REI Reviews

Great selection of products with a separate area for cycling and outdoor sports such as paddle boarding and kayaking. Lots of staff always around who make themselves available to answer any questions. Upstairs is all the clothing and shoes, as well as the kids playground. They now have a tiny coffee stand right as you walk in the main doors which is a nice addition. About an 8 minute walk from downtown, this location is super accessible.

The flagship store is impressive--will have to return to see more! The team member helping me with hiking boots was especially kind and knowledgeable.

I spent an hour trying to call the store. I would get dial tone, couple rings then hung up. Call right back busy signal. I probably called 100 times. I am not going to drive to downtown Seattle hoping that the inventory is correct online. So frustrating. Phone calls are parts of customer service. Had Rack and Road been open I would have gone there for my Yakima part I needed. I ended up ordering the part overnight from Yakima. REI is not what it used to be. It caters to a fashion outdoor group. Not a working utility outdoor group. So many other options out there. REI is not a local company anymore. Just another corporate monger.

Learning something new every time we come to this store. Main source of all our outdoor and traveling gears. Best of all....100% customer satisfaction policy. Staff, knowlegable, always helpful to help.

Had a wonderful experience buying a bike, test riding it and customizing it with accessories. William was an outstanding sales rep and made the entire process painless and enjoyable. The bike workshop was a little busy but accurate with their time commitments.

Due to this being the flag-ship REI of all REI's, it's little wonder how truly incredible the inside of this massive store is laid out.
The staff are very helpful & do not run away from you when you approach them with a question. The exciting interior design presents itself as a wilderness Disneyland for adventurous folks from all walks of life.
The only con I have is that the bathrooms are so freaking far away from the entrance; in a city with a homeless population as horrid as Seattle's, this design makes a whole lot of sense.
If you haven't checked out this REI yet do so, you'll be happy that you did.

Ian &Dick loaded and tied down my new kayak. Showed me how to use my new tiedowns and the recommended paddle technique. You should be proud to have such service oriented employees

Great service from Darby and very happy with purchase. Loved the member discount today. Thank You!!

This store is massive! Customer service is good and you'll be able to find anything you need for whatever you do outdoors.

Everything you could possibly need or want and a beautiul store and park. Helpful and friendly staff.

Just one of those places that meets all your outdoor needs w/ cool staff!

Placed an online order on 4/30/2018. REI over charged my credit card $1,000 in addition to the original $400 purchase. As of 4pm on 5/2/18 they still have no explanation for me and have not put the money back in my account. This has caused many problems for me and my bank account. REI has not offered any assistance. Customer service sucks and I will never purchase from REI again. Beware of online purchases and them double or triple billing your account and taking days or weeks to fix it.

I made an order online and was waiting for the goods to be delivered in a week according to the estimate. 3 days after my order I decided to check the status of the package to only find out that my order had been cancelled. No notifications of any kind. Very disappointed. Glad there are other services to get the same equipment, but cheaper and in time. Never going to buy from REI again.

Great store and a wonderful rainforest style track for trying out new bicycles.The Knife section as well as the Ax section was scarce and lacking greatly. I was quite surprised to not have more options in that department.

REI is great. They have top quality outdoor gear and great selection. They aren't cheap, though. The help is helpful and not pushy. The lines at the cash register were long but moved fairly quickly. This was on a Saturday three weeks before Christmas. There is a parking structure. It was busy, too, but there were lots of spaces left on the lower level.

This store is incredible. The mecca of outdoor adventure gear.

Great location, helpful staff, well stocked for most outdoor activities.

Great store for campers, skiers, hikers, bouldering, etc. Their service was prompt and they are more than willing to assist you with your needs. Items do seem overpriced.

Pretentious high priced camping. Ignore the thousands of homeless people in the city and escape to nature while spending way too much. It s Seattle in a nutshell. It has an enclosed bike for testing bikes, waterfall just because and apathy galore.

Didn t feel the need to buy anything but really enjoyed the property. The landscaping and layout is amazing!

Never written a review like this before but I just had to say that I seriously had one of the best customer service experience here. Pete and Adrianna were exceptional in their customer service. They were so so patience with me and just extremely helpful in helping me find the perfect snowboarding boots! I was at Evo prior to coming here and had one of the worse customer service experience there. I was in the market for some new boots but weren t actually planning to buy anything that day. I just really wanted to try on some boots to know my size and see what is out there. When I left REI in Seattle, Pete and Adrianna sold me on a pair. Although Evo had the same pair with 10% off. I definitely wasn t going to go back there to buy from them and it was all because of how I was treated at REI. I left so happy and so proud to be a new member of REI :) So thank you for being so kind, patience, and nice!

Free parking in parking garage, huge, clean store and friendly staff.

Very cool location and building. Cool area for kids to play in while you shop. Very expensive as you'd expect from the brands.

I rented snowshoes yesterday at the downtown Seattle location and was distressed to realize that the cost was double ($26/pair with $10 poles) what I paid at the Alderwood location ($13/pair with $8 poles). They told me that rental costs are not the same at every REI location?!?!?! To make matters worse, once I got to the trail head and strapped the snowshoes on, I realized the clip on the front strap was broken rendering the snowshoe nearly impossible to use. When I told the associate, he just shrugged and nonchalantly said sorry. So not only did I get charged double for rentals, I couldn't even use them!!!! This morning I got up at 5am, drove two hours to the pass, discovered the broken snow shoe, drove two hours back to REI, and received terrible customer service. At the very least I should have been issued a refund for the broken equipment. Not at all impressed. Do not rent here!!!

They were busy on this summery Friday night, there were lines with well marked socially distanced spots. We received friendly and very helpful assistance in several department. The checkout lines were long but moved swift

Beautiful store, great selection, but there were too few employees on the floor so we waited for help and were not served well.

Used to be a special part of Seattle's outdoor scene, but ever since they got rid of their lifetime warranty and started selling overpriced, shoddy "made in china" crap, they've just become another expensive big box store. You can find the same stuff on Amazon for less.

If you want a real outdoor clothing store, try someplace like Outdoor Research in SODO (just as expensive, but with a lifetime warranty).

Best selection and service for outdoor gear and casual clothing in general (not just activewear).

I really like the REI store, it has a wide variety of products from different outdoor activities. The staff is very experienced and knowledgeable but also very kind and nice, never pushy. I always come back here!

Great gear and super knowledgeable staff. I love the way the company is run as well.

Great flagship store. Tons of selection, great service, and there are Representatives all over the place willing to go the extra mile to help you

Amazing flagship REI store. Very large and very impressive. Even on the very busy 12/23 the staff was friendly and the lines moved well. The amount of inventory was staggering. I hope they open a store in Tampa, FL!!!

Outdoor heaven, loads of selection with great customer service

Great outdoor store. Helpful staff. Member option for customers, give you 10% back in the end of the year.

This trip to R.E.I. was terrible. I visited customer service to clear up an online order, after receiving an email about my payment method failing to authorize. On top of the frustration stemming from the byzantine payment-hold-funds-timeline, nobody in the store at either the customer service counter, nor at the rental/repair counter could provide satisfactory information about my order. Neither counter staff was able to take the CASH OUT OF MY HANDS to let me pay for a backpack. Very, very, very irritating.

Friendly and helpful staff, high quality products for every adventure. They also know all the best adventure spots.

Good outdoor retail store, the personal is very kind and professional, they have several lectures along the year

Awesome. Well staffed, great options for the outdoors and also great people working there.

MASSIVE REI. Always a good experience. Knowledgeable staff. Thanks for the help

Every time I've been in this store over the last 6yrs I have been able to find someone with specific answers for gear and very thorough unbiased answers. Employees are friendly. Store is always clean. Returns/exchanges have been low stress. Product selection and availability have been consistently wonderful.

Incredible store and always good deals! We come here before every hike down the coast and have yet to leave disappointed. Thank you!

They have earned my loyalty over the years. They have great customer service. And great return policies.

REI has never let me down. They always have what I need at a reasonable price compared to its competitors. This specific store was very impressive though, if you're in the area check them out.

This is my most FAVORITE store in the world!! They have everything for outdoor recreation. This store is so beautiful with a 4 story waterfall and a hiking trail and a biking trail. This flagship store is truly like a wilderness in the middle of the city.

This is the largest REI that i have never seen before.

I don't wanna say they are terrible but the customer service does need a little bit of work. I went to go buy a new backpack for a year-long traveling trip and not knowing anything about backpacks I needed some advice and they let me leave with the wrong size backpack and without adjusting the straps for me. So I ended up wasting an hour going back and waiting around for someone to help me again. So I think it would just be nice if the store employees could be a little more attentive and double check that the customer has chosen the right sized gear that they need.

Has everything you'd need and more for going outdoors

Between the huge selection, the garage, and the clearance section. Best REI ever.

Great store with lots of selection but it is hard to find a staff person for help in the shoe department.

If you can't find it here, you must be in the wrong store. The mecca for all camping gear. The staff was helpful but overworked, the day I was there on the 20% sale. I got a great pair of hiking boots. I was less there December 2017. I found some big savings in the discount\discontinued room. The staff there are supremely helpful. Free, convenient indoor parking. Worth the trip downtown.

The REI mother ship is awesome. It is like a pilgrimage the the outdoor stuff Mecca.

Huge REI with a great selection of gear from the everyday (camping gear, fleece jackets) to the extreme (technical ice climbing equipment).

This place is beautiful, the staff are super friendly and helpful and if you join, you get money back to send there each year.

The entire staff at REI s Seattle downtown store are an amazing group of people. Always superb customer service through and through. There s such a good variety of clothing, gear and tech for just about any type of outdoor adventure seeking person from very young to old. If you have any problems with your purchase, returns or exchanges are handled with ease.

The staff are animal lovers! They re always kind to our cats who appreciate lounging in front of their gargantuas gas fireplace.

Over the summer, I bought a much needed pair of urban footwear. So, naturally I go to REI. The costumer service was surprisingly bad. I waited 8 minutes for a CS member to approach me. This CS person had been sitting with a customer discussing which pair of shoes looked the best. All the time, I am standing clearly in need of customer service. The CS member walked toward me with an annoyed look on his face and asked, " Do you know what you want?" My reply, " Yes". I try on the shoes. I like them. So, I bought them. This gets better. The entire time I spent in the shoe department another REI staff member was present. Standing always within my presence, yet not offering customer service. Quietly she keeps watch. I proceed to the courier bag section to browse selections and prices. Over my shoulder, I notice the silent and watchful REI staff member. I proceed to the check out. I use my dividend $ toward my puchase. I paid with debit. As I thank the cashier, I see that CS rep enjoying a sip of water from the fountain as she looks at me purchasing my urban wear. Seriously? When I was in College I worked in loss prevention. It would have been a better shopping experience if the CS staff was willing to recognize a customer in need of help. Weather your role is in sales, or loss prevention. Kindness and awareness of the needs of the customer is vital.

This place is like a candy store for me. The mini outdoor trail was so unique and cool, and the whole store was so cohesive and felt really like I was in the outdoors. I will definitely be coming back again and again.

This was a gorgeous store with tons of great gear. I didn't find exactly what I wanted but I left with stuff I was very happy with. Definitely worth the trip.

Especially impressed with their social distancing measures!

Huge flagship store. Could spend hours in here. Climbing wall, bike/hiking path outside, lots of parking, food and great return policy. Huge selection and educated staff to answer any questions you may have.

A very busy store but everything you need for nearly any outdoor adventure. Also, super friendly and knowledgeable staff.

this is a great place for buying equipment for outdoor activities.

Ok, so I ll start by saying I love REI and everything they make is great quality. If you know anything about REI, you know you re going to be spending a lot of money going there. That said, the flagship store is so insanely busy that I just can t handle it anymore. Maybe they need more cashiers... so anyhow, I just order what I want on line (they usually have videos for what you re ordering, so that is way cool). You can order something at night and pick it up in the morning awesome! With the first hour of free parking, it would seem almost effortless. Sadly, the pick up area is all the way to the back of the store and down two flights of stairs. It s pretty hard buying a large tent and air mattress and having to haul it up all those stairs while watching out for people coming down then maneuvering your way through the store without knocking something or someone over. It s a great thing to be able to just go in and pick up your items without standing in line for an hour but it would be great if they made a spot for the online orders upstairs or an entrance/exit downstairs. Either way, I ll always go back.

Helpful people. Great products as well. This is the flagship store. If you visit Seattle, I recommend you see this place. Love the indoor playground, outdoor park, the fireplace and the pinnacle for indoor climbing...and the sales REI has! Proud to be a member.

So. Much. Good. Stuff. And a very helpful staff.

The entrance is sweet. I bet they spent a lot of money making this place. Its packed with stuff and its pretty darn cool.

My Oasis, so much fun just looking around, though the supply is currently limited as of July, 27th.

I haven't had much experience with the store, but it looks great like a small amusement park, and you can expect excellent customer service. Not sure about pricing and warranty details but I think paying a slight premium for a vast selection is worth it, especially if buying something that will last for several years.

Will someone please tell me how to survive this place?

Always fun to head to the flagship REI store. Great gear selections, and the excellent return policy makes deciding/trying much easier.

I needed some shoes, so I decided to stop in to pick some up. I couldn't believe how big this place is! Once I found the men's shoes, I was off! The staff was great, very helpful and helped me pick out the size I needed in several styles that I liked. I was in and out with a new pair in a flash!

Flagship store, an outdoors persons paradise. What more can one say about this.

Well knowledged staff and super helpful.

There are real good brands with high quality stuff and other well known brands but still affordable. Their clearance section (at the far end on 2nd floor) is worth exploring on every visit as every once in a while you'll find something great for a fraction of its marked price.

Time flies in this store as there are a lot of items to check and explore. If anyone hasnt tried out rock climbing there is one inside the store which you can try out. Its totally worth it.

Wonderful selection of quality products and knowledgable and helpful staff. What's not to love, except maybe the checkout lines?

Great help from experienced store employees. I love going through the clearance and refurbished racks.

Just made my second visit to the REI flagship store downtown Seattle since Covid. Bit of a light line that moved pretty quick. Once I was inside there was no issues wasn't crowded never felt like I couldn't keep proper social distance. Some great clearance sales plus picked up some camping stuff for my daughter definitely be back.

Basically, a vegan pacifists envisioning of Cabellas

Latest equipment and apparel, prices are on high end, but offerings of discounted items and used items makes it a good experience for all.

Great place to purchase outdoor gear, excellent return policy.

Took rock climbing beginners class. Great experience:)