalance" avoidance equipment would kill sales with it's dangerous connotations... blush.gif

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