I had a stressful moment at this REI store when my child wandered off and I couldn't find them after searching for quite a while. The store staff responded quickly and handled everything in a very professional and calm manner. Thanks to their support, we were able to find my child safely. I'm incredibly grateful for the team's attentiveness and professionalism. Big thank you to everyone at the store for stepping in and helping when it really mattered. read more

I have been coming to this REI for a few years now and I've never had an issues with finding what I need or waiting long to get help/ check out. I'm writing this review to shout out Froy in the bike department!!! He is the MVP! My derailleur was whack and he fixed it so quickly. It gets quite busy at the bike department (esp in the summer with kids wanting to get out with new bikes!). Froy also took the time to teach me the mechanics of the bike that I'll never forget since I want to try to maintain my bike myself. I highly recommend becoming a REI member if you aren't already one! Amazing perks such as discounts all the time and you get a return warranty up to 1 year instead of the 90 days. I also like their credit card which gives you 5% back! If you already know you're a regular customer for REI, why not! You'll also get higher cash back on full priced items too. Also just FYI they do not supply bags at check out! So bring your own bag to haul away your purchases! read more

Brought my bike here for maintenance and repair (Wheel Truing). It was a good price. was offered to change the brakeline or just the brake cable. opted only for the cable not the housing. after everything and picking up. Bike lost brake and made me crash. Motor (EMTB) has grinding noise. Tune didn't last. Brake has a small slice or cut causing to brake to lose oil gradually until gone. This cable dont brake like this and this is the first ride after the service. Brake wasn't bad before the service. read more

REI - Breakline sliced - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

This is the 2nd time I've come here to buy shoes and had a bad experience. This time had a very helpful gentleman help me pick out 3 pairs of shoes. As he brings them back, another worker comes up and tells him, I'll take over. She then walks away to never return. I was just about to buy the shoes, but she couldn't be bothered to come back. Why would you replace an employee and just leave? read more

Terrible customer service at San Carlos store. I wanted to buy a Trek RT Flare rear bike light. They are locked so I looked around for a sales person. No one around so I asked the guy fixing a tire rim at the register. He asked if all I needed was for the product to be unlocked. When I said yes, and told him I wanted to buy it, he said it would be awhile before someone could help me. Helping me would have taken him 2 minutes. But apparently fixing a rim is more important than helping a customer ready to spend money at the store. I'm a long time REI member and usually go to REI for good customer service. This was an awful experience that makes me want to shop at Sports Basement. read more

This used to be my "go to" store. When I need good choices and quality I would come here. No longer. Hard to make a purchase if you can't find staff to assist you. I wanted to try some things on and rang and rang and rang the bell for help. Alas, no one came and I left. Then I waited in line for a good 10-15 minutes (along with others) for cashier help. The one person helping called for assistance a number of times. Even though I saw other staff on the floor putting things away, it took a long time for anyone to come. Boy, do I miss the old, high quality REI. I don't plan to one back anytime soon. Sports Basement looks better and better. read more

Great Store. I recently brought my Mountain Bike in for service.The Bicycle service center gave me a estimate and gave me a date 4 days to pick up. I dropped my bike off on a Wednesday evening aroun 6:00 PM and imagine my surprise when I received a email at 7:45 PM the same night that my bike repair was completed and the cost was less than there estimate. This will be my go to bicycle service center in the future. For me, it is nice having a bicycle service center that is open 7 days a week and 10 am to 9 am on weekedays and 10 am to 7 pm on weekends, Also, while shopping for some bicycle accessories, I compared their proces against Amazon and found REI's prices cheaper so I purchased these bicycle accessoires at REI too. Thank you REI. read more

Thank You REI Team Members for great suggestions Same Day online order pick up rocks! Loyal members for life! read more

REI - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

The store send me coupon 20% off single item regular prices. When I choose one sport shoes Solomon brand and I went to pay , the cashier told me this brand didn't have discount !! I lost my time to drive to the store and to didn't get the discount !! I read all termines applied and it didn't say nothing about specific items didn't apply to discount !! So frustrated !!! They lie to the clients read more

This is very much your typical REI. The once so conveniently close to our hose consolidated with another one in the South bay so we often find ourselves heading to San Carlos. The Sunnyvale one did not the rain jacket we needed but San Carlos to the rescue. This is a smaller sized store but was really well stocked. REI's inventory typically stocks the best adventure and outdoor gear. Much of it is not cheap but they have a legendary return policy so if something does not work out you can return it and try something else. While pricey at times the sales can be legendary so it pays to check things out. REI is all about service. The staff is super friendly and knowledgable about the gear they sell. This one has ample parking read more

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Love this rei! They have a good selection and I have spent many a dollar here on myself and others. This includes clothing, small gear, and backpacking pack- they were helpful with the fitting and try on process! Hate this geographic location! From south 101 it's right on the edge of a clover and really sneaks up on you. From north 101 you have to do two parts of the clover and it's incredibly inefficient to get to. Recommend coming from el Camino to brittan ave if it makes sense for you. The parking lot is also difficult to get out of if you're not heading to 101 south as you have to negotiate traffic light cars, and cars exiting from 101. read more

Came on a Monday morning. No one can help. I've been waiting need help from someone. It's either it's under staff or it's just a busy day but I waited until I had to go and left did not buy what I need. read more

Abbie was amazing! So customer service savvy. Made the buying experience so much fun! Thank you Abbie and REI!!! read more

Beware! Beware of deceptive promotional signs! Today I tried to purchase a Northface vest that was 30% off (see the picture below). This vest was directly below this sign AND these vests were all locked up! Meaning employees put these vests directly under this sign. It was not a random accident by a passing customer but it was intentional. After speaking with two managers they would not honor a discount even though this was clearly a store error. Today I did not receive the customer service that REÍ is known for by the managers. Incredibly disappointing and frustrating. This gets a 1 star because of the nice clerk who was patient and actually tried to help me. read more

REI - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

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I joined back in the 90s when REI sold quality gear for rugged outdoor men and women who liked to hunt. Real outdoors people.Now it's a fluff filled store with overpriced crap made in a sweat shop. Now it's for candy asses who couldn't find their way out of a wet paper bag without starlink and GPS. Make manual cars great again! read more

Very unprofessional behavior from an employee at this REI. He yelled "No dogs!" from across the store, then came over and got inches from me and my dog, invading our personal space and provoking a reaction he later blamed on my dog. No customer or dog should be approached that way. I've never encountered such aggressive behavior from staff anywhere. Management needs to address how customers are approached and treated. read more

REI is great! I took my bike in to change the tire. The girl there was very friendly. She was very knowledgeable about the bike as well. As I was waiting, she took her time and told me how to take care of it. The price was very reasonable too since I am a member there. I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking about getting a bike , go check out REI first :-) read more

Been coming here for the past 8 years and it's been such a mainstay of so much of our active life. I got my first activewear for camping here, the tent we used for our first camping trips together, hiking books, hiking boots that I tried on their fake boulders, Osprey pack, and later, our Osprey Poco child carrier hiking pack. My daughter tried a balance bike for the first time here. While things have changed here to include all the newer players in activewear (e.g. Cotopaxi, Vuori), it's still home to a ton of great memories and still good service. Pros: Spacious site, a lot of floor space and decent amount of parking (the lot is shared with a few other businesses around the corner). Big selection of apparel with some decent discounts, selection includes newer brands along with the typical mainstays of Patagonia, Columbia affiliated brands and REI's own brand. Staff will help you with fitting equipment, such as backpacking gear, boots, etc. They will show you the proper fit for these items which is key since it's not always enough to rely on intuition for how the equipment will behave under long use. Great book and map collection - we've gotten a lot here over the years. Great customer service and return policy if you are a member (totally worth getting the membership and you get rewards). Cons: Clothing selection when on sale typically doesn't work out for me - I rarely find the size I need, but my husband has better luck shopping the sale racks. read more

REI - Woman's section - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

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Bike department staff are knowledgeable, courteous and eager to help. Tonight, Darin helped me quickly troubleshoot and fix a gear-shifting issue I had with my mtn bike. He also answered all of my silly questions patiently, and gave me helpful maintenance and riding tips. Such excellent service makes this bike dept my default for my cycling service needs! read more

Love coming to REI and this location especially. Staff have always been excellent and quick to respond and provide help. I came here looking for a bike platform hitch rack and ended up getting an excellent education and more. They didn't have the rack I needed in stock and the nice gentlemen recommended to go on their site and can be shipped to my home for free. If you have a passion for the outdoors, this is like being a kid in a candy store with all the toys to wonder and get lost from kayaking to cycling to even Rving vanlife. Located just off 101 South in San Carlos and lots of other shopping areas nearby too, they are easy to find and you can see them right off the freeway. Lots of parking which is fantastic and one of my best go to REI to visit. Cheers! read more

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When on the mainland Doc would drive us to visit an REI. I like their light weight backpacks, footwear, bandanas and socks. Have even purchased tank tops if one catches my eye in my size. For Xmas 2022 I got a few items to give away for gifts. Good for road trips or day packs. I ordered on line and once you're in their system you get frequent emails for sale items. I joined their for life membership for a fee. If they had a shop like this here I'd probably visit as much as Patagonia. read more

I have been coming here for years but never really got a chance to write a long overdue review. The one thing that absolutely stands out about this place is the service and their amazing customer satisfaction guarantee. They are like the Nordstrom of this outdoors market segment. The staff here are always very friendly and helpful. They seem to genuinely enjoy working here and helping customers. The staff are very knowledgeable about the products and services. I would especially like to give a shout out to the bike service department and most notably to Froy! I brought a used road bike that I recently purchased for a full tuneup. Froy took a look at my bike and told me what he saw needed changes in addition to the services I had asked for by showing me the wear and tear. There was absolutely no pressure to purchase anything but he pointed things out that I otherwise would not have noticed. He carefully explained what would be done and the costs/discounts as a REI member. It definitely pays to be a member. I also received helpful detailed messages from the staff while the bike was being worked on to give me updates on my bike. I had no idea how thorough and affordable their bike services were and I will only use them going forward for my bike servicing needs for sure! Yes, the prices are often retail pricing with not as much sales as desired but they offer great products and tremendous service. The store is also very airy and inviting. I will continue to come and shop here. read more

REI - My tuned up Cervelo aero road bike - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

It was quite busy at the San Carlos REI store this afternoon. I had one objective in mind: To pick up a Hydro Flask 16oz insulated tumbler. Well, what was on the shelves was pretty scarce, and the more popular colors were no longer available. Reluctantly I picked one up, in a color that I really didn't plan to choose, and stood in the long line for checkout. In all fairness, the checkout line was long; HOWEVER, they had every cashier covering all the checkout counters to help alleviate the long line. When it was my turn with the cashier I explained how I had wanted a different color tumbler, and wanted to know if the color I wanted was still available. My cashier kindly showed me the REI website where it showed that the color tumbler I wanted was available to purchase online. She also informed me that because I was an REI member that I would have free shipping on my online order. But BEFORE she proceeded to ring up my purchase, she said she'd take a moment and check to see if they had any of the tumblers in the color I wanted, still available in the back room, and voila! Hiysha (Yup. That was my cashier's name) was carrying the tumbler in the color that I had hoped for! I asked her what her name was because her "above and beyond" effort to make me a happy customer deserves me letting the world know that Hiysha provided awesome customer service! It's because of REI employees, like Hiysha, that keep me returning to the San Carlos REI store. :-) read more

REI - My awesome REI cashier! - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

REI has amazing customer service and return policy. I am and will be a lifelong customer.

i've been coming to this rei location for years, esp since i live in neighboring rwc. this location is quite big, everything on one floor, with a great layout...camping gear in the front, running/hike gear towards the rear. and if you look carefully, you can find the sale rack in the rear as well. i've definitely picked up a good number of deals over the years. customer service is also very good, i've never had any issues with anyone at the checkout or customer service. the folks in the green vests are always friendly, asking me if i'm looking for something, even before i ask. fitting rooms are available, and enough that i pretty much never have to wait to try on clothes. plenty of parking in the lot facing the store, with more spaces to the side of the store. conveniently located just off 101 & brittan. read more

This location is convenient for me as it's close to work and it's store is much bigger, I think. I do hate their parking though. It's at a weird angle and people here don't seem to know how to drive or take up two spaces!! They have very good customer service and always willing to help and provide tips on any adventures you are planning. They also seem very well stocked on items. If you planning on hiking or camping, get fitted here. Sign up for their lifetime membership as it's worth it! I totally recommend REI. [6/100] read more

REI - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

You can't go wrong with REI. A great store that sells items to get people and their fur family out and about for fresh air in the urban parks, among the forests or on the water - LOVE IT!! read more

Feel the racist today, waited there at the shoes area about half an hour. Being told with my husband and i 2 or 3 times that we need to wait. Waiting and Sitting there listening to my online class, until realized there're 2 or 3 white people got here and got the service immediately. And being told we will get the shoes we want to try after few moments waiting, but instead they brought out a pair of shoes for the other customer. Called the manager, apologized and told us there no wait in lane. Been the customer for 5 years and first time give the review here. Two stars, one star for REI that I will be still royal to, another star to the shoe brand Birkenstock. read more

Still my go-to spot for outdoor gear. I've been buying stuff here for 30 years. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Good selection. Good return policy. Easy freeway access. Easy parking. read more

So I come here for the customer service. Everyone's always been friendly, but checked out with Birgit today and can't believe how lazy she was. Looked up my reward and for someone it didn't get updated from the last visit I had a few weeks ago so I said can we get it updated and her response was no you can do it online. Very disappointing and makes me want to go elsewhere now, something so simple and could've been done right there. read more

I came in here to do last-minute shopping and the staff was rude and horrible no greeting. Did not want to help.

Went to REI in San Carlos during lunch today to see if there is any good deals. Found two jackets so I wanted to try them on in a fitting room. Me: Excuse me sir. Could you please open a room for me so I can try these on? Andy @ REI: Do you have pants? No? If you don't have pants, you can try them out here. Me: Hmmmm.... sure (I guess not pulling down my pants will disqualify me having a fitting room) Andy @ REI: You know, we do this to prevent people stealing by putting stuffs in the pockets... ‍‍ Dear Andy: You are better than this. Be better! Left REI and not planning to visit Andy again anytime soon. Son of a gun! read more

We have never had any problems with REI until today. We were trying to locate which Bay Area store had these Oofos sandals. Their app/website wasn't working for us. We tried multiple times. We came to Redwood City to see what they had in stock. We approached these two staff members standing outside of their 'Customer Service' desk. There were no other customers around us at the time. When we told them of our frustration, one of them told the other to help us. The other staff member initially did. But I guess she wasn't listening when I explained to both of them earlier that we were trying to find which store had the sandals. She said their store didn't have it. She said she couldn't help me any further since we were not in the 'queue.' WE DIDN'T REALIZE WE COULD GET KICKED OUT OF LINE IF WE WERE ALREADY BEING HELPED. Neither staff member mentioned any queue when we talked to them initially. I asked her to look if other stores had it in stock. She said no and reiterated that she can't help us further since someone else was now behind us and we were not in her queue. We've never experienced such rudeness. Why didn't either of them mention a queue before helping us? Unbelievable!!! read more

Being proactive this time and gathering stuff I need for my next big trip to the Philippines. I'm not waiting until the Sunday before I leave like I did when I went to Iceland, and not getting all I need. I decided to start planning ahead since before you know it, June will be here. I purchased a Chaco sandal that is on sale online and the pick up spot REI indicated was here at their Belmont location. I have a Teva sandal that I can use for the same purpose as the Chaco sandal but I need more arch support as I'm flat footed. I'm gonna be doing a lot of land and water activities when I'm in the Philippines, so the Chaco sandal would be perfect. So glad I decided to try on the sandal there too. One of the staff helped me adjust the sandal straps. He showed me how to do it and then had me do it on my own. He also gave more more information about how Chaco will repair your sandal should something happen to it and if needed, lengthen the strap for you. I also ended up buying Bottle Bright for cleaning my Hydro Flask and other reusable beverage containers and Darn Tough socks that would work well for my ankle boots. Service was great and since we are members and buy a lot of stuff for our camping and travel needs, we will definitely continue to patronize REI. read more

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Dear REI management: I would recommend customer service classes for yr staff! Yes you I'm talking to the middle aged white woman in a green REI vest and wears glasses working in Customer Service on 12/18/21 @1035 am. The way she explained her stores pet policy just DOWNGRADED her entire store! She makes you feel like she's the HS principal and she's the LAW!! I have been a loyal customer of REI but in recent years their change in policies have dropped their score. #1: horrible return policy #2: horrible dog policy. They market themselves as an outdoor company but then told me "per San Mateo county policy, no dogs but service dogs are allowed Inside. ". I don't get it. Patagonia allows dogs in. North face allows dogs in. Sports Basement allows dogs in. Lady in front of me in line has a dog and they don't hassle her. (Not wearing any kind of service dog documentation). I bought $200 worth of rain gear. I think i might return it and just visit Sports Basement instead. read more

Ordered a Patagonia Jacket to store and found some used gloves and napkin in the pockets. read more

REI - Outdoor Gear Near Me - San Carlos, California

These days when I need service on a bike, REI is my go-to. If you're a member they're usually cheaper than nearby bike stores, and they're much quicker. I called a local bike store to price check swapping out a crankset on my electric bike and the bike shop said they were booked up several weeks in advance. REI was cheaper and got it done that day! read more

I love REI - surprised to find this ski shop is super shady!!! Stay far away (you are likely to get ripped off). They installed new REI-purchased bindings on my skis, then told me my boots failed a binding fit test and I needed expensive new stuff (which they sell and/or provide). Heard it happens, but glad I did not entirely trust them.. read on! 2 hour drive later, a boot shop has them (who has a self-interest in selling / fitting boots), but they tested fine!!! They called REI to resolve. Turns out REI made a mistake and "entered the wrong binding model into a computer". I totally get mistakes and would not review a one-off, but the 4 facts below point to some blatantly crappy tactics: 1) BINDINGS WERE NEW, IN BOX, with all labels and info, REI-purchased online 2) DISCUSSED THE ISSUES THEY FOUND WITH SHOP MANAGER/TESTER before picking skis up during a 20 minute phone call, going over the test in detail, referencing boots and binding models, types etc (I asked an absurd amount of questions - they almost definitely would have caught a mistake in re-iterating many things). 3) The shop said I needed new soles and implied new boots FOR SAFETY - said this again when I picked them up, pointed directly to my boot soles as if it was the main problem. 4) In theory, all could be deemed confusion, but logically not so, since THIS REI SHOP FITS AND SELLS NEW BOOTS. WTF? Super disappointed (love REI and love skiing). Will only hope this review gets some likely dishonest tactics sorted out. They crushed my desire to shop at REI in future, will now head to Sports Basement for everything I can. read more

Discriminated against by staff; our dog was not barking and well behaved and was asked to leave while the small dog next to us barked the entire time but stayed in the store. We've brought our dog in multiple times previously and never had any issues. Staff here are rude and create a very unpleasant environment. read more

This is the only Rei location that wouldn't let me bring my dog in. They only accept service dogs. I literally was in the Mountain View location which is 13 minutes away from here and they allow dogs. Not sure why this one doesn't. Also the first review I wrote is completely invalid. I asked this older man questions about the snow boots that were in garage sale and he said that it should work with any bindings. I also went to make sure with another worker in the shoe section with that same question, he wasn't sure so he went ahead and asked someone that's more "knowledgeable" and they too also said it should work with ANY bindings. When I got to my friends house to try the boots on with the bindings he right away knew it wasn't compatible cause it was step in boots that WONT WORK WITH HIS BINDINGS because it's only meant for the step in bindings.... Because it's in the garage sale now I can't return it and it wasn't even my fault. Employees of REI PLEASE don't tell people false information. If you're uncertain, then say you're not sure or get help from someone who is actually knowledgeable. I literally wasted my time and money at this location. read more