I just had the most amazing customer service. I bought an item to use on a long trip, and it broke after 1 week. However, I was gone for almost 2 months, so by the time I got around to returning it, it's been a while since the purchase. I was expecting store credit at best. I didn't even have my receipt!!! Not only did they give me a refund (I'm a member so the info re the purchase was in their system) the woman at the customer service desk apologized profusely for the item's malfunction. Wow. Color me impressed. read more

Bought an Ironman watch at my local downtown Austin REI in January 2019. When the buckle came off the band in mid-October, I asked for a refund or replacement but the Austin store clerk said the warranty on "electronics" is just 3 months, and that a failed watchband buckle at 10 months is "just normal wear and tear." On the REI web site it says the shorter guarantee is true only for "outdoor electronics". When I queried online, asking if the watch is considered outdoor electronics, that question was ignored and the reply was "I'd have to see it" for the responder to know if I am due a replacement or refund. I'm very disappointed that an outfitter I always earlier associated with quality merchandise and, if necessary, a hassle-free return, now thinks it's my problem if a watch that the co-op offers to members doesn't last a year -- as a wearable device, which of course it's supposed to be. Both the clerk at the store and the online responder said I was "welcome" to return the watch to the manufacturer. Raise your standards on and off-line, REI. A little improvement in customer service would go a long way, too, both in brick and mortar and cyberworld. If I'm gonna have to pack that watch up and send it somewhere to maybe get a replacement, I'm better off just ordering from (gasp) Amazon. How about a little sign by the watches REI sells: "Caution: May Not Last The Year as a Wearable Device. See clerk for details." read more

I used to live in Seattle where REI almost has a monopoly on outdoor stuff, or at least they used to. I have always had good experiences there. They have a giant selection of stuff, good prices, and the people are nice. They also have sales and special deals, like a members only used gear sale the first Saturday of the month. read more

Being an outdoor enthusiast, this place is practically a small playground filled with toys pasted to the walls and floor. The flagship in Denva is sweet and blows this one away. I still recommend going here for an afternoon to play with the toys, spend some cash, and get ready to embark on an adventure. Go for the camping, mountain bike, and Nalgene bottles. Go elsewhere for wintersports and x-game material! read more

REI has done a great job of developing innovative gear. They make some of the best equipment in the business and offer it at a good price. The tent I spent three weeks living out of in Montana was an REI brand tent. It kept me dry and warm in some marginal conditions. REI is great place but mainly for camping gear. read more

Risking redundancy, I really just wanted to throw my five stars up there. By now I think it's well understood that REI is the bee's knees of outdoor supplies. Their employees are passionate about the outdorrs and have usually tried most of the gear on sale. Plus the store has an unbeatable quality guarantee on every one of its products. And don't forget to check out the first Saturday of every month when they have their huge gear sale. If you are willing to wait in the line, it's the best way to get top of the line gear at prices just above stealing. read more

Couldn't give no stars so one will have to do. REI is great! I've been shopping with them for almost thirty years. Great products, fantastic service until yesterday. Being in a hurry, I wanted to make a quick stop. I called ahead to verify an online item would be available in-store. I was told seven were in stock. When I drove to the store I could not find it in its proper area, I asked for assistance and was sent to the wall where I just looked and also upstairs. Nothing. I asked another employee. He was very nonchalant, said he didn't know and told me I should ask Customer Service as he walked away. I went to the Customer Service counter where four employees, two were managers, all facing the wall talking to one another. I waited patiently. Two minutes, I jingle my keys to alert them of my presence. Three minutes later, I jingle my keys louder. One person turns around and looks at me, turns back around. Four minutes later, I get "helped". I explain that I called ahead for stock, looked in specific areas of the store, etc. After a stock check in the computer I'm told that there are seven in stock. When I asked where I would find the item I'm told "Maybe on the other side of this wall. I don't know." Wonderful. Looking further, I finally get assistance from Tim who was very helpful but could not locate my item. Thoroughly frustrated, I settle on a more expensive alternative and left. I felt aggravated that I handed my money to this store on this day. I figured the least I owed them for the experience was to document my visit. Hopefully, the store management reads Yelp reviews and improves overall service for the future. Everyone has a bad day. I'll probably visit the store again. But as they say, when you have a good experience you tell five people. When you have a bad experience you tell twenty people. Thank you REI, though. I finally registered with Yelp just to write this review. read more

Its really sad to see but this place was the place to shop for outdoor equipment about ten to fifteen years ago. Not anymore though. Their selection has really gone downhill, especially if you show up between seasons. They run out of their best-selling products too often and they have a real problem keeping their floor stocked. Everything looks unorganized and picked through unless you get there after a big rollout say in November for Winter or April for Summer. The staff is helpful if you want to join their co-op but for little else, especially in the ski apparel section upstairs. There are way better deals online these days and it's much easier to find exactly what you are looking for, especially if you know what you want. Parking here is also a huge problem due to the limited number spaces they have reserved for their customers in the tiny lot in the rear. read more

Had some small brake problem with my bike and they fixed it at no charge. Went to Performance Bikes earlier and they said they were booked for repairs. Kind of disappointed that even though I bought some kickstands from them and paid them to install them, they wouldn't take a look at the brake issue. I walked out of REI buying about $100 of stuff just b/c they made me feel good by helping me w/ my bike. read more

before camping at angel island. I stopped here for a tent and a backpack. it was fast and easy. it was only $30 to rent. good customer service! read more

This review is for Luis as he was beyond helpful today. I came in to buy Ski boots and he gave me the full low down. He asked me questions, had me try different boots, and most importantly he was honest about sizing explaining that fit varies by your build, the type of skier you are, and what your goals are with skiing (for instance I seem to care more about shifting and maneuvering as opposed to speed - I didn't realize this until talking to him). I'm the type of person that prefers a consultation when it comes to investing in something that isn't within my expertise (sure I've skied for many years, but I'm no expert) . Plus, I think many can agree that there's nothing worse than walking into an REI or large sports store, actively asking for help just to have an associate seem annoyed or not invested in helping you.. this happens way too often so I genuinely appreciated that Luis took the time to actually help me find the RIGHT pair of boots. He even tried to be cost conscious (which wasn't even my intention as I reminded him that I was willing to make an investment $$$$ ) but it just goes to show he wanted me to get the right thing, not just the expensive thing. Great customer service and I'm excited to try out my boots this weekend. read more

Always a pleasant place to shop. Reps are attentive and helpful. A bit pricey, though products tend to last and their policies are extremely reasonable. read more

REI has been my favorite store for many years now. They carry great brands and quality products and I always love their customer support.

My experience here has been great, but that's not entirely without caveats. I do basically two things that might require equipment from REI: biking and rock climbing. I've made many, many trips here to meet these needs, and in the course of these trips, I've found that everything in the REI experience depends on which staff person you get. I'm not going to name names because I'm not vindictive like some yelpers I know, and also because I don't remember names very well. Instead I'll go with vaguely insulting physical descriptions. When I came in to buy my climbing gear, I was a rank amateur. This has not changed but now I can talk about "smearing" and tell someone to "mantle" without wondering if what I'm saying makes sense. It still feels a little dirty but I welcome that. Anyway, I made two big climbing gear trips, and talked to two staff members. The first, who we'll call Fatty in the interests of cheap laffs, seemed totally disinterested. I stood in front of the harnesses for about twenty minutes, looking puzzled and waiting for attention. Finally I got up the nerve to ask him for help. He asked me my waist size and said I should try a medium. He didn't help me size it after that, so while it felt fine at the time, I now know that I have a harness that may cause me to plummet to my death should I happen to flip over upside-down. Ie, should have gone with a small. The second time I came in for climbing gear, I talked to Grizzled Oldster who was the personification of helpfulness. He was like the cowboy character the Dude talks to, except without being in a terrible movie. He gave me a really good breakdown of my options along with personal advice gleaned from his years climbing. Biking has been similar. Most of the times I've gone in, I've gotten really helpful folks who seem to know a great deal about their field. When I took my bike in for its three-month tuneup, facilitated by Small Asian Man, things did not go so swimmingly (one might even say they went... drowningly?). I got a flat riding the bike home from REI that very day. I took it in the next morning, explained that I'd never had a flat before, what the hell did they do? SAM explained about pinch flats, replaced the tube free of charge, and sent me on my way. The next morning, I developed two simultaneous flats. I took the wheel in to another bike shop, where a friendly if gruff Latter-Day Hippie showed me that SAM had for some reason lined my wheels with rubber strips instead of canvas tape. The rubber strips are only used on cheap-ass bikes for kids, because they cause constant flats on a bike with real tires. LDH joined me in maligning SAM, and we laughed heartily. For the service, then, REI gets three stars on account of fluctuating between one and five. It deserves at least one extra for great inventory and being customer-owned. (That's right, it's a co-op! You may be a hippie without even knowing it!) Also the liberal return policy, though indirectly responsible for the high prices due to assholes returning their shit when they've worn it out, does come in handy for legitimate situations. Last thing to note is the REI Visa. It's got the best dividend policy of any credit card I've seen. You have to be a member, but it's totally worth it. read more

I nearly gave this place only 4 stars because it's not cheap. It's a good store with good products and you pay accordingly. The staff are freakishly knowledgeable about whatever you ask about. This is a far cry from the discount sports stores nearby (Sports Basement, Sports Authority) where the majority of the employees can barely read their own name tags, much less tell you about a product without a condescending attitude. I also like the whole co-op style that REI has going on. 5 stars for you, REI. You deserve it! read more

This is probably the best REI in the bay area. And by far the best outdoor store. I wasted a bunch of time going to Lombardi and Sports Basement but I found everything I needed at the best prices at REI. And they have a great return policy which none of the other stores do. read more

This store is great for outdoor gear and clothing. You can find all sorts of stuff here. They carry name brand clothing and shoes (Teva, Chaco), socks and their sales are great for picking up some of these products. Their own label of Rei clothing is pretty good too. The markdowns are not necessarily discounted significantly during their sales but it beats paying full price. I can find similiar clothing articles at Sportsmart where the prices are even lower especially for North Face jackets and running apparel or tops. Rei carries some really nice skirts (Nomadic), pants, wickaway/SPF protection clothing and Ex-Officio underwear - just mah-va-lous for travel. The downstairs has tents, sunglasses, travel supplies, purses, books, camping and biking equipment and apparel. Upstairs has women, men, children's clothing and shoes. read more

i'm really happy with REI for the following reasons: 1) the store on 7th and brannan is a registered SF Green Business 2) i wrote an email to their customer service center on a sunday night, asking about a random part for a backpack, and a real person got back to me within 15 minutes with an answer! 3) i bought a 200 dollar backpack for 25 bucks at the used gear sale today and the salesgirl helped me extensively, and didn't look down on me for buying this crappy pack that was missing all sorts of straps and such. she even threw in a strap for free that she found in the miscellaneous drawer. 4) their shit LASTS! and if it doesn't you can always return it. 5) they've put together lots of helpful product sheets that explain the differences between items in an easy to understand format. great store! read more

I was voiceless for the last several days. But the sale was on and I needed a couple pairs of shoes. Their customer service was very helpful. When I couldn't get the second pair there, they checked the stock at other stores and wrote the info down and even called to check for me which store was close to public transportation, then arranged to hold the item for two days (I think they would only consider doing something like this if you were a member, but still...) at the store I could make it to that had it (Corte Madera, which also seems to be a nice store) great selection of products and excellent customer service anyway, once my voice is back I'll definitely be back and if you shop there, join! it's worth it read more

The staff there is so knowledgeable and friendly. Great selection of everything. Love love love that store. I especially like the older staff who work there because they clearly love working there and most are very experienced athletes! read more

Just your typical REI. Staff are helpful for the most part. Parking wasn't bad, but I would avoid peak hours if possible.

I just picked up my skis from being tuned and serviced at this store. I had a gouge in the base of one of them, thanks to a hidden rock at Mt. Bachelor over the holidays. They did an excellent job in the repair that required Ptex and then re-doing the bases. I can't even tell where the gouge used to be. Thank you Dan K who I think was the tech who did the work. I've been coming to this store for years, both to shop and to get my skis worked on. Have had good experiences almost all the time. read more

I used to hate this store. I always thought it was over priced....and maybe it is, but every time I have gone in here for something, they have had it and the staff was really helpful. So if a store can turn me 180 degrees and get me to like them, how can I not give them a high rating. I especially love that they have a big parking lot in the city! read more

They have such a great variety or outdoorsy clothes and items...and shoes. I love their clothing section because I can get anything I need there like hiking clothes/boots, stylish activewear, and even work-out attire. I love REI fleece jackets. Just as good as my Columbia one, but $40 cheaper. Their fleece jackets seem to run from $40-$50. I think I own 4 of them. My only complaint is that they need to make sure they stock enough sizes of all their clothes. It pisses me off when I find the perfect thing and they have every size but mine. Also, it is often hard to get the attention of a staff member. But all in all, it's the only place I shop for my outdoorsy stuff. read more

5 stars go to the guys in the shoe dept. i was looking for hiking boots for my first hiking trip EVER and had lots of questions, none of which went unanswered. they rule! minus 3 stars for the dude in the bike dept. he was walking around in the repair area and so i said "hi, could i ask you a quick question?" he says "yeah, give me a sec..." A SEC turned into 7 minutes. he saw me standing there and walked by me like 5 times. homeboy, my question was "do you sell tarp to keep bikes outdoors?" it wasn't so much the 7 minutes of waiting as it was his doing nothing during those 7 minutes. that's right, he wasn't fixing a bike, he wasn't lifting anything. wtf was he doing? just walking around. L is for loser. read more

Who does not know REI? There is little that I can add to the tons of reviews, but here I go. Here are my advices: - The store is pricey. So compare carefully with other stores if you are going to buy something that does not require maintenance or is just clothing. - Their brand is less expensive than others, of course. But I still can find better sales online for brand name products, so why buying their brand? I don't have anything from them. - BUT for really expensive things as bikes, skies, backpacks, tents, things in general that require a long term confidence and reliability, I WOULD BUY HERE WITHOUT HESITATION. Why? Their amazing politics of non-questions-asked returns, and the great maintenance policy. In cannot be happier of my decision of expending some extra bucks buying my bike here. I have obtained free maintenance for it 3 or 4 times. In the end I have saved money. - And finally, their used gear sale is great. But the people sort of ruin it. There are always a couple of sharks getting everything leaving nothing for the others. read more

OK so the costumer services was a little sparse but im pretty atheletic and kno wwhat im looking for and sales poeople get in my way! my fiance and i were playing a rock climing trip for a bout a onth from now- this store was a tomboy girl scout haven!! lots of good camping stuff thats makes u feel like a pro and its compatible for any person at any level of out door excursion readiness. We had a field day in there and were both excited for the trip even more;. I feel so much more prepared! read more

I love this place, it gets me all excited about being outdoors. Great selection, high turnover and frequent deals.

Nice place, lots of wood and it's very clean inside. Multiple floors, huge selection. I picked up a Kuhl jacket there.

REI always goes out of their way to take care of customers and this experience was no different. I was on my way back from Tahoe and came in to get some bindings mounted before my next trip. They had a ton of work on the books, but Tre and the tech team were able to knock these skis out while I waited. Amazing service! read more

A great place to shop for outdoor equipment. There are cheaper stores in the Bay area, but sometimes it's cheaper for a reason! In addition, REI is a cooperative which is owned by it's members, so it's definitely worthwhile to join so that you get your dividend check (the more you spend, the more you get back!) read more

Called ahead to make sure they had what I wanted in stock. Despite that, spent 30 minutes in the store and left without it. Terrible service all around. Had to buy what I wanted online instead. read more

Stopped by the used gear sale today. Picked up a Mountain Hardware Helion 2 tent for $74.97 (normal price $395). Apparently the previous owner "used it; didn't like it". That's fine by me, you saved me 80%. Also picked up a pair of Vasque Breeze Gore-Tex XCR Hiking Boots for $22 (normal price $150); they gave the previous owner blisters, but given how brand new they look, I don't think they let them break in... at all. Hard to argue with those prices. I've also bought multiple backpacks, and other camping/hiking gear from them in the past. Employees are usually helpful, and if you do manage to stump one of them with a question, someone else usually knows the answer. In short, REI will continue to get my business and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to outfit themselves with some gear. read more

Customer service is great. Taking a backpacking trip to Africa and the employee helped me with a few different backpacks. Helped size me properly and put the weight in the bag to try. I've never had issues with trying to find items or getting fitted. I also inquired about rental prices (there are no prices online like there is for Sports Basement). They don't have trekking poles (Sports Basement does) and their backpacks are $16 the first day and $8 every day after. Didn't inquire about other rentals and is kind of annoying to have to call to get the pricing. Outdoorsy stuff is always expensive, but this store is better than the San Carlos one and I think it has more selection. read more

Nice shop. EXCELLENT customer service provided by John. He spent a large amount on time with me until I found what I was looking for. Knowledgeable and friendly. When checking out, the girl was also great and extremely helpful. I ended up buying their membership for 20 bucks! I count on coming back. Recommended read more

I was visiting from out of town to run the SF marathon and my GPS wasn't working on my Garmin watch and I didn't have my USB cable with me. JOHN was so nice to do everything he could to help me fix it and hooked up an extra cable to the store computer so I could try to update the software. I wasn't even a member and didn't purchase the watch from REI, but I'm definitely going to be now! I was finally able to update and had my GPS working for the run. Thanks so much for all your help John! read more

I always have the best experience at REI. I seldom feel inspired to write reviews. But the customer support I receive every time I go to any REI is always amazing. Today, Dan helped us find bike shoes and pedals and Jordan answered all of my questions regarding tents and tent footprints. They made sure we felt completely taken care of even when there were tons of ppl at the store for the Labor Day sale. Thank you! read more

A lot of the clothes are locked with cables and it is a real inconvenience!! The REI in Orange County is way better than this one . Better stock and customer service read more

Knowledgeable, friendly, professional, courteous staff. Quality next to none and a no questions asked return policy. Reach into your pocket, cough up the $15 to be a member if you aren't already. I avoid most stores that pushes the co-op program but this is well worth it. Only drawback is they lack certain products that are on-line but not in store. Come on people, your store is a warehouse and you don't have that flexi-band wristwatch in stock? Otherwise 5 stars. read more

Karen in the shoe department is quite possibly the BEST sales person / assistant I have ever encountered, happy accommodating the customers' needs even if it takes hours of bringing and taking shoe boxes back and forth. Not an easy job, yet gracefully handled. Equally satisfying was David's customer service at the check out counter, calling their Corte Madera store to secure a pair of hiking shoes for me to pick up. Thank you, guys. Your excellence in service made our trip to your store a very memorable and satisfying one. read more