Great in-comparison to other retailers, declining in comparison to the old REI - Retail Sales Specialist (RSS) REI Employee Review

4.0
Oct 19, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

#1: Access to discounts and pro-deals #2: Competitive pay #3: Yearly summit pay/bonus #4: Great coworkers and store management

Cons

#1. Huge push to sell memberships and credit cards, often to the detriment of customer satisfaction #2. Hours fluctuate wildly for part-time employees #3. They hire despite not having enough hours to satisfy existing employee's needs #4. Very few opportunities to progress in your current role #5. Management opportunities are very rare #6: Endless customer phone calls to the store which waste time. IMO the store phones should be removed and calls should be directed to the corporate number,

Explore other reviews about REI

5.0
Apr 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great work environment, Management Cares. Great discounts if you are into outdoors stuff

Cons

Sometimes mundane work, but coworkers are great

3.0
May 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most coworkers, some managers, discounts, outfitting people properly without extra nonsense

Cons

Some truly horrible managers, pressure to sell credit cards is a morale killer, the union people. Employees drinking the union kool aid fail to see the company’s position, REI cannot give higher pay, better benefits , consistent hours, etc… with the erratic revenue stream that comes in , if a 5 year average is X in revenue and 5 year average is Y on wages and costs, how are they supposed to increase wages and benefits? It’s numbers and they don’t line up, if REI gives the increases which increases the expenses greatly, they will cut staff, a lot fewer employees which will eliminate a bunch of union supporters, an REI job is not supposed to be a lucrative deal, when you get hired the part time , part time plus and full time options are there and you choose what you want fully understanding what hours you are going to get at minimum, they will hire those positions on a need basis, to cry later that you don’t make enough money is your fault, the terms were clear and you signed off on them. The union is promising rainbows , reality will be far different, careful what you wish for

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All