Was at REI last night, only to be skunked *again* on some bike stuff. Second time this spring I went looking for accessories to find them out of stock. Yes I know that spring is a killer busy time for bike crap, esp among the REI crowd, but you'd think they order more than three of something at a time. First time was a pannier bag, yesterday is was rack & a fender set, both out. I ended up just ordering it on line for store pickup, but still.

Plus, as we were looking at clothes, it seemed like they had an awful lot of 'style' clothes and less of the real deal. And stainless steel martini & margarita glasses? I mean c'mon, who takes those camping? They weigh like a pound each. The plastic wine glasses were dumb enough. sheesh.

I love REI, I've been a member for like 20 years. I really don't want to see them pulling a Banana Republic. Maybe its not a drift away from the real stuff as an infusion of cheap crap to appeal to the 'wider market'. What I'd like to see is for them to stock more of the quality stuff, less of the stupid cheap shit and keep it real.

The plastic wine glasses are handy when you're traveling around in France.

But REI, yeah. The only time I've gone there in the last couple of years, it was because I had a gift card. They did have a good price on their knockoffs of the serious mittens I wanted, which was nice. Definitely a lot of fashion clothes, but that's true at Midwest Mountaineering too...
Anyhow, I suppose I'll have to go to REI again this year to redeem my $2.49 member rebate!

My mom. Jimmy Buffet has song called "The Tin Cup Chalice" and because of this mom was quite taken with the steel wine glasses. They always come camping along with her camp blender for the margaritas.

Sorry - no disrespect to your mom.

I guess i was just disappointed in my recent experiences. In the grand scheme, like biking, I'm in favor of whatever gets people outside and doing things, and if that means car-camping with with all the accessories, i guess thats ok.

But to a point, I don't like RVs and I don't like generators. I think people get the idea that state parks (or whatever) should be "just like home" - if you want that, go to a hotel and drive in for the day or whatever. But again for every sweeping generalization there is an exception, and a lot of people could say similar things about paving all the outstate bike trails, rather than leaving them natural.

Accessability to RVs with paved roads and all that has it's downsides, however. Many things are best left harder to get to.

For me personally, camping is a way to get away from all the crap I have to drag around on a day to day basis, not an excuse to take it to a new location.

Amen!

I was in Vancouver back in January and came across this store. http://www.mec.ca It reminded me of the old days of REI, where they had lots of neat backpacking, climbing and cycling items. You have to be a member to shop there and the prices on the MEC branded stuff (they have a lot) are very reasonable.

As an employee there, I feel that I should chime in.
If you look at REI's customer base, it ranges from the extreme hiker/camper to the average car camper. We specialize in all types. Midwest mountaineering seems to specialize in only high end gear.
So yes, we do sell steel martini glasses and portable toliets, but we also sell ultra-light backpacks, tents, and high end gear.
The point is that there is something for everyone. And we do sell some stupid camping stuff that I would never use (portable flamingos?) but some people would.

I like REI, scratch and dent sales have been very good to me in the past few years. I wish REI in MN would do what the REI in Seattle does though, and just have a scratch and dent sale room that is open all of the time. I have found some pretty good deals in the Seattle one. Had to figure out how to bring back a bike repair stand I bought in Seattle (REI) scratch and dent sale room on a plane back in January.

** Don't diss the portable inflatable flamingos**

I love REI -- camping stores like that have great clearance sales. You can always find some ingenious little thing to bend to your will. I love the Lexan wineglasses. These are great for any kind of trip where you don't want to drink out of a motel cup. I gave a set of 4 to some friends that were taking a vacation to the Napa Valley area and they used them every day.

I like REI. I've been a member for a few years, and for a store attempting to appeal to a wider crowd they don't skimp on knowledgeable and informed staff.

I love REI, too, which is sort of why I started this, actually. My fear is that perhaps they are straying from the path a bit, thats all. Yes, they have great stuff and serious stuff, but it seems like in trying to cater to everyone that they are stocking less of the good stuff and more of the mundane items.

And in the interest of full disclosure I do have a set of flamingos.

that said, I know you can usually order what you need, no problems. However, the last two times I was there they were out of stock on multiple items I needed. First I went to get a pannier bag and two other things (that I can't remember), and left empty handed. Then last week I went in for a rack and fenders, again both out of stock. They did, however, have plenty of the cheaper crappier racks and the lower quality fenders. It seems like they're stocking 10x lower quality item and 2x better quality equivalent. Now perhaps they are actually stocking 10x of each and just selling out the good stuff, but that would mean they perhaps should be stocking 20x of good stuff and 3x junk item.

but again, i was just frustrated with my last couple of in-store experiences. So maybe (likely) i'm over thinking it...

I just want to encourage everyone to support local business'. When a chain like REI moves into town it has a similar impact to Walmart. It hurts the local independents who are often struggling to make it given the small margins on outdoor gear and equipment.

I urge you to support local independent shops like Midwest Mountaineering and of course local bike shops. Midwest is a jewel, not many stores like it survive in this country because of huge chains like REI who can buy in bulk and make demands on suppliers because they have the cash to back it up. This allows them to cut their prices below locals and still make a shit ton of money.

Midwest has thrifty outfitters which has screaming deals, you can climb for free (and they'll even validate your parking), the sales staff is knowledgable, and they hold clinics and events to help people get into new sports.

You vote with your money everytime you buy something, before running out to REI to save $5, consider the impact that has on the local business'.
If you value community and culture, say no to big chains.

I know it's a "Co-op" but it should take more than a yearly dividend check for you to sell out your values.

Support Local Bike Shops and Outdoor shops otherwise they won't be here.

I don't think that REI has actually been a co-op for quite a while now. It's still a pretty good company though, as far as companies go. MW is a great store too, and i'm sure that a lot of people who shop at REI also shop there too. MW, for one thing, doesn't (last i checked) carry inflatable pink flamingos. Very popular with a certain pair of 4 & 6 year old sisters i camp with. MW carries more high-end stuff, REI carries more low-end and generalized travel and comfort gear, they aren't identical stores.

And you could do a lot worse if the local REI is your LBS. They're actually pretty decent, especially with touring and commuting gear.

REI is the largest, and one of the oldest Co-ops in the US. and they do stock high-end gear. I am still a big fan of midwest mountaineering, and still shop there. both stores have very similar stock of camping/hiking (MW stocks western mtn-eering bags, and has way more canoe packs), but midwest has much higher end boats and kayaks.
Both stores seem to be the only good places to get quality gear. (and JOEs)

Also, Who's going to the EXPO this weekend? It starts today.