Great place, not so great hours. - Anonymous employee REI Employee Review

3.0
Jun 3, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Prodeals and discounts are awesome. - Depending on the store, you meet some great people that can change the way you think about the outdoors. - If you're looking for a part time job that pays well this is a great place to start.

Cons

Unfortunately, unless you started as full time or become a sales lead there is no way you can get full time. There are always problems with scheduling and making sure hours are there. They'll let you go early if business isn't doing too good, which is fine if you don't have bills to pay. Memberships can be a pain as well. If you don't do well one week, it effects the next week you work. You can be great at customer service but if memberships are down it ruins your chance of getting hours.

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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