REI, Portland OR

Always a great place to come and browse but I always end up with a couple things because I never know I need them till I see them hahaha

Well stocked outdoor store with knowable staff. You can check their we site to see if the store has what your looking for before traveling to the store.

Everyone was very kind when approached with questions. I personally use crutches to walk so every employee was more than willing to help hold my products and deliver them to the register till I was done.

Update: took my bike in and they quickly reviewed the bike and what needs to be done. Immediately they took the bike to start repairs for a pick up of 2-3 days later. Fairly priced! Especially if you're a member.

REI is a dangerous place for me, cause I love all aspects of outdoor activities. This day was simply shopping for some new minimalist shoes. The Merrell Trailglove 6 is my go to and at $100 bucks minus my member dividend I walked out with a new set of kicks for under $50. Always feels good to shop here as they support many of the same access causes that I feel are important.

I like the bike staff a lot, but the service reached a breaking point today in regards to my derailleur. I've spent about. 4-6 hours between driving over there, waiting in line and being patient, scheduling calls and appointments, and after 6 weeks, I still don't have a bike that can shift gears.

I did buy a separate wheel/tire/cassette combo there, and that was pretty effortless besides the tube going flat on me after 2 hours on the trainer (which resulted in another trip of coming in).

Maybe I have bad timing and bad luck for products.
Or maybe this is a place meant to get larger items both fixed, installed, and purchased. And these smaller cases are to detail centric to get accomplished.

Great quality merchandise and helpful employees. I needed an air mattress for everyday home use and their employee recommended an EXPED MEGAMAT over the other options I was considering. After 5 years, I have to say it's one of the best purchases I've ever made in terms of comfort and durability. Same story with hiking shoes that I wear every day. I also enjoy the conversations I have with their staff about simple things like Permethrin vs. DEET. REI's one year return policy is not only a reflection of their good customer service, but I think it means that they pre-select quality merchandise for longer term use and satisfaction. Special thanks for Fox who went Above and Beyond to resolve a recent customer service issue.

Good selection of outdoor equipment and recreational gear. Not a lot of bargains, but solid equipment aimed at the casual user.

So many things I wanted to buy! But the Hoka shoes I needed were in stock and I was able to get those! The friendliness of the staff put a cherry on top of the experience.

Disappointing Service

Walked into the store and was interested in an item, asked the associate if the piece came in other colors. He answers that it "probably comes in the typical colors like white and black".
I ask for the price, he calls over to another employee if they happen to know the price.
I ask what "lifetime garantee" means, they say I could look that up under "Customer Service".

Man! Why put employees in the store if they are just totally unwilling to help with anything?

Great store, very helpful and knowledgeable staff, and we got lucky enough to find the perfect shoes at an excellent price! Score another win for REI!

Personnel here are great, super nice, and helpful. This review relates strictly to my experience upstairs trying to buy shoes. They have an online check in before you can even browse shoes, the whole section is roped off. 11am on a Tuesday and there's a 20 minute wait to get let in the velvet rope just to browse shoes. After you get in, you'll wait 5 more minutes at least to speak to a sales rep. In my case I was there for one of two pairs, neither of which they had in a size larger than 8! No offense small footed men, but really no 8.5's or larger? What is this, A shoe store for ants? It would have taken 5 minutes to tell me they didn't have what I needed and send me on my way, like any other shoe store. Instead I spent my lunch break.

Very overpriced, long wait times no sense of urgency. Staff has other customers skip the line so you are left waiting.not worth it at all.

Always love some gear browsing. They keep it clean and sanitized there. Plus no tent cities, so you dont get hassled coming and going.

The reps don't want to work. They are afraid of people and ask you "can I help you find anything? ' only to insult your response because the tip of nose sees daylight. - save yourself and just not acknowledge them. Mask won't fall if you don't respond

Diane was so amazing and helpful when I was trying to buy a hiking backpack, she helped me go through all the different options and made sure everything feels right before I picked the perfect one for me!

Shopping in REI always feels like a fun adventure itself and this one is no exception. People say Portland is a heaven for outdoor enthusiasts and this REI definitely reflects that. Besides the usual hiking, camping, cycling stuff, there are also sections for water sports and snow sports, that's cool.

Just bought a TRX to train for an instructor course with NOLS and I’m super stoked to finally one of my own. I’ll also be using it to create content for Jaybird Sport which will be fun. Glad I had the chance to have surfin hottie Douglas at the register ;) Find me on Instagram to follow along with my training