No longer what it once was - Anonymous employee REI Employee Review

1.0
10 Mar 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

None anymore. The discount isn't worth the way they treat employees. You can get an outdoor gear discount elsewhere without putting yourself through the pain of only being valued if you sell memberships and credit cards. REI used to be a great place to work...but no more.

Cons

They have moved to a culture where tenured knowledgeable employees are being laid off to save money. If you have an opinion that isn't part of the "plan", you are terminated. If you don't sell enough memberships and credit cards, you will be terminated. Retail store employees and managers are taking the blame for the failures of senior leadership, and senior leaders continue to be over-compensated despite failures. In contrast, store employees are barely able to survive. It's gone from a great organization to one that is being completely mismanaged at the highest levels.

Explore other reviews about REI

5.0
21 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Open and nice to work for

Cons

Didn’t like that you won’t be able to take time off during sales and so people call out

3.0
20 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Excellent coworkers - REI does a great job of hiring enthusiastic and personable staff - Slightly better pay compared with other retail in the area - Prodeals and discounts - Flexible hours - Good (although rapidly diminishing) healthcare benefits

Cons

- Once a (better) company known for its investment in knowledgeable and friendly staff via extensive training and investment, the company has been slowly slashing away at most of what makes it special since the pandemic - Hours and benefits are worsening, proper employee training is becoming hard to come by - lots of mediocrity and sometimes questionable ethical calls made by management - Punitive disciplinary policies that seem to be designed to create higher turnover (advantageous to them given the gradual pay, benefit and policy changes)

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