REI

This place is awesome...so many choices of anything sports related !

I went to check on a few items in the biking section and I was really happy to see that most all of the categories had really top quality brands and varied pricing levels, so any consumer can make a smart choice.

The staff here is very friendly and very knowledgeable. Pretty much any question about anything is answered by the person you ask or he/she will find someone to assist.

Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is organized as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, climbing, cycling, water, running, fitness, snow, travel equipment, and men, women and kids clothing. It also offers services such as outdoor-oriented vacations and courses.

REI operates 165 retail stores in 39 states. It also receives orders via mail-order catalogs and the internet. This particular store in Cranston is huge and very nicely laid out....

In terms of history on the brand, Lloyd and Mary Anderson founded REI in Seattle, Washington in 1938. The Andersons imported an Akadem Pickel ice axe from Austria for themselves as part of The Mountaineers Basic Climbing Course, and decided to set up a co-operative to help other outdoor enthusiasts in the club acquire good quality climbing gear at reasonable prices.

In 1956, Recreational Equipment Cooperative was incorporated. Jim Whittaker, who was the first full time employee the company ever had, climbed to the position of CEO during the 1960s and was an early board member with American Alpine Club president Nicholas Clinch. When Whittaker became the first American to summit Mount Everest in May 1963, it provided REI with so much free advertising that the following year, 1964, its gross income topped $1mil for the first time.

Although the Andersons originally established the co-op structure to secure reduced prices for its members, REI now models itself as a boutique full-service retailer, with a website including order-on-the-web and free delivery to a nearby store, rather than as a low-price retailer. Local stores host free clinics on outdoor topics and organize short trips originating from the store to explore local hikes and cycling paths.

REI outlets are often positioned as anchor stores in upmarket strip malls. In common with other retailers, REI stores tend to receive most of their traffic during the weekend.

Although most of what it sells is brandname merchandise from other companies, REI designs and sells its own private-label products under the REI, REI Co-Op, Co-Op cycles brands.

Top quality items from a well run company.

The ski service center has been a life saver and a yearly tradition for me to get my skis re-waxed. They also service bikes (Don't forget your yearly tune-up). The rest of the store is consistent with most REIs but the Re-Gear section is slowly becoming my new favorite as you can get discount gear that has been slightly used. Good for your wallet and for the environment. Everything else is pretty expensive but you pay for the professional guides and if you are a member you get 10% back on the yearly dividend. It may be cheaper to find online but there will always be something nice about shopping instore and feeling the gear before purchasing and using it.

I came in to process a return from an online order. Alexis helped me right away and was incredibly kind, helpful and informative. The store also looked immaculate. It was very easy and simple and truly a 10/10 experience.

A solid option in Rhode Island when you find yourself in need of outdoor sporting equipment, clothing, footwear, and the like.

I have been frequenting this REI location for some time now and am always a happy camper when I stop by. Large and spacious interior; several departments to peruse depending on your area of interest. Over the years I have picked up a variety of clothing including hiking shorts, pants, waterproof outerwear, insulating layers, and socks, shopped trekking poles and backpacks, climbed "Mount Cranston" in innumerable pairs of boots, and so much more. Are things pricey? Sure - it's quality product. If you shop smart though, you can find the deals, hit the sales, and earn coupons to save a pretty penny.

The staff really make this place. They are very pleasant, not overbearing, but more than available if you need a helping hand. Throughout the pandemic and the multiple challenges that has presented, they have adapted and continue to offer their customers a positive shopping experience. For example, many clothing stores closed their dressing rooms; REI instead kept them open - taking the time to clean them between each use so customers could leave the store knowing their gear fit... avoiding the risk of going back out unnecessarily to exchange. The availability of stock has been variable due to issues with supply impacted by Covid. Despite this, staff still go out of their way to identify products in stock to meet your needs or work through finding items that can be ordered. Really appreciate this.

Couple extra things to note: The REI Co-op Membership is a steal - one-time $20 fee and it allows you access to used-gear trade in programs, member dividend, garage sales, etc. This is pretty great. Secondly, (pre-Covid) I attended many free classes offered at this location. A way to connect with like-minded people on a number of topics like hiking in the White Mountains or the Appalachian Train, basics of packing a backpack, and more. Looking forward to jumping back into these sometime.

When we needed new hiking shoes, this is the place we shopped at. This was during the early days of the Covid pandemic, and we were getting into the great outdoors for exercise and some 'alone' time (alone from the world that is, not each other). Before you even enter there are two staff members that you check in with. They verified we were wearing a mask, weren't coughing or looked feverish, offered us latex gloves and held the door open so we did not have to touch anything. That was all very reassuring.
The floor has arrows to show the direction of travel in order to keep guests safely distanced. All staff indoors were wearing gloves and masks. We went upstairs to the shoe area, and there was a 'queuing' area where you wait to be helped so as not to have too many people trying on shoes at the same time. There was only one other person there, so we were allowed in and sat at the opposite end of the area.
The sales person was friendly, easily answered our questions, knew her available stock, the pro's and con's of products they have on offer and was all together very helpful. We we able to quickly make our choices and headed down to the cashier.
There were several cashiers. Guests stand in the que, X's on the floor keep you six feet apart and of course they have lots of things to 'impulse buy' while you wait. Cashiers sprayed down their area between guests and 'called' for the next customer when they were ready. Our cashier was very friendly, was enthusiastic about our shoe selection, offered us the option to purchase a membership (our total purchase would ultimately be free based on the amount members get back at the end of the year, so we did) and packed up our goods with care.
We have visited this store several times both before and after this purchase. Purchases through their website also apply to the member credit. Other items purchased thru REI include orange safety vests (they were out of hats), wool socks, water bottles, and other small hiking/camping accessories. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and the selection of goods is usually quite extensive, and sometimes we find a thing or two we weren't expecting, making it a good place for pre-purchase reconnaissance.

I thought this place was OK until I received a gift for Christmas that I could not use. I didn't want my daughter to know that I had returned it and it was on her REI account. I asked if I could return it without her getting a receipt or any notification that it was returned. I didn't want to hurt her feelings but I did not want the gift.
I brought it to the store and was helped right away which was nice. I was helped by a very kind young man. I asked if I could get cash back because they had the receipt online in my daughters account that she had paid for it and had paid full price. I was giving the item back in new condition. And he thought that I may be able to get the cash back.
He called over a manager and explained the situation. The manager said no that I could not get cash back. I asked if he could just tell me the reasoning behind it because I found it a little confusing. He said because you can't get cash back. He was kind of condescending in the way he said it and I wasn't being rude at all. I told him I just want to understand why the policy is in place; if the store has the money and the item why can't it give the item's paid value back in cash. He said because we don't. I said is that the reason and he said yes. Not what I wanted to hear and I truly expected more from the store.

I love shopping here! An adult toy store! Great shoes and clothes as well as outdoor gear

If there was ever an adult candy store for active folks like me, man... this place is it!

Although this location isn't as large as others, it has a fantastic selection of everything under the sun from paddle board stuff, camping gear, snow sport gear and roof racks!

On the topic of roof racks, that's what initially got me in the door, being they have a great selection of Thule and Yakima racks/boxes and they were having a really good sale. We had an AWESOME experience with the staff here; we came in one day and a sales associate walked us through the different options, pros/cons of different setups and the next day we came back and another associate did the installation. But not only did they install in ... he gave me a 30 minute walk through to utilizing it, getting the box off by myself, do's and don'ts, what to do if I sell my car and keep my rack/box. That was SUPER helpful and had me confident using it in the future.

Like any other REI location, certain stuff can be pricey and you can absolutely spend hundreds of bucks here in the blink of an eye. But you have a huge parking lot with this location and I'm looking forward to the next garage sale and might do one of their planned hikes one of these days!

This is one of the smallest REIs I've ever been to and as such the selection is pretty limited. There's a considerable amount of turn over at the store so sometimes I have a great experience and other times not such much.

Went in to buy a tent, couldn't find the tent section, the overly hyper sales staff who was talking a miles a minute and wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise said, "I know it can be really overwhelming in here". Um, ok. He also stopped to help another customer and mansplained pack weight for me.

Thankfully another sales guy came over and they started talking so I just walked away from the wretched sales guy. He needs to take up meditation or something or breathe or listen to customers. He kept going on about how I could come back after the sale that starts next week and get my tent price adjusted. I'm told him I'd rather not, he kept steamrolling me in conversation to get me to do it. Like, I understand that's a great service but I'd rather spend $100 to never talk to him again also I don't care that much about $25 to come back in and get something "price adjusted". When a customer tells you they aren't interested in some service like that; a word of advice - let it go. You're not being helpful dude, you're being rude.

The last time I bought something at REI before this was 4 years ago and I had a great experience buying winter hiking boots. So your mileage may vary.

Went to REI with a department store bike I bought for my 10 year old son that was damaged. Bad rear shifter amount other things. Dave in the bike shop was great. He got it fixed up same day and made it safe for my son to ride. Really appreciate him and the work he did. He was understanding of the challenge in finding a bike that was inexpensive at this time and now the bike is safe and working great.
Thanks Dave!