I went to the EMS in Manchester to buy boots. I have a special need for comfortable boots As I am walking on concrete for 8 hours a day. Jonathan, who works there assisted me and made sure that I picked the right shoe and the right insert and he was spot on. Spent the time to try several different shoes until we hit the right one. Thanks Jonathan for your help and your an asset to the company. Jerry read more

I used to really like EMS! They were better then REI at one point! Now there has been a plethora of problems. First, they changed the website so you can not see your rewards so now it is impossible to use unless you have an email telling your rewards. This is silly seeing how easy it used to be. Another problem is, many times now, I will put things in the cart, put all the info in for checkout and over and over, time after time, it says internal error, cannot process! This has become such a problem that I no longer even try, I just going somewhere else! It's really to bad and a step way backwards read more

I was impressed with the service, selection and value at Eastern Mountain Sports when I bought hiking boots with the assistance of Paul in shoes and Brad at the counter. Also the discount was great read more

I have a long standing issue with cold hands in the winter, have always favored EMS and have purchased many items. Recently went there to buy some winter gloves, North Face advertised that they were the warmest glove. EMS and North Face what could go wrong?? The next day while hiking, temp about 35 both my hands were freezing as if it was a much lower temperature. These gloves were not as advertised, returned them to EMS and they would not refund my money even as they were less than 24 hours old and only used for 1 hour. I then contacted corporate EMS and they said the same thing. BUYER BEWARE IF YOU BUY SOMETHING FROM EMS AND IT DOES NOT MEET YOUR SATISFACTION OR ARE DISATISFIED WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCT EMS WILL NOT TAKE IT BACK. YOU'RE OUT OF LUCK SUCKER.. EMS return policy is the worse that I have seen in today's retail market. read more

Crappy Return Policy Crappy Prices "I was traveling and purchased a pair of shoes with cash. Later that even I walked around the hotel room and decided they weren't comfortable. So less than 24 hours later I returned them on my way out of town. They wouldn't refund my cash. Only a gift card. I don't have an EMS anywhere near me. I have Bob's Stores, but even though Bob's carries EMS merchandise I was told I can't use it there. Why the **** not it's the same day chain!? So now I have to order online and incur shipping charges to use it which given the other complaints using a gift card is impossible online. I emailed them asking about trading it for a Bob's Store credit instead no response. Had I had been told about this stupid return policy I would have gone elsewhere. Instead they just had a sign above eye level nearly impossible to see. Basically EMS has stolen $58 from me and I intend to contact the State Of Connecticut Attorney General and file a complaint. Shop elsewhere. Trust me." read more

Avoid EMS! Customer service is horrible! I ordered a pair of shoes online, you know a left shoe and a right shoe. They sent me TWO LEFT SHOES then Heather T in customer service blamed their distribution folks and made no attempt to address or resolve my irritation and dissatisfaction. The shoes were expensive, so I expected solid service. Nope. Pathetic! She told me that distribution could not find the right shoe(s) and that I should just return them. Huh? Bush league operation. So I did my part. Shopped, bought them, and paid EMS. I will never buy from them again and I strongly urge you to go elsewhere with your money. read more

I have been trying to use a gift card for both online and phone purchases for about a week now. The online system does not allow gift cards to be used and the phone order system demands that I pay for the items with my credit card first, which will be reimbursed at some future date. I live in Arizona so in-store purchases are not possible. Their "customer support" service has been completely useless in resolving this matter. read more

Abysmal customer service, will never purchase from EMS again, Zappos provides far better selection, delivery and customer service experience - not to mention free returns! Meanwhile I'm waiting out my return (which I had to pay for) to be credited for a product that was delayed in shipping and represented by a seriously unconcerned individual over the phone. NOPE. read more

they won't honor a $50 gift card saying on their website that gift cards are temporarily unusable. They can be used in store however the nearest store is 50 miles for me. Not with driving 100 miles for $50. This is a scam so people buy gift cards and they won't honor them online. ive always had the worst experiences with EMS I am surprised they are still in business. REI is so much better. i will let BBB know about this. Anybody want a fee gift card? I won't use it read more

Bought a POS KARRIMOR brand hikers on sale online with a coupon that I had "earned". They did not fit at all and you could tell they are cheap Chinese crap, worse than Walmart. They were thrown in a bag and shipped without a shoe box, it's a wonder the bag didn't tear in shipping. I went to immediately return them and was told by their flat-toned, brain dead customer service rep that I'd have to return them at my own expense for a gift card! What garbage EMS has become. Never again. The store most of us knew well and loved is gone. RIP read more

stopped in here to grab some supplies before camping in the white mountains; inquired about which trails to do and the folks there were super helpful! ended up doing the Lafayette Loop and Ammonoosuc Trail, which were awesome. thanks Sam! read more

I would like to underscore another reviewer's comment that EMS is operating like it's the 1970s. Their policies are out of step with all of their competition. I recently ordered a microfleece for my wife, who is always a size small. The garment was a $30 piece of garbage, for which EMS charged $7.99 to ship. It would not be large enough even for a small child, and of course it did not fit. EMS has a very awkward process for returns, and I ended up having to snail-mail it back to them in Connecticut. I paid for shipping BOTH ways, and ended up with a credit of $15.81 for the "pleasure" of doing business with them and nothing to show for it. As a matter of principle, I am done with EMS and I'm never going to even look at anything from them again. Can't wait until they declare bankruptcy and depart from the retail scene. read more

I am very disappointed with the customer service at EMS. I ordered a pair of hiking boots for my son and once we received it, I noticed that it was a size 8W, when in fact I order just an 8, not wide. The product description mentioned nothing about it being a wide fit, They pointed out to me that it was mentioned in the title "HI-TEC Men's Logan WP Hiking Boots, Smokey Brown/Olive/Snow,Wide". Well I missed that and since when do they put it in the title, when everyone else will mention it in the product description. Not to mention that a lot of other sites will also have it in the drop down box of the sizes with an 8 or 8W. I paid $8 for shipping, and now I have to ship it back to them, which I'm sure will cost me more than the $8. They will not send me a postage paid return label, so in the end I'll be out $20+, and no boots. Also... I intended on reordering another pair of boots (size 8, not wide), but then they told me that it was going to cost me another $8 for shipping... really??? I will not be ordering that or ANY other boots or anything from them again. And here's another thing... if I chose to return the boots at the nearest store (a drive of 1.5 hours each way) in order to avoid the cost for shipping back, the store would only honor a merchandise credit. And what about crediting my credit card since that's how I paid for it??? Absolutely not per Customer Service because that is their "Policy". I am so disappointed with this store and how they are handling this. It's no wonder these stores are all closing down in the area, as their policies and bad customer service are causing this company to go down hill. It would be no surprise to me at all if they went out of business. I would not recommend for anyone to shop online at this store if unsure of sizing, etc. There are so many other online stores that offer free shipping and will offer free returns. read more

After reading negative reviews regarding online purchases, I was really reluctant to place an order with EMS, but EMS was the only place I could find the particular item I was looking for. After a couple of days of going back and forth about whether I should place the order, I finally hit the "complete order" button. Service was outstanding! The item arrived exactly as specified, and exactly when told it would arrive. I talked to two customer service representatives about possible discounts on my purchase and both worked to get me the best deal possible. I would have no reservations about ordering from EMS in the future! read more

Love this place. The staff is friendly and great. They may not move at lightning speed but they are thorough and careful. We always find great deals at EMS and online, but because we are from the west coast, it's a treat to visit an EMS store and find some really great sales, used our coupons and member bonus. The clerk was careful to make sure we got all our discounts applied to the sale and we walked away with huge savings. read more

EMS is no longer an outdoor outfitter, they are more akin to Bobs store (their owners) or Dicks Sporting Goods. Their forcus is on selling high quantities of cheap softgoods like fleeces and ski jackets for kids going to school. The past year they have brought in racks and racks of "sale" items that are not usable for most outdoor athletes. Its cheap stuff that you would buy at Burlington Coat. They play the pricing game where the merchandise is always "on sale" but never really changes prices. Their basic Zip Techwick is always $24 with a crossedout $39 next to it. For a year its been $24. Come on EMS, the price is $24 not the imaginary $39 that you pretend you marked it down from. Another example is their socks which one day can be $6 and the very next day be $14. Well, whats the price of the socks? I undrestand having things on sale at the end of the season to move inventory, but this is every week, all the time, just to manipulate sales. The quality merchandise and hardgoods never goes on sale and aren't at all a deal. Bottom line, if you are looking to head into the mountains, don't plan on heading to EMS first. read more

I placed an online order over a week ago and just received notification that my order was just shipped with an expected delivery date of next week. So in a nutshell EMS lives in a carrier pigeon/ snail mail / fax world. I called there customer support number in CT and laughably the outgoing message says "so that we can better support you please choose the following.......then you have one number, one choice. There's no choice, you can only press 1 to place an order. So, I pressed one and then asked for a manager only to get a voice mail. I've had better luck calling a airline and amazon and eBay. EMS has a real management problem. I can see they've closed stores and are trying to compete online however they're woefully lacking. I even tried placing a order before Christmas from a email solicitation from EMS and was unable because they're website didn't recognize my email and account info. Note to EMS, you sent me a email because I DO have an account and you obviously had my email. EMS board of directors needs to clean house and appoint competent managers or they'll have no board left to say they sit on. read more

EMS sucks! I ordered a backpack that didn't resemble the image on their website. I returned it for a different color and they screwed that up, sending me one with hot pink zippers. I called their customer service line and they aren't taking any calls - they insist you email them, which I did. I received an automated response. It's been 3 days and I haven't heard from them. DO NOT DO business with them!! I wish I had seen these poor reviews before I ordered from them. read more

They watched me struggle for a half a hour with hiking packs before sending someone over with no knowledge of the product. Then my boyfriend asked if there was any water bottles were made in America in their store and all 3 associates had no idea and could not give him answer nor did they try to help him find a solution. We will not return to this EMS read more

Back in the day, EMS was my go-to store for technical gear--rock, ice, camping, etc. , and they were great. I still have a bunch of EMS branded shell jackets and pants that have performed flawlessly through years of skiing and climbing. The current iteration of EMS is frankly a disaster, thanks to corporate mismanagement. So sad. The retail staff are still helpful and nice, but the pricing, return policy and product they push now are a far cry from what the stores used to offer. No refunds on returns, only store credit?? Their corporate brand Karrimor boots are junk. The sizing for these boots is all over the place, even between the left and right boots that bear the same size label and are in the same box. When tightening the laces on one pair while trying them on in the store, the eyelet pulled right off. No thanks. That said, the two top of the line Karrimor mountaineering boots (Hot Ice and Alpiniste) appear to be fairly legit in fit and quality (other than lacking the front notch for toe bail crampons)--not LaSportiva or Asolo, but not horrible either. read more

Shopping online is infuriating. Hard to remove items from your cart, hard to add free shipping. I would rather pay extra than deal with all the back and forth! Just have to shop at the stores and use back country or one of the other sites to order from. read more

Went here to purchase a hydration bladder for my daypack. Had gone in the day before and purchased Salomon running shoes. So today while looking for a hydration bladder my son had an emergency and needed to use the bathroom. I asked the elderly woman with medium length brown hair at the cash register "excuse me, hi, is there a bathroom here?" She looks at me, refuses to address me or even say hello, then shakes her head no. I've NEVER been treated so rudely by a retail employee. Her behavior disgusted me- needless to say I put my merchandise back and left the store. I've seen negative reviews about customer service at this store but still gave it a chance- well NOPE! EMS needs to really screen/train who they hire because this area is a huge tourist area with their tourism declining yearly. When people go on vacation which ultimately secures your job you should treat them with respect! I'm from NYC and they say New Yorkers are rude- however- I have more manners and social skills than any of these employees here. Completely disgusted- they lost a lot of business! read more

Unfortunate situation at EMS in North Conway, NH today. Tried to purchase a pair of Northface boots and a backpack. We were told they had a military discount. Standing in line, a female store cashier took another customer who walked up next to us even though they knew we were standing in line. In front of the clearly marked "Line starts here". We were uncomfortable as she made a comment regarding the other customer probably didn't know...even though he saw us waiting there. Both the cashier and him should have been much more courteous and respectful, and taken us next. There is only one line. Then, our coupon doesn't work. Then, we don"t get the military discount unless you sign up for their rewards program. Unfriendly customer service so we left our items and walked out. We don"t want to be forced to give out our personal info and sign up for a rewards card in order to receive a military discount. Thought the backpack was on clearance, as the boots were. They weren't, so wrongly marked, and no 20% off Northface items. As the small print stated. EMS lost us as customers today.... read more