Is REI a good company to work for?

REI has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 4,510 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 improved by 1% over the last 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 (463) , Retail Sales Associate (327) , Retail Sales Specialist (179) , Sales Lead (151) , Customer Service Specialist (109) , Customer Service Representative (103) , Cashier (49) , Sales Associate/Cashier (38) , 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 477 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and the general technical acumen is high." ((in 363 reviews)); "They give you a great discount on all store merchandise as well as comprehensive benefits." ((in 326 reviews)); "REI has a great culture for those who are or want to be involved with the outdoors." ((in 194 reviews)); "Great work life balance is great." ((in 130 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 372 reviews)); "Bad management and not much growth" ((in 259 reviews)); "Some managers don't appreciate hard work and favor employees who make them feel liked." ((in 114 reviews)); "Long hours and difficult to have a consistent schedule" ((in 101 reviews)); "It’s still retail and the wages are low." ((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 , San Francisco , Austin , 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

(4,371 total reviews)

Mary Beth Laughton

38% approve of CEO

34% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

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).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

2.0

Sep 25, 2014

Not the place to be if you are looking to advance.

Sales lead

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great coworkers, great discounts on gear, friendly engaging customers. Good backup from management when dealing with problems. Decent pay for retail. Good benefits package and bonus structure.

Cons

REI still can't figure out what it wants to be or where it wants to go, lack of corporate direction. Poor planning and forecasting in buying product. Slow, unclear ndorsement process leave employees at the mercy of their management team when it comes to advancement, does not reward real management talent. Limited scope for advancement and growth. Good talented people leaving for companies that better recognize and reward talent.

4.0

Sep 15, 2014

Lots of recent change, still a great company to work for

Anonymous

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work/life balance Mission you can believe in Outdoor recreation encouraged Great people Great benefits Great discounts on outdoor gear and clothing

Cons

Distance from city Constant change Divisions working in silos Too many people on campus Slow, bureaucratic processes IT support lacking

5.0

Sep 7, 2014

The very best retailer to work for.

Store manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

People matter. The Cooperative is working very hard to do right by the customers and employees. Business prospects are good with growing opportunity in the company. Great benefits, a sense of community. Small company feeling in a large company. Healthy lifestyle encouragement.

Cons

REI isn't the best at rolling out new technology but give employees what we need to get the job done. Some systems are not intuitive in the Apple operating system age.

Viewing 448 - 450 of 4,371 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

Regional Director of Stores, Southeast

REI

REI reviews

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Not the place to be if you are looking to advance.

Lots of recent change, still a great company to work for

The very best retailer to work for.

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