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      REI

      Engaged Employer

      REI reviews

      3.6

      64% would recommend to a friend

      (4,361 total reviews)
      avatar

      Mary Beth Laughton

      39% approve of CEO

      35% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.0

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.9

      Work/Life balance

      3.8

      Culture & values

      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 4,361 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

      Reviews by job title

      4K reviews
      5.0
      Sep 19, 2010

      A really good place to work

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Transparency is a big deal. REI even posts the results of the internal employee satisfaction survey with history going back 4 years on the public web site as part of their annual report http://www.rei.com/aboutrei/csr/2009/people.html . This report also details the employee demographics and even turnover %.

      Cons

      A very strong culture with a lot of outdoor sports influence. If you didn’t do something “big” this weekend, you might not have much to talk about at coffee. On the other hand, you can be male, female or any other demographic, profile or sub-group – if you climbed, biked, hiked, camped or lost a finger to frostbite on the weekend, you’re in, just be humble, because someone else can top it.

      3.0
      Sep 18, 2010

      Visual Merchandising

      Merchandiser
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      The best co-workers and great atmosphere.

      Cons

      Ability and encouragement to grow within the company seems limited.

      2.0
      Sep 1, 2010

      Nice idea, but...

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Outdoorsy stuff is inherently interesting and entertaining. You can meet some cool people if you play your cards right and keep your eyes open.

      Cons

      REI's a lot like communism. It looks good on paper, but fails in practice. It's just another big box store. Retail is retail is retail. And the focus on memberships has a cult-like feel to it. I just read that REI only donates $18 per member annually, less than the $20 lifetime membership fee. This is less than .3% of sales. Patagonia donates 1%. (figures from 2005) And I really cannot convey in words the amount of attitude I get from the vast majority of my co-workers. They're all haughty, judgmental jocks who take themselves super seriously because they go outside. I have felt excluded since I started there a year ago, which bothered me at first. Now I thoroughly enjoy it, since they took me off the sales floor and stuck me in the back. I don't have to talk to anyone. And I was thankfully relieved of my membership cult member duties. I was hoping for more hippie-types, and I have been sorely disappointed.

      Viewing 4312 - 4314 of 4,361 Reviews
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      Glassdoor has 4,499 REI reviews submitted anonymously by REI employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if REI is right for you.