REI

Really helpful sales associates. I found what I needed. Unfortunately the management team was less than helpful and created unnecessary barriers to apply my dividends. I left the store without a purchase. Never going back — you can get better things online and not waste an hour of your time.

Very very unhelpful. No customer service was looking to just exchanging a gift for a size smaller and the cashier did not want to help called the manager and they offered no help. I have never been to another retail store that made exchanging orders items so difficult, I will never recommend this place to anyone

Absolutely the worst experience. I would give a 0 star if possible.
DO NOT SHOP HERE.
We had 2 stores to visit this evening. The first was Bath and Body works. Unfortunately their store was closed temporarily. However, this location was more than accommodating, giving customers a 20% coupon and free hand sanitizers to apologize for the inconvenience. I only bring this up to provide a contrast to our experience with the second store on our list. REI.
We had received 2 jackets for Christmas from this location, but both were undersized, and we had stopped by to do a simple even exchange for a larger size and perhaps do a bit of shopping. Unfortunately this store has a «No Exchange and No return» policy without proof of purchase. These items are still tagged, and in their original wrapping. I have never had a store not do an even exchange in this situation before. They were extremely unaccommodating and somewhat rude. Do not buy gifts for someone from here, Do not shop here. You can do a lot better price, and customer service wise just about anywhere else.

While on a project in Columbus, I stopped at REI to check out backpacks for my upcoming southeast Asia trip. Which turned out to be another amazing adventure by the way. If Unilocal would get their butts in gear and get on out to Southeast Asia, with some of the best of food in the world not to mention I would have plenty pics up to show you just what I mean. Hopefully in the future we won’t have this problem. Moving along, The staff was very knowledgeable on everything I asked. I never knew all the inns and outs and aspects of buying a backpack, by the time I left I was a pro just like the employees. They are well-​stocked with everything you can ask for traveling, within the next year two REI’s should be opening on the Eastside and Westside of Cleveland. Can’t wait, really looking forward to shopping here at home. I ended up getting a Gregory Baltoro 75 L pack, it was voted the years best and I highly recommend it.

I stopped in here to look at running shoes and was VERY impressed.
The customer service is absolutely top tier. I received help from two different employees working in the shoe dept. They both were very knowledgeable, quick to help, and wonderfully friendly. They led me to a purchase decision that was exactly what I wanted.
Speaking of friendly, outgoing, employees, EVERYONE in the store was very pleasant.
The membership seems like a good deal. Just join. They said they would only send two emails per month.
The store was clean and well lit. The selection was very good in the product areas I was shopping.

REI is perfect for what it is: a store that has a variety of quality products but isn’t highly specialized. No, it’s not the cheapest; if you know what you’re looking for, and you’re willing to shop around/​wait for delivery, you can probably find a better price. It’s not the most extensive, either, though you *can* find a lot of things (particularly cycling, climbing, or camping gear; there are a lot of camping smallwares at REI). They’re likely to have what you need, but maybe not as many options as you’d find at a highly specialized store.
What REI is good for:
*If you’re still newish to a sport and are looking to fill out your gear and maybe need some help/​guidance or to see a variety of options in one place
*If you’re not new but need or want a quick replacement for something
*You have more money than you have patience to shop around
*You like to shop at a store that has a solid reputation and great service
It seems a bit harsh to ding them for trying to make a return without a receipt – most companies require a receipt to do more than an exchange or store credit. I’ve always had good, non-​intrusive customer service here. And I find it to be better than most of the local sporting goods/​camping stores I’ve been to, with the exception of Roll.

Let me start this off by by clearing up a few things. After reading the previous reviews, I think that there’s a few things folks should know. REI sells quality gear, and from my experience, has good customer service. To me, this is worth the extra cost. I knew this ahead of time and that’s part of the reason I chose to buy my new tent from here. Just like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you’re looking to find gear you can get at your local WalMarts, REI isn’t the place for you. If you’re looking for people with knowledge of the products their selling and quality gear, make this your first stop.
I finally got to head over and checkout REI last night. I knew about the membership and what the perks of it are. Pay the $ 20. It’s worth it. I talked with 2 associates about what I was looking for in a tent and they were more than helpful. After some careful deliberation and advice from the associates, I chose what I thought was right for me. I paid what I thought was a good price for an REI brand tent, and am looking forward to using it.
Personally, I feel better knowing that the people working there have actual experience with the products. For those of you that have been in Columbus for awhile, REI fills the gap that Galyan’s left. I know there are some good local shops as well, but you can’t beat the selection. I’ll definitely be back!

I went here looking for a backpack for an upcoming vacation, and if I based my review only off my first visit I’d give them 5 stars hands down. The first time I went PJ helped me, and he was outstandingly helpful. I told him my budget and what I was looking for, and he didn’t go over the budget (even though it would’ve been easy), and was just outstanding at helping me find a bag. I’m fairly petite and it took several tries to find one that fit right and didn’t hurt my back, and then even after I ended up finding one I liked he brought me some more options to compare. I walked out with a bag that was adjusted perfectly (and I’m not sure I would’ve been able to adjust it correctly myself since even the torso length was adjustable).
Later however, two things frustrated me. One– I looked online (which I can’t believe I didn’t do in the store), and immediately found the bag for $ 25 cheaper. I thought about returning my bag and ordering it online, but I decided to just look at it as a fitting fee since he’d been so helpful. However I do think that REI should price their items more competitively. Two– I brought my husband in to help him find a bag, and the woman that helped us was not anywhere as helpful as PJ. She ignored our budget and told us we wouldn’t find any for that price. She then showed us bags over double the budget price. We looked around on our own and found some closer to our budget without her, and decided to just order a bag for him online since he needed a standard size bag anyway.
So– if you happen to get the right person, this store can be fantastic. But the prices are a little high.

On the one hand, if you have even a vague interest in camping — or anything else that requires going outside — REI probably has what you need.
On the other, it felt like everything there was really expensive — even a foam bedroll pad for your sleeping bag that I’m pretty sure is $ 30 – 40 on Amazon was $ 86 here.
Employees were really friendly and I admit that everything, especially their own brands, seems like it’s the best quality, but it might be worth doing some price comparisons unless you absolutely need it RIGHT NOW.

I went to this REI as my first REI experience. Upon walking in, there was a young lady who saw me and my husband checking out the latest in high tech strollers. She was wonderfully pleasant and very knowledgeable (hence the second star for her). She gave us the rundown on becoming a member of REI if we chose and we went on out way throughout the store.
The reason we came to REI was to get a new pair of sunglasses for myself, but also check out the store. We enjoy camping and thought it would be a great new place for any items we needed. Mind you we don’t purchase this kind of stuff often, so becoming a member just wasn’t something we chose to do since we wouldn’t shop there too often. The membership if I recall is a $ 20 cost.
I found my glasses, my husband found a shirt and we were on the way! After a few weeks of the glasses, they were uncomfortable. I like the polarized lenses, but not the fit. I decided I would like to exchange them for a different style.
My husband and I were in the area, and decided to stop by for the exchange. We didn’t have the receipt with us, but had the credit card we used on the purchase. We went to the counter and asked to make an exchange, offered up the credit card we used etc. the cashier basically told us that since we were not REI members, he had no way of returning them, knowing what we paid etc. He then gave me the long speech about if I were a member, he would exchange them for me. I let him know I may have my receipt at home just not with me at the time. He said that would be the only way they would assist in doing anything with my purchase. I thanked him and left.
I will be returning my sunglasses today and not returning to the store. It seems like if you are not an REI member, they just don’t want to take the time to assist you with good customer service. Such a shame as the store itself is very nice.

Yeah, I like REI. I know that makes me a suburban tool, but I’m ok with that. This store just opened, so it’s massively stocked and seriously jammed with people buying stuff to make their outdoor excursions MOAR EXTREME. I actually stopped in to buy a diaper bag that doesn’t look like a diaper bag, and they had many in stock and they were priced fairly. I guess the only downside is the whole membership thing, but it’s not that expensive. I’ll be back.