REI reviews

I want to start out by saying I once loved REI and what they stood for. And not all locations are like this. When I came back to work at the kennesaw REI in 2018 the store was totally different. All of the amazing managers I had known before had moved away. When I inquired as to why, it seemed there was little room for growth in management for “certain types of people”. The current management at this location is very different from the Boulder Co. store and the earlier Kennesaw REI I knew and loved. They’re evasive when it comes to their employee obligations and more often than not, have trouble talking with their employees about sensitive topics. Since I left I’ve kept in touch with a couple of current employees who feel they are being personally attacked because of their gender and look. I too, feel this way, but didn’t feel like I had anyone to talk to because the ones who I was supposed to tell were the same people exhibiting this unprofessional behavior. For a company who preaches equality and fairness it was a surprise. I’ve never felt more inequality at a job. The only people who can sustain a living on their “salary” are retirees and management. And they cut hours unexpectedly. So before you take a “full time position” please have a back up plan because I know I was left stranded. It’s so unfortunate but I can’t in good conscious allow unsuspecting good people to walk into the same situation I did.

Hierarchical corporatism has overtaken the company. Homogenized roles with the majority of daily operations being handled by death spirals of low level management gangs. No self determination or role creation allowed. Tech team is currently being exploited by Salesforce. Severe tech-debt has resulted in stores using Beta level software to replace outdated systems and hardware. The CEO is a repeated failure in retail. I expect nothing less than a golden parachute in the next 5 years and 1/2 of the stores closing.