Is REI a good company to work for?

REI has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 4,507 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 (461) , Retail Sales Associate (327) , Retail Sales Specialist (179) , Sales Lead (151) , Customer Service Specialist (109) , Customer Service Representative (103) , Cashier (49) , Sales Associate/Cashier (37) , 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 466 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and the general technical acumen is high." ((in 361 reviews)); "Benefits including 401k and health insurance are great after you work for them for one year." ((in 332 reviews)); "REI has a great culture for those who are or want to be involved with the outdoors." ((in 195 reviews)); "Great work life balance is great." ((in 129 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 373 reviews)); "Bad management and not much growth" ((in 247 reviews)); "Some managers don't appreciate hard work and favor employees who make them feel liked." ((in 112 reviews)); "Long hours and difficult to have a consistent schedule" ((in 100 reviews)); "Low wages and hours here." ((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 , Austin , San Francisco , 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

(4,368 total reviews)

Mary Beth Laughton

35% 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 4,368 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

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

5.0

Feb 28, 2019

Love your job, Love your life.

Customer service representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-401K for part time folks (it is an amazing benefit as a college student) -REI employees actually LIVE the core values of the company. There is so much RESPECT and INTEGRITY -Decent pay as a student working part time -Amazing customer base. -It is great to work with such a great return policy because you really get the opportunity to help customers out. -Discounts are pretty good (if you like outdoor stuff) -Award for best employee at each store. Kind of like an employee of the year type of thing. -Sustainable business growth. REI learns quickly what is working and what is not. -Inclusive environment. -People who are passionate about the outdoors -Life long friends.

Cons

I honestly don't have many bad things to say about REI. It really holds a special place in my heart. I suppose one con is membership sales. Not that they are very pushy or anything but they sometimes keep employees just because they can sell a lot of memberships.

1.0

Nov 24, 2018

A good place to work, for some, not all

Retail sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The REI Co-op is a company that truly cares about the environment and helping to get people to spend more time in the Great Outdoors. For while I lasted, I truly enjoyed working there.

Cons

When they don't want you to work there anymore, their scheduler's seeming method is to schedule you against your stated and agreed-upon availability, so you get miffed and quit. Guess what, it works!

4.0

Oct 10, 2018

Great place to work with well-rounded people

Hq/merchandising

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fantastic perks and benefits, especially the retirement match %. Deals direct from the vendor, discounts on purchases from REI, schedule flexibility, good health care costs. Company does a lot of good to encourage participation in the outdoors, protecting our land, etc. There were some really fantastic people that worked there, people who were legit to the core, and who are willing to take risks, to mentor others, and to really dedicate themselves to the company and what it stands for. Lots of like-minded people, value wise. There used to be a lot of support to grow your career within the company but that is dropping off a bit as the company gets bigger.

Cons

Poor accountability. Because the company so rarely fired or laid off anyone, there were plenty of people who just skated along, even if they were no good at their job. People, including upper management, were not given direct feedback which leads to promotion of incompetence or just punting someone who is troublesome around, hoping they will get fed up and leave on their own. It's the "REI nice" - people are nice to your face and don't give you honest feedback so it's hard to improve. Very frustrating for people looking to improve their skills.

Viewing 277 - 279 of 4,368 Reviews

Jobs at REI

Stocking Equipment Operator - Full Time (Friday Through Monday) 4am - 2:30pm

Forklift-Cherry Picker/SP/OP operator/warehouse associate-First Shift/Fulltime/ Mon-Thurs

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

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

REI

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Love your job, Love your life.

A good place to work, for some, not all

Great place to work with well-rounded people

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