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      REI

      Engaged Employer

      REI reviews

      3.6

      63% would recommend to a friend

      (4,371 total reviews)
      avatar

      Mary Beth Laughton

      38% 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 4,371 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
      3.0
      Sep 25, 2015

      Hit & Miss

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      It can be a fun place to work, with great people that share a love of the outdoors and enjoy working at the nations largest retail co-op. All the pros I have written are true, and all the pros written by those with nothing but positive things to say about working for REI are also probably true. I do not dispute that REI can be a great place to work. However, during my 5 years there I had the chance to work on a few different teams both in and out of the retail stores and I found the consistency with which the "REI" values are applied to be rather lacking...

      Cons

      ...Some managers really walk the talk and believe in supporting their people and protecting work life balance, others support the positive attributes of the culture in word only and yet others blatantly feel its a waste of time that doesn't apply to them. It can be really hit or miss and I began to feel like changing teams was a risky move cause if you got stuck on a team lead by someone that didn't value the things you value or the things REI claims to value there was really nothing you could do about it. The system they have in place to address work place issues like this are really toothless. REI has grown a lot from the small mountaineering co-op it once was and not all the growth was for the better or well managed. A lot of support services were neglected and are just now starting to get the resources they need to catch up.

      5.0
      Sep 25, 2015

      Apparel Product Developer/Technical Designer

      Product developer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Great culture and healthy environment Provide employee great discount and health benefit Flexible working hour to fit employee when needed Provide technical computer system training Produce great products and educate the customer to use product Excellence customer service

      Cons

      Limited choice of private brand styles Get more diversity styles to fit life style

      5.0
      Sep 1, 2015

      REI Outdoor Programs

      Market manager
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Co-op claims lofty values - and works hard to live up to them. No company succeeds here all the time, but the effort to stay true is legitimate and sincere. President and CEO Jerry Stritzke is an inspiring leader, with razor sharp management skills and a love of storytelling. After coming aboard in late 2013, needed changes, which had gone unchecked for years, were identified and successfully acted upon with skill, tact and precision - and in an impressively short time span. More importantly, he re-focused the REI brand vision and provided a clear path to follow that is easy to understand, and enhances the cultural values which are so vital to the company's identity and its loyal employee base. These actions have instilled great confidence in everyone from VPs to hourly retail employees, and the co-op has never felt - or performed - better. Dream job. Seriously. The work is surprisingly complex and challenging, and when done well, the result is something that actually makes you feel as though you are contributing to a better planet. Teaching a 40 y/o adult to ride a bike for the first time is something you never forget. Enabling a team to inspire and prepare thousands of people to explore the outdoors in ways they never previously thought possible (or at least lacked the skills for) - is absolutely priceless. Your team, colleagues and bosses are exceptionally talented and passionate people who deeply care about the work being done. Managers, and even hourly staff, can enjoy a fair amount of autonomy - as long as results are produced.

      Cons

      Key strategies are sometimes at odds with financial expectations; occasionally, meeting one goal can directly result in compromising another. Divisional goals and metrics change significantly each year. If you're not good at shooting multiple targets while riding backwards on a runaway horse, move along. New ventures are often announced with deadlines that are difficult (and occasionally impossible) to meet. To succeed, one needs a highly creative approach, honed organizational skills, and the ability to energize a fatigued team. Organizational re-structure is an annual occurrence. While corporations must anticipate and adapt to the constant change in business environment, this division has a significantly higher rate of change than any other. If you aren't comfortable with a LOT of change, look elsewhere. While REI is famous for its work/life balance, salaried managers often work 50-60 hours per week (sometimes 60-70), and are on-call on days off. Expect long days, longer weeks, and an end to the "busy season" because there is no "slow season." As a manager, expect to work in a virtual environment with superiors and colleagues, as well as the majority of your staff, whom are part time and work remotely.

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      Glassdoor has 4,510 REI reviews submitted anonymously by REI employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if REI is right for you.