Is REI a good company to work for?

REI has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 4,509 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 (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

(4,370 total reviews)

Mary Beth Laughton

38% approve of CEO

34% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (4,370 reviews)

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 4,370 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

Jul 20, 2013

Definitely a company run from the top

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Free and Cheap Gear Most of employees work 7:30 to 4:30, but some departments are a lot busier (e.g, IT)

Cons

All decisions are made from the top. Most staff is focused only on execution and not strategy. Company doesn't seem to know where it should be positioned relative to competitors.

3.0

May 13, 2013

See what the future holds. . .

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Very progressive company. Trying to be creative in staying competitive in a challenging environment. Ensure that all employees had access to some type of health insurance (although basic). Positive public image, people get excited when you say you worked for them. Really good discounts. If you are looking for part-time work to subsidize your income this is a great job.

Cons

Raises are small, if any. Hours are often being cut. Hours are not consistent. Can be frustrating because they can be slow (or reluctant) to change in some areas. Inconsistent in communicating to employees. Too much on some topics, minimal on others. Future opportunities are questionable--REI recently released a lot of employees, some of which had been there up to twenty years. In addition they were very closed mouthed about this and not up front with the employees about their reasons, which made some staff uncomfortable about their future and what they needed to do to keep their jobs.

2.0

Mar 1, 2013

Inexperienced management, poor strategic planning, and overall poor communication

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great discounts and good atmosphere of folks that love the outdoors

Cons

Management is not experienced and is unprofessional and lacks strategic planning ability. Communication is poor throughout the organization, but especially poor coming from top execs down.

Viewing 466 - 468 of 4,370 Reviews

Jobs at REI

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

Regional Director of Stores, Southeast

Receiving Associate Full Time - 2nd Shift (Mon-Thurs 3pm-130am)

Fulfillment Warehouse Associate Full Time - 5th Shift (Fri - Mon 3pm - 130am)

Palm Beach Gardens, FL

REI

REI reviews

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Reviews by job title

Definitely a company run from the top

See what the future holds. . .

Inexperienced management, poor strategic planning, and overall poor communication

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