A store that pays YOU to shop for all of your outdoor gear!
Written: Apr 07 '03 (Updated Apr 07 '03)
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REI—A store that pays YOU to shop for all of your outdoor gear!
-I should be doing homework but for some reason I just can't resist writing reviews for Epinions. Allow me to note that this is my first review of an online store.
~About REI-
Recreation Equipment Incorporated (REI) was established in 1938 to supply the 28 founders, as well as the public, with quality outdoor gear. During their 75 years of business Fortune Magazine has repeatedly named REI one of the top 100 companies to work for in America. Most of the 6,000 people that REI employs choose to work for the outdoor oriented company to compliment their outdoor loving lifestyles. This gives REI one of the best outdoor staffs in the country since their employees use their products out of a love for the outdoors—not just because they work there. While REI is labeled a midsize company, their sales for 2002 were a whopping $735 million. REI also donates millions of dollars to outdoor clubs and organizations.
~Selection-
REI carries almost every outdoor name brand manufacturer, as well as many generic brands. Gregory, Kelty, Garmin, Magellan, Arc 'Teryx, Mountainsmith, MSR, Osprey, Eureka, Marmot and the North face are just a few of the name brand equipment manufacturers that REI carries.
As far as sports, REI carries a full range of gear for backpacking, hiking, camping, climbing, cycling, paddling, fishing, cross training, travel, snowsports, and travel. Again, name and generic brands are available in men, women, and youth sizes. Clothing, books, optics, electronics, footwear, maps, and vehicle-related equipment are also widely available.
For a full list of brands see this link: http://www.rei.com/rei/sales_and_events/brands.html?stat=side_37
For a full list of sports categories and subcategories see this link: http://www.rei.com/rei/gearshop/index.jsp?stat=side_22
~REI Brand-
In addition to name brand equipment REI produces their own brand of award winning equipment. Gear such as the REI Half Dome Plus 2 have won awards from Backpacker and other accredited outdoor magazines. REI gear has been created through years of research and development, some of which costs millions of dollars. REI products are not only superior to some name brand equipment, but a good deal of the gear is also priced lower.
~Prices-
Prices are very fair in my opinion. REI prices are very comparable to other online outdoor gear stores like Altrec, Backcountry Store, and Campmor. In many cases the prices are the same and occasionally cheaper. REI -brand gear can be purchased for below-average industry prices.
For example, the Fusion sleeping pad will cost you $130 at REI , $129.99 at Campmor, and $129.95 at the Backcountry Store. However, if you have an REI membership you could assume a 10% discount bringing the price down to $117. Membership at REI is something the other online outdoor stores don't offer.
~Members-
By now you are probably wondering why the title of this review stated that REI pays YOU to shop in their stores. Well here's your answer—an REI membership. To become a member you fill out an application with some information about yourself and pay a one-time $15 fee for a lifetime of benefits. There is no criteria that a person must meet to join REI as a member. Simply fill out the application and pay the fee and you're automatically a member.
As of today REI has over 2 million members who enjoy the benefits of a membership.
~Benefits-
The biggest and best benefit of having an REI membership is the annual -patronage refund. By using your member number to purchase items in the online store, REI tracks the total number of dollars you spend. For example, if in January you buy a Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE for $100 and then in June you buy an MSR Dromedary Bag for $17.95, then REI tracks your total as $117.95 for the year. Then lets assume that you make several more purchases totaling $100 before December which brings your end of the year total to $217.95. In January REI will issue you a dividend check for approximately 10% of your purchases of the previous year. So basically you get a 10% discount for being a member which is ultimately a check for $21.79 that can only be used for an REI purchase. So that is how you get paid to shop at REI.
This is one of the main reasons I shop at REI. The annual dividend gives me the feeling of getting a 10% discount on everything I buy (excluding shipping). The first year I became a member I had a dividend of $66 which I used to purchase a new hat and water bladder. It's a great feeling to get money back to use towards more gear!
In addition to the annual dividend REI also offers several other membership privileges. You get discount coupons (last year I got 20% this year it was 10%), voting rights for company affairs, adventure travel discounts, REI gear rental and repair service discounts, Avis car rental discounts, and the option of getting an REI Visa card which offers a 1% refund on every dollar you spend.
Another great advantage is the discount on an annual national parks pass. REI doesn't always offer this item or sell this item, but periodically through the year they stock and sell it. If you buy it through the park service it will cost you $50. If you buy it through REI with your membership it will cost you $35. After visiting two parks the pass has paid for itself and you have the option of visiting more parks for free!
~Interface-
Of the many online stores I have shopped with, REI has one of the easiest to use websites. Upon entering the website you are greeted with the REI logo, a search form, and a sidebar for quick access to categories, brands, and other REI related website material. The main page also lists sales, best sellers, deals, and news.
The search feature is wonderful. You can search by keyword, item number, or category by just typing a word in the search field and clicking submit.
Searching "tent" will bring up a webpage with a link to a tent finder, information on buying a tent, tent products by category with a numbered result, and best of all—tent prices, names, and photos with a link to the displayed category.
Once you find a product that seems interesting, click on the name of the item or the picture and you will be directed to a page with very detailed information on the product you selected. On this page you will also find a larger photo, related products, and several useful links. To purchase the item you choose the color, size, style from a drop down menu and enter the quantity into a text box and click "add to shopping cart."
To use the shopping cart you must have cookies enabled.
A link to your shopping cart and account is located at the top of every page with the search feature. To checkout simply click on your shopping cart icon. This page will show you all the items in your shopping cart with a short description, quantities, prices, and a subtotal. To checkout simply click on "proceed to checkout."
The checkout page gives you the option to login your account (you don't have to be an REI member to have an account). If you have an account you can store your credit card info (if you wish), shipping and billing addresses, your membership number, and gift addresses. This makes checkout speedy if you're a repeat customer.
If you don't have an account you have the standard checkout options given on most checkout webpages across the net. Billing and shipping address options, shipping options, shipping prices and approximate delivery dates, a field for your REI membership number and the choice to use your annual dividend, a catalog code field, coupon/gift certificate fields, and most importantly…a gift option.
The gift option tells REI to remove the price tags from everything you ordered and send the invoice to the billing address. You also have the option of including a personalized message.
From this page you click continue and are taken to the final page. Here you confirm your order and enter your credit card information. To place the order, enter the above information and click submit.
Minutes after placing an order REI sends you a copy of your invoice via email if you provided an email address. Once your tracking number is available they send you another email so you can easily track the order.
~Shipping-
Shipping prices are somewhat fair. REI bases their shipping prices on the cost of you order rather than the weight. This style of shipping sometimes saves me money (like when I order a low-cost high-weight item) and at other times costs me money (like when I order a 2lb $150 sleeping bag). Standard shipping for up to $50 is a reasonable $5.99. Shipping for orders $150 and over is $9.99. In addition to standard shipping REI offers second day ($17.99-20.99) and overnight ($23.99-26.99) shipping options. Shipping to Canada and other international destinations is also available.
REI also offers online tracking of your order. However, in my experience this has been useless. It takes REI about 48 hours to enter your tracking number on the website. In most cases my package arrives at my door within 2-3 days of ordering using standard shipping. So by the time they put the tracking number online, the package is at my door. Customer's living further away from distribution centers may find this feature more useful as it will take longer than 2-3 days for their packages to arrive.
~Stores-
Not only does REI own and operate the internets largest online outdoor gear store, but they also own and operate 65 stores in 24 states. Much like a Galyan's, many of REI's stores have facilities such as ponds and trails that give customers a chance to try gear before buying. If you like or love the online store I suggest you visit one of the larger physical stores. Store sizes range from 10,000 to 95,000 square feet—visit a big one.
~Sales-
REI has lots of sales. By entering "subscribe" or "gearmail" into the search field you will be directed to a page which allows you to subscribe to REI's email service or order a catalogue. You can unsubscribe from here as well. If you subscribe you will receive one to two emails a month from REI giving you information on sales, new products, and REI in general. Occasionally list subscribers will get a coupon for a discount on an entire order or a single item.
~Guarantee-
REI's guarantee gives them a Wal-Mart like appeal. If at anytime you are ever dissatisfied with a product you bought at REI you can return it to REI.com or a store. REI backs every product they sell even if they didn't manufacturer it. In addition to their product guarantee they also guarantee their online transactions. If any fraudulent charges are made with your credit card as a result of shopping on their site, they will pay the $50 liability fee charged by your credit card company. Even Wal-Mart doesn't go that far.
~Conclusion-
An easy to use interface, fair prices, an unmatched fraudulent guarantee, an annual patronage refund of 10%, and a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee on any product you buy….what can I say? REI deserves a 10/10. Where else can you get paid to buy gear?
© 2003 WVaBackpacker
Written for http://www.epinions.com 5 April 2003
~Other Backpacking/Camping Reviews by WVaBackpacker-
--Backpacks-
Gregory Shasta Backpack
Dana Design Glacier
--Tents-
REI Half Dome Plus 2
Mountain Hardware Trinity
Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight CD
--Sleeping Gear-
The North Face Thunderhead 3D
The North Face Kilo Down 32F
Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest Luxury LE
--Hydration-
MSR Dromedary Bag
Platypus Big Zip
--Destinations-
Heart Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Keyhole State Park, Wyoming
Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina
--Books-
The Backpackers Handbook
--Stores-
REI.com – This review
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Jeremy Hays
Location: Columbus, OH, USA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 46 members
About Me: Maybe I'll write another review someday...lots of new gear...
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