I'm going to share with you my REI experience. To start out, I forgot REI was having one of their big sales which means the store in Roseville was just a little busy. Typically during any sale that's going on their stock is usually limited if you arrive a few days past the start of the sale. So as you can imagine when I went to exchanged my defective Keen's they didn't have the same color in stock let alone my size. The person who helped me was very nice and she did her best to resolve my issue. After searching all of their locations across the U.S. she was only able to find a few pairs and they happened to be in Yonkers. So up to the service desk we go, and after filling out the necessary paperwork she handed us over to Hal (I remembered his name because it's on my paperwork). Hal then started to process our transaction when he noticed the size we had ordered was not the same size as the ones I just returned. Yep you guessed it, the search was on again. We found a pair in Arizona so to my delight Hal was able to wrap up our transaction and now I'm patiently waiting for them to be shipped to my door.
During our 1 1/2hr stay we were able to get caught up with all things REI. If you are not a member with REI you are missing out. First of all if your a member they have a record of all your purchases, which makes keeping your receipts obsolete. Also with membership comes dividends, dividends you ask? Yes, for every purchase at REI you will receive a dividend which is around 10% of your purchases for the past year. That's great considering it only costs a one time fee off $20 for a lifetime of of dividends. Did I mention garage sales? Ahhhh, the garage sale is a thing of beauty it consists of returned merchandise that is ridiculously reduce in price. This is for members only! As a matter of fact the Roseville store is having one on Sunday September 11th from 10am-1pm. I suggest you get there at least 1-2 early to get in line, seriously. They also have an outlet store online for those who like great deals on closeout items and what not. When ordering from the outlet you can choose to have them delivered to you local REI store at no cost and all you have to do is go in and pick them up. Also with membership you get the occasional 20% off coupon on any regularly priced item in the store. So all in all REI is a super place to get quality products and service.
Now mind you I'm only speaking for myself, and as we all know everyone has different experiences. As for any shopping experience I find that if your nice no matter the situation they will be too. I have put a link below for REI, take a look for yourself! And you may have noticed on the right side of this page I have many links to "Deals of the Day". Another good way to save $$$.
If you have any recommendations on shopping for gear please share, everyone likes a good deal.
Uncle Leo
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