A great company but not as good to work for as the marketing would lead you to believe - Anonymous employee REI Employee Review

3.0
Oct 11, 2017
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

CEO is good. Great coworkers and a casual business culture. Generally low turnover, though that seems to be changing. parking is not as much of an issue since they are in Kent. Great company if you get in at a high level, which has high bonuses, and are not looking to move up within the company. If all bonuses pay out, it is nice, but there is not guarantee of that.

Cons

Lower than average market pay. mediocre perks (Ex. bus passes are only 50% company paid). Negotiate salary hard upfront. Do not plan on making any significant increase in income year-over-year as the maximum you will ever get is a 3-4% raise, with 2-3% being the average for nearly everyone. Bonus is based on company performance compared to an arbitrary projected growth. This means that even if the company does well, it might not do "well enough" to pay out the bonus. In the end all bonus and raise amounts are based on what the board approves, so you never really know. Small company means that upward mobility is severely limited and you usually have to wait for someone to retire to move up. Also, it is harder for an internal employee to get a job then an external candidate (if you are considering trying to get in and then move around). If you are internal, HR uses the fact that they know your salary against you in salary negotiations.

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

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