I was very impressed with the level of customer service I received at REI, specifically by Javier. He went above and beyond to help me and when there seemed like no hope to find the item I desperately needed for a trip, he kept looking. This type of customer service one doesn't see much anymore. I was blown away. I should mention that he also found it on sale for me. read more

Came here to buy a gift for a friend and the cashier almost wouldn't let me pay for my single item with out a phone number. I tried to tell them I was in a rush but they insisted I give them my phone number for discounts in the future even though I told them I don't ever shop there and I was in a rush. They made it seem like you can't shop there unless you sign up. First as last time I will be going into this store. They were acting like their manager was going to take them out back if they didn't get a phone number for every purchase. They shouldn't be telling their employees to insist more than twice. It took longer than it should have. I feel bad for the cashier as I've worked in retail and I know it's management telling the employees to push this kind of stuff. read more

The team here is so helpful and kind. The lady that helped me and my friends was quite knowledgeable and willing to assist us in finding the gear we were looking for (sorry as I forgot her name). We will definitely will be back again soon and look forward to working with her. It makes a big difference to the customer when you receive quality help like we did this evening. read more

Came in for a camping sleeping pad for our upcoming trip to Idyllwild, and before we even walked in the door, and employee asked us what we were looking for and pointed us in the right direction so we didn't waste time trying to find anything. They had sleeping pads already inflated in that area so that we could give them a feel. We were even able to put them on the ground and lie in them to test! Checkout was easy, staff was friendly, and I'm sure we'll be back soon. read more

Almost great experience minus my experience at checkout. Cashier / associate didn't seem so pleasant. Just because I didn't sign up for their $20 program, i got the cold shoulder treatment. She didn't even offer me a bag after I had checked out my items and in fact had to ask for one. Such class. read more

I've been a member of REI (via my sons member accounts, as all purchases are for their Scouting adventures) for years. Nothing but great things to say about the inventory, the layout, the top tier products they carry, the non-product offerings, the knowledgeable sales staff, the warmth and helpfulness offered by everybody, and the great member sales they have throughout the year. That said, there is one stand out team I'd like to recognize - the Bike Department. Stellar team with the manager Ryan, and his associates Breanne and Andrew, being my contacts throughout my most recent transactions. Couldn't have asked for better engagement: - genuinely friendly - freely offering top-notch knowledge - versed on all product, services and warranties - valuable suggestions with no pressure - etc. Basically going the extra mile on all counts. Thanks again to Ryan and the team! read more

The adult equivalent of a toy store. It is so easy to part with your money here. I usually take an international trip every year with a focus on historical and cultural sights, so for the longest time the only real outdoorsy gear I needed was a pair of good travel sneakers. However, for the last 2 years, COVID-19 altered my travel plans so that the main 2020 and 2021 trips involved a lot more hiking and outdoor activities in general. So it was in this instance that I got acquainted with the co-op. I've been to the two REI co-ops in SD County: the one here in Encinitas and the one further down south in Kearny Mesa. Although I had nothing but good experiences in both stores I prefer the one in Encinitas a tad because the parking situation's a little better... but on the downside the store is smaller than the Kearny Mesa location. The customer service is considered gold standard and it seems like people are genuinely happy to be there. Also all are brutally honest when it comes to second opinions, which is really important when you're about to make an expensive investment purchase. Protip: I kinda judge potential staff members based on what shoes they're wearing. Tells me a bit about their outdoor adventuring style. It was this particular store that I made the two most important purchases of my outdoor adventure travels: the Tempest 20 backpack (daypack) and a pair of Merrell Moab 2 (hiking boots). To ultimately pick these two items was a process that took at least 30 minutes each trying on different types of shoes and backpacks. Between my 3 hiking-heavy trips to the CA Central Coast, Joshua Tree and Iceland (as well as a few local hikes) I've been extremely happy in my purchases and particularly in the case of Iceland, along with my hiking pants, allowed me to experience the country's natural wonders. Both are still in very good condition. Since you'll be spending a good amount of money here, it's best to just pay for the $20 *lifetime* membership on the first purchase. You'll never know when your annual dividend might just come in handy. read more

The outdoor canapies setup for COVID have become annoying. Please remove them. Now for no reason other than to serve REI needs, I must stand in line to tell the associate that I know where I'm going and yes... I am a member. Annoying. Inventory has been sad the last 18 months. read more

First time coming to this location and staff greeted me right away. Came to get my snowboard hot waxed and was told they'll have it done within 48hrs but it was done the following day. Wax was good for 4 days on the slopes. read more

This is another reason why retail is dying. The biggest advantage that brick and mortar retailers still have against their online counterparts is customer service. Why this store continues to fail to grasp such low-hanging fruit continues to perplex me. You have two cashiers with over 20 people in line. read more

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Today I went into REI to return a snowboard and gear that I had purchased online. When I spoke to the representative Jessica at the front desk, she asked why I was returning the items. I told her because of an injury the snowboard was not working for me and I was not satisfied. She said that was not an expectable reason. Accept that is an expectable reason. That is REI's return policy. So she had the manager Blake come out to facilitate the return. Well... Blake was not too happy about the return either. He told be some story about running or something, I didn't really bother listening. The reason is, because it does not matter, you can return anything you are not satisfied with. It's the 100% satisfactory guarantee. Anyways, during the return Blake asked me if the snowboard and bindings were bought separately. I replied yes. He then said to me with a straight face, "Well the bindings and the snowboard need to be separate to be returned, and we do not have tools to separate that." The tool he was referring to is a Philips head screwdriver. Thanks Blake. So, I went home unscrewed the binding and came back to the store and asked for Blake to finish what he started, he declined. Lindsay helped me with my return and was pleasant, I appreciate that. REI gets 5 stars. It is a great store, with a great return policy. Don't let employees intimidate you about returning something you do not want. Tell them like I did, that is YOUR return policy. So please do the return and save your opinion for your friends and family. read more

Some staff are great but managers/supervisors are horrible. This location needs someone from corporate to help their service read more

The REI bike shop is the best in North County San Diego. They're professional thorough and they care about bikes. I really appreciate them and the work they do for the community around impeccable work and integrity with honest customer service thanks I brought a bike in with two issues which were dangerous and they took their time to fix them. read more

Hi such a great staff. Friendly, helpful. Even let me have my little dog in the dressing room with me. Got all of my new ski gear. I'm all set now. Definitely go here for all of your sports/camping needs read more

I'm not an outdoorsy person or into exercise, so I can't recall the last time I was in an REI store. I called this one, though, because I needed someone to evaluate my old 10-speed bike that's been hanging in my garage for more than a decade and it was the only nearby bike repair place open on Sunday. Staff member Giancarlo (sp?) answered my call; he was extremely friendly, professional and kind. I mentioned that if I brought my bike to them, I'd need someone to help me get it out of my car and he stated there'd be no problem with that. When I got there, I told a staff member who was outside the entrance to monitor the number of customers going into the store that I needed help with my bike. She immediately solicited her co-workers and within a couple of minutes, another very nice staff member (Don Angelo, I think!) got my bike out of my car and walked it into the store with me. Again, within a couple of minutes, a bike shop staff member looked over my bike and then solicited the assistance of a bike tech to check out my ancient 10-speed. The two of them were just as professional, friendly and kind as their colleagues. I'm a huge stickler about customer service and the service at this REI store was remarkable. I actually interacted with a couple more staff members while I was there and they were great, too. Without any sales pressure, I bought my first bike helmet, joined their loyalty program and got my bike tuned up. Yea! read more

Between my wife and I, we've been camping a grand total of about 2 times, but with the current state of the world we figured if there was ever a time to give it a try it'd be now. Had some really helpful customer service from a few employees. They geared us up for an upcoming family getaway with our toddler, and we feel a ton more confidant that we'll survive after shopping at this REI. They operated at a limited capacity and everyone was masked up and social distancing. The decals on the floor were actually pretty helpful to keep the flow of traffic easy to navigate. If you're getting outta town for the woulds, I wouldn't steer you away from this household name. read more

Always the best customer service at REI. This one is no different. Went there for a snowboard tuneup and they did great.

I've been a member of REI the first month I moved to San Diego years ago and it's so worth it! I got reward points to use up and since I'm going on a trip again in a few weeks, I decided to stop in here to get some stuff. This location seems a bit smaller than the other location by Balboa, but there's an upstairs just the same. Customer service is great, the lady who helped me was very knowledgeable about which brands to get for bug spray. The options for hiking shoes are great, especially the hiking boots. The best part is, they have a wide variety of stuff for my kids too. Because kids can be active too! read more

In the old days, REI staff were pros and really knew their products but my latest experience was a big disappointment: They don't seem like they been trained properly, both for product knowledge and respectful customer service regarding not making the customer feel quilty about an online purchase return. read more

Great helpful people! I hate shopping but could spend a lazy afternoon in here.

I had brought my sister to introduce her to the luxury life of quality hiking boots but did not plan to purchase any myself. HOWEVER, I saw some beautiful Lowa All Terrain boots and I just had to have them. At check out, ANGEL & EMILY were an absolute pleasure to work with. They were very helpful with explaining the benefits of signing up for membership and it's great to know my boots have a year warranty on them now. My sister is in love with her REI Hiking boots as well. Thank you REI for another wonderful experience provided by your team, will continue to be a returning customer. read more

Karen and Jose are absolute AMAZING!!!! Excellent customer service and one of the best experiences I've had shopping for athletic attire. I'm so grateful I signed up to be a member. I will gladly support this business! read more

Got a new Patagonia black better sweater jacket. Large selection and sizes. I'm looking forward to sporting this jacket around work and town. Thank you! read more

REI - Bikes Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Pre covid I would say that I loved this place. The employees are helpful (when you can find them) and knowledgeable about the products. Then covid hits and this place is a SHIT SHOW!!!! First of all- there is no sense to the lines. One to enter where they ask you "why you are there" "what you want to buy". They turned the family in front of me away because they didn't have the item they wanted. Talk about horrible business- let the people look for heavens sake!!! Then they ask me and I wanted to say "it's none of your business" what I'm shopping for. Does it matter what I buy if I'm planning to spend over $1000? Furthermore, this wasn't the case a few months ago. They just implemented 100 questions, no trying on in fitting rooms and glass barricades everywhere. A few things didn't work out so a few days later I bring it back. Again, the 20 questions in line and I'm placed in a "return line" where the cashier literally helps 5 people in the regular check out before me. So basically I should have waited in the check out line because there are really no rules. When literally all people want and can be is outdoors rights now, these people make it VERY hard. I plan on shopping at my local outdoors shop in Solana beach or other online vendors from now on!!! read more

REI is a one stop shop for high quality sporting goods. This store is a 2-story building full of equipment, shoes and clothing. The workers are friendly and helpful. On a regular day, there is ample parking spots. Though the prices are more expensive than your average sporting store, they have a generous return policy up to 1 year no matter what. Definitely get the REI membership which is a one time fee of $20 allowing you to return without hassle, get discounts and earn dividends back. In regards to their "garage sales" of used and returned items they have every few months, I don't think worth it. We got there 1 hour before and there were at least 150 people ahead of us. Most of the items on sale were only about 50-60% off, some in terrible condition (dirty, worn, broken). There wasn't a great selection and greedy people were hoarding multiple items so you didn't have a chance unless you came hours before. So unless you're insane and want to camp in front of the store overnight (which some people did), the sale will be a disappointment. read more

REI - Insanely long line for the garage sale - Bikes Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Awesome service from Sidney at checkout and several employees on both levels of the store helped me quickly navigate to gloves and socks. Thank you for amazingly quick visit in spite of very busy store. read more

Dawood helped me find the perfect pairs of climbing shoes. He was funny, professional and friendly. He was also super knowledgeable and helped me find exactly what I needed when I really didn't know what that was. I just knew I needed shoes. If you need to get rock climbing shoes. Dawood is the guy you want to talk to! read more

REI - My gf carrying my new shoes - Bikes Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I love, love, love REI products for all of my outdoor needs. Details matter to me when I purchase hiking gear. The lineup at REI offers function with fashion and the high quality products never go out of style. This location has a wide open layout with high ceilings and products galore for all of you adventure types. I appreciate the location so close to home and give REI 4 stars. They could improve in the service area, I feel like I am making the employees go out of their way to open a dressing room or pull shoes from the back. I tried to buy spin cleats but the limited selection and slow service thwarted my mission. The store was empty and the employee was not able to pull shoes for both customers so I had to sit around and wait for somebody to try on three pairs of shoes before I could get asnything to try on. I ended up at a small, family owned business instead of this mega-chain. I am glad that the small fries can still compete with corporate chains due to the quality of service. Check out their REI club for a 10% dividend at the end of the year, if you shop at REI frequently you will drop a lot of bills and it is fun to go back in and spend free money. read more

I returned a pair of sandels. They refused to give me cash. They would only give me a $100 gift card. I asked for 4 $25 gift cards. They refused. If I could I would give them zero stars. read more

I just wanted to say thank you to all the helpful employees at this REI. Everyone was so nice and helpful carried my storage carrier out and even helped lift it and lock it down. Truly impressed with such great customer service here! I will be back to shop here again and greatly appreciated that I am now a lifetime member! read more

REI - Great help with the install - Bikes Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Rei is for the much more discerning outdoor enthusiast. This certainly isn't your typical outdoor shop. Most of the products are quality made items built to last a long spell. Of particular importance is the staff and their collective knowledge offered up ever so humbly. read more

Products are good. But I can do without all the haggling on signing up for their loyalty program. Asked a simple question regarding the price of a product I was considering on purchasing, then was bombarded with a canned sales pitch on the floor, then at checkout. I know it's their job but they need to do a better job accessing the customer responses and body language when they just aren't interested. read more

REI is probably the best brick and mortar store for decent quality sporting goods. You can become a member and earn divisent but it only applies to regular priced items. If you shop here often, it's probably best to get their credit card and you get 5% rebate for everything. I still have mixed feelings about REI because they took away the lifetime satisfaction guarantee. It's a huge change for me as a member since 2008... but I do understand the change as a result of business needs given the rise of internet shopping and competition. I'll just accept the one year guarantee then. As for this store in particular, there are 2 levels since the lot is not a big one. The store is organized and the staff are alright; they don't seem as upbeat as those down in San Diego, and the two-story design doesn't appeal to me much. It's easier to have everything on one floor like the one in San Diego on Copley drive. I came here many times mostly for returns when I bought stuff online, and I come here more for the convenience since I live in north county. I'm glad they have a location here so I don't have to drive to San Diego for REI! read more

The store is mostly clothes now. They have removed lots of items to make room for the garage sale stuff. I would say half the items in the store dont have price tags. Be ready to be followed around as if you are going to steal something. The store look like crap and I wonder if they are going out of business read more

REI - Garage sale boots lol they are trash. Cant believe they would put this up for sale. They are garbage - Bikes Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Have to give Robert (store manager) a shout out. He was so helpful today with helping me figure out my pack size. He easily took 20 minutes out of his time to not only size me but also give useful information when it comes to packing your pack for long hikes. We love coming to the store. Always have a great experience. Also thanks to the young guy (cashier12) who helped me with a return. This whole crew is awesome. read more

I had two different guys help me sort out hiking shoes for a big hiking trip going through various terrains in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Banff, Revelstoke, Vancouver, and Washington state. They both recommended La Sportiva. The best purchase I've made this year. Just like they said, they're lightweight, waterproof, superb grip, and not super bulky looking. They work on rock and snow/ice. Thanks guys, you know your inventory well! read more

Found a kids bike I wanted to buy that was marked $279 and hanging up. I asked to buy it but the lady that runs the bike area told me it was actually $399 but the price tag hadn't been updated. She wouldn't honor the price as marked and immediate ripped the tag off. Bait and switch here, seems illegal, shady at best. read more

I love this store! The staff is very friendly and helpful. I've gone in to get sized for a backpacking backpack and hiking shoes, and both experiences were great. The store is well kept and stocked. Checkout is usually pretty fast. Returns are very easy. This place is awesome! read more

One of the friendliest consumer retail stores I've ever been in. Immediately greeted by Diana, who helped me fit and test out a new backpack. Another gentleman assisted me with the stoves and I didn't catch his name. All so friendly and informative, even the lady who rung me up. Chatted with me a little bit and was extremely nice. Very positive experience read more

I have been going to thus REI the past 5 years. Although it is a bit pricey, they have great customer service, products, and selection! I give it 5 stars because they deserve it! read more