Eastern Mountain Sports Online? Visit ems.com
Written: Aug 29 '01 (Updated Aug 29 '01)
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The Bottom Line
EMS.com offers quality products and delivers them to your doorstep for a very reasonable shipping fee.
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| Full Review |
Eastern Mountain Sports has long been known as a store that carries quality products for the outdoor enthusiast. While visiting Eastern Mountain Sports has always been an interesting experience (so much to learn so little time..) getting there at times can be a problem. The closet location for our family is in West Hartford. Time does not always permit for a leisurely forty-five minute (each way) drive to go shopping.
Recently my husband and oldest son were in need of some items for a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon. While my husband bought most of the gear I did pitch in and purchase a few things here and there. Here at ems.com I was looking for some poly coated wind pants for our son and performance tee’s in case the temperatures rose above the normal range for April.
Visiting the ems.com website I discovered a rather easy to use consumer friendly website. Perhaps because this company is geared towards climbers, campers and hikers they are able to operate a website that is clean looking and really easy to look around. You won’t find camping hints and backpacking trails at the ems.com website - but if you’re really involved with these sports you’ll know where to look...
The Home Page of www.EMS.com is easy on the eyes. On the top of the page you will see
EASTERN MOUNTAIN SPORTS as the heading. To the right of the heading you will see in nice sized font a Customer Service link.
You will also see the company phone number listed directly under the Customer Service link. Now, I don’t know about you but when I shop online I do like to have a telephone number available should I feel the need to phone the company. I have not had to contact the customer service department so I cannot fairly rate that area.
ems.com unlike some other stores (can you say Amazon.com?) gives customers what they want to know right right off the bat. Kudos to ems.com for that!
The Left Margin lists a variety of hyperlinks for Shopping. Here you will see;
EMS Brand Sleeping Bags
EMS Brand Tents
EMS Brand Micro Fleece
Men’s Gore-Tex Footwear
Women’s Gore-Tex Footwear
Day Pack Headquarters
Outlet Store
Corporate Gifts
Gift Certificates
EMS Newsletter
Each of those category links brings you to a page with the title products listed. Very clear-cut.
Further down the page you will find other shopping links;
Men’s Apparel
Women’s Apparel
Kid’s Apparel
Wearing Accessories
Footwear
Camping Gear
Travel Gear
Snowshoes
Climbing Gear
Biking Gear
Paddling Gear
Racks & Carriers
Books & Maps
Outdoor Gifts & Fun
ems.com carries quality brand names that sports enthusiasts have come to depend upon. Here you will find products made by; PATAGONIA, COLUMBIA, THE NORTH FACE & SIERRA DESIGNS, Kelty, Marmot & Moonstone. EMS also has it’s own line of products.
Each category has sub categories, which are self-explanatory and time saving.
Shopping online with ems.com is a breeze. Viewing products such as sleeping bags, tents or backpacks you will find detailed information on the products. Size measurements, materials the item is made with and for those avid backpackers the all important product weight.
Once placing an item in your shopping cart you may notice suggested products. i.e. If you are purchasing a sleeping bag you could expect to see a link/ad for a sleeping pad below your order on the page.
Checkout is painless. Following simply instructions you fill out your order/delivery information. Payment by Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards.
over their secured server.
Gift certificates for ems.com are not available for purchase or payment via the ems.com website. They may be purchased or redeemed either through a mailed in order or in a storefront.
Shipping charges are flat rate. Finally there is an e-tailer that does not punish you for shopping online. Here at ems.com you can expect to pay $5.50 for your regular ground delivery. You can request other shipping i.e. two-day air, overnight etc. but will be charged additionally for special shipping.
You will receive an email confirmation within a day a placing your order. ems.com will include a tracking number for your order in this email. In most cases you cannot alter your order once you have placed it. ems.com works quickly to get your order out.
If you are not satisfied with a purchase you may return the item for refund or exchange to the address provided on their website. Be sure to include a copy of your invoice.
Other links of interest that you will find on the ems.com website would be a great size chart. I have used this size chart to purchase clothing for my son and found it to be accurate. On this chart you will also find sizes for hats, gloves, gaiters, sleeping bags, etc.
You will also find links for store locations and clinics they offer. I will add that I do not believe their clinic link is up to date. I know I have seen clinics listed in the West Hartford store that weren’t on the website. You will want to check with your local store if possible regarding said clinics.
Eastern Mountain Sports is also known for their Climbing & Kayak Schools. You can find links for information regarding this on their website.
What Are My Feelings On ems.com
I am satisfied with their website. While it appears smaller than some i.e. REI.com I find that an asset to their website. It is much easier to find what I would like here. Regular prices are on the high side. ems.com does offer some great sales where you will find bargains.
I am still kicking myself for not picking up a 2000 CI backpack for our youngest this winter. They had a good deal on a frame pack for $20.00! I know my husband also found Moonstone sleeping bags for good prices. I believe they were 50% off the regular price when he purchased them.
The order I made for my son arrived in less than one week. The clothing was packaged nicely and following the size charts we found the clothing fit him perfectly. I know I will shop at ems.com again. I have my eye on an item or two for the holidays. I know I saw some nice gift items when I was there last.
I know a certain boy who just loves otters... Ems.com has a really cute one - in a can!
Happy Shopping!
Recommended:
Yes
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