Anything & Everything for the Outdoor Enthusiast at REI.com
Written: May 07 '02 (Updated May 07 '02)
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REI.com, or Recreational Equipment, Inc., is the place to go for all kinds of outdoor needs, and is supposedly the internet’s largest outdoor store (as per their website). The first thing you’ll notice upon arriving at the website is the numerous categories available to choose from. Whether you are into some light hiking, or you are a hard-core kayaker, there is something on this site to choose from.
What you may not know is that the REI company itself was formed in 1938 by a group of mountain climbers. They formed a “consumer cooperative to supply themselves with high-quality ice axes and other climbing gear”. Of course, decades later, REI has grown quite a bit, with its website expanding a great deal since its opening as well. Over a million people shop through REI on an international basis. Not bad! There seems to be a strong philosophy in the REI company that encourages enjoyment and appreciation of the outdoors.
REI is a generous company that makes investments in outdoor causes, with a grants program, community service, and youth programs and projects. This has been the case for decades, and they have spent millions of dollars for these causes. REI’s interest truly seems to be genuine, and I am more than happy to support a company such as this through my purchases, knowing that they are socially and environmentally generous and responsible.
There are three general REI websites to choose from, although my review covers only REI.com itself. There is the REI outlet and a site for REI Adventures, so you may find yourself venturing off in different directions from the main web site to find what you want or need.
REI.com has a menu that covers all the basic components that a good online store should have. There’s the “Home” button, as well as “Stores & Events”, “Shop All Categories”, “Ordering Questions”, “Shipping Info”, and “Help”. As a resident of New York, there are unfortunately no stores in the entire state. However, there is a sprinkling of over 60 stores throughout the U.S., for those who are lucky enough to be able to go to an actual store location!
The first thing you should do when entering the website or if you stumble across something you are interested in, is to sign up for an e-mail subscription. This automatically gave me 10% off my first purchase, which was a pretty nice deal. Definitely not something to overlook! There seem to be a fair amount of contests and offers, so signing up for a subscription might enter you, or at least will notify you of various opportunities.
The first purchase I made on REI.com was in October of 2001. I had been browsing through numerous outdoor gear sites, looking for deals on trail running shoes. After some searching, I found a pair of Montrail sneakers on REI.com that was listed at a very good clearance price in the mid $20’s! Originally in the $80 range, I immediately ordered the item, because I felt that this was a great deal. I didn’t care that the item was cheap because of its lack of popularity, because it is a good shoe. It arrived promptly a few days later, and I was very satisfied with the order.
This time, I was looking for a pair of Chaco sandals on REI.com, where I had been referred to through the manufacturer’s website. I simply typed “chaco sandals” in as a search, and a full page of thumbnails with product titles and prices came up. The items are arranged in various categories, according to men’s and women’s sizes, sport, etc. Once you click on the item, you are shown a plethora of information. There is a picture of the item, which can be enlarged by clicking on it. In this case, there were tiny thumbnails to choose from as well in terms of comparing colors. “Related Products” thumbnails let me know of other versions of the product. “Product Info” gave me the lowdown on all the important points of the product, with “Specs” giving me references to weight and construction materials.
I was quite wary as I read REI.com’s suggestion for sizing. The sandals are only available in full sizes, and of course I am a half-size. It was suggested to take the next full-size down, which I did quite guardedly. I almost anticipated getting a shoe that was just too small. However, I was pleased when the shoe arrived, and it fit quite well. I was happy to know that the information given by REI.com was indeed correct, rather than misleading.
After using the pull down menu by the product to see what sizes and colors were available for purchase, I proceeded to checkout and completed the simple process of ordering. Afterwards, I received an e-mail confirming all my information, as well as providing useful links. Best of all, in addition to the “Help” link, was the ”Tracking Information” link.
I never even got around to tracking my package, because just a few days later, I received my package from REI.com. I was shocked, even with Priority Mail, that the order had arrived so soon! The shoebox was packaged in a plastic bag type enclosure. It was nice to see information about the environmentally friendly aspects and uses of the bag printed on the bottom.
My order came with an invoice, detailing everything to how much I saved to various return policies. Although REI.com does not include a pre-paid return label, they do have a great 100% guarantee.
In making my order, I was extremely worried about the sizing of the sandal, the color on the website appearing different from in person, and the arrival of the package in time for one of my outdoor excursions. After making my purchase on REI.com, I was completely satisfied and will definitely be making future purchases.
My only possibly negative experience with REI.com has been the availability of items. With this purchase, the product was only offered in a few color selections, rather than the all of the colors that are actually made by the company (I had researched this on the manufacturer’s website). However, I realize that the REI warehouse probably can’t fit everything…
In terms of prices, what I did was go to the manufacturer’s page for the sandals. They listed all of the distributors of their products. I researched and compared prices on each of the websites that was listed. REI.com had similar and competitive prices, and with the 10% discount, it was worth striking the deal. The sandals are only sold through a select number of online and offline retailers, making finding them a challenge.
One suggestion that I have for shopping at REI.com is that there are plenty of coupon codes out there. If you can’t use the initial 10% discount, there are websites out there that list REI coupon codes. You can simply type “REI” or “REI coupon codes” into a search engine, and voila!, you’ll see plenty of sites to choose from.
* As a side note, I definitely recommend Chaco sandals. For more information, you can go to www.chacosan.com. They are better than Tevas, and although expensive, they are worth every dollar. I didn’t believe it until I had them on my feet, but they are definitely heavenly!
REI.com has received a medal of recognition from the Smithsonian Institution for work in e-commerce, and is rated one of the Top 100 Outdoor Websites by BizRate.com
Overall, I am pleased with the product selections that are offered on REI.com. Touted as the biggest internet retailer of outdoor products, their website reflects quite a large inventory, with all kinds of products and brand names from different companies. The website is simple to use, without any gimmicks. The ordering process is very self-explanatory, with information to guide you through the checkout stages. It was reassuring to receive an e-mail invoice, which further allowed me to track my package.
With both of my experiences shopping at REI.com, I could not have been a more satisfied customer. For those who cannot make it to an actual store, I definitely recommend this online store.
www.rei.com
Recommended:
Yes
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