Is REI a good company to work for?

REI has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 4,507 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 63% of employees would recommend working at REI to a friend and 34% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about REI have been left by employees working as Store Sales Specialist , Retail Specialist and Frontline Staff .

Does REI pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, REI employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at REI. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at REI?

63% of REI employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated REI 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at REI?

Sales Associate (636) , Sales Specialist (461) , Retail Sales Associate (327) , Retail Sales Specialist (179) , Sales Lead (151) , Customer Service Specialist (109) , Customer Service Representative (103) , Cashier (49) , Sales Associate/Cashier (37) , Retail Sales Manager (35) , Customer Service (31) , Warehouse Associate (31) , Sales (30) , Sales Representative (29) , Frontline Cashier (27)

What are the pros of working at REI according to real employee reviews?

"Great for people that enjoy the outdoors particularly if you are looking for deep discounts on outdoor product for yourself." ((in 475 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and the general technical acumen is high." ((in 347 reviews)); "Great benefits and discounts." ((in 336 reviews)); "REI has a great culture for those who are or want to be involved with the outdoors." ((in 196 reviews)); "Great work life balance is great." ((in 128 reviews))

What are the cons of working at REI according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and even lower pay for those with over 20 years in the company." ((in 368 reviews)); "Bad management and not much growth" ((in 256 reviews)); "Some managers don't appreciate hard work and favor employees who make them feel liked." ((in 112 reviews)); "Long hours and difficult to have a consistent schedule" ((in 102 reviews)); "Layoffs 3 years in a row have made the culture feel a bit unstable." ((in 28 reviews))

What are employees saying about REI layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about REI layoffs and their outlook for job security at REI in 2026.

What are the top reviewed REI locations?

Seattle , Kent , Sumner , Denver , New York , San Diego , Portland , Atlanta , Austin , San Francisco , Chicago , Boston , Berkeley , Bellevue , Houston , Tustin , Boulder , Issaquah , Los Angeles , Goodyear , Salt Lake City , Framingham , Washington , Columbus , Bloomington , Dallas , San Antonio , Bedford , Phoenix , San Carlos

REI reviews

3.6

63% would recommend to a friend

(4,368 total reviews)

Mary Beth Laughton

35% approve of CEO

34% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Culture & values

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.0

Senior management

2.9

Career opportunities

REI has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 4,368 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The REI employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

5.0

Jan 6, 2025

Excellent Company to Work for

Adventure sales specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Open communication lines, corporate transparency, travel, great coworkers, amazing deals on outdoor gear.

Cons

Tied to customer service hours and phone requirements. Challenging to grow. Low pay.

4.0

Jan 5, 2025

Good people

Retail sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great coworkers, solid bosses as far as bosses go, good health benefits even part-time, good access and perks as an employee.

Cons

Constantly pressured on membership numbers as a retail associate

3.0

Jan 4, 2025

Great coworkers and perks, mediocre to bad management

Sales specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Having worked at several REIs, I've seen that the sheer number of interesting, talented, and personable individuals the company hires creates the (often realized) potential for a fun and interesting workplace. The customers can be all over the place depending on where you work but you're well supported by management in dealing with difficulties. The better stores provide ample product and department training for their staff, even leading me to pick up new outdoor pursuits. Hours can be very flexible, but not always predictable. The discounts on gear are also phenomenal.

Cons

Management and management practices are a huge issue across REI. The company is following the industry trend towards making floor staff as expendable as possible through successive restructures. It's a progressive company only in branding at this point. Management practices increasingly reflect this - retaliatory strikes against workers who speak out against poor working conditions, lack of accountability, and general willingness to discard experienced and hard-working staff as they see fit. This is only buffered by managers with the personal integrity to counter this trend, although many store level managers are under heavy pressure from REI corporate.

Viewing 370 - 372 of 4,368 Reviews

Jobs at REI

Forklift-Cherry Picker/SP/OP operator/warehouse associate-First Shift/Fulltime/ Mon-Thurs

Stocking Equipment Operator - Full Time (Friday Through Monday) 4am - 2:30pm

Forklift-CherryPicker/SP/OP Operator/Warehouse Associate- First Shift/ Part Time/ Sun-Mon/ 5am-3pm

Forklift-Cherry Picker/SP/OP Operator/Warehouse Associate- First Shift/Part Time/Thur-Fri/5am-3pm

Receiving Associate Full Time (Friday through Monday) 4am - 2:30pm

REI

REI reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Excellent Company to Work for

Good people

Great coworkers and perks, mediocre to bad management

Jobs at REI

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