Good Place to Work P/T - Sales Specialist - Soft Goods REI Employee Review

4.0
Aug 1, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working at REI was a great part time job - I got to talk to customers about their upcoming adventures and use my knowledge and experience to outfit them. It's nice that so many REI employees have a genuine interest in outdoor activities, and all have a sincere interest in giving great customer service. Pro deals and discounts are a great perk.

Cons

Having worked under 3 different store managers, the management style is different for each. One was excellent and really empowered employees to make the store awesome. One was more hands-off, but still fine. But the final manager I worked for didn't seem to put much effort into scheduling to make employees happy. Also, while I was not seeking to advance in the company, I had some coworkers who were passed up for advancement who I think would be excellent supervisors - again this likely has more to do with each individual store's leadership, and not company-wide policy. As a part time employee, compensation wasn't great, but it's a retail job. The pro deals and discounts make up for it if you're into outdoor activities.

Explore other reviews about REI

5.0
Jun 26, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good managers, deals, coworkers, products

Cons

No cons, I really liked my time.

3.0
May 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Most coworkers, some managers, discounts, outfitting people properly without extra nonsense

Cons

Some truly horrible managers, pressure to sell credit cards is a morale killer, the union people. Employees drinking the union kool aid fail to see the company’s position, REI cannot give higher pay, better benefits , consistent hours, etc… with the erratic revenue stream that comes in , if a 5 year average is X in revenue and 5 year average is Y on wages and costs, how are they supposed to increase wages and benefits? It’s numbers and they don’t line up, if REI gives the increases which increases the expenses greatly, they will cut staff, a lot fewer employees which will eliminate a bunch of union supporters, an REI job is not supposed to be a lucrative deal, when you get hired the part time , part time plus and full time options are there and you choose what you want fully understanding what hours you are going to get at minimum, they will hire those positions on a need basis, to cry later that you don’t make enough money is your fault, the terms were clear and you signed off on them. The union is promising rainbows , reality will be far different, careful what you wish for

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All