Loved REI on and off work - Operations Lead REI Employee Review

5.0
Nov 2, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Diversity and inclusion; retail employees become like family. - Members usually relate to customers with similar likes as the employees in the department they are shopping in; this makes for great conversation and customer service. - Medical benefits are outstanding; especially for gender-affirming care. - Employee discounts and Pro-Deals. - Thanksgiving and Black Friday paid time off in addition to 2 "Waydays" a year.

Cons

- REI is growing fast and is resulting in a quickly changing business model with more focus on the bottom line and increasing membership base. - Strong push for memberships and Mastercard sign-ups both on the floor and at the frontline; those not great at sales might find it stressful. - Where there used to be a few sales a year, there are constant and overlapping sales; it's easy to mix them up causing customer confusion. - Full-time positions are being reduced. - For part-time employees hours can be minimal - could be difficult to obtain/maintain the full benefits plan.

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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