REI coming to North Conway

[Stan]

REI is structured as a "cooperative" which is at the root of the dividend program. My son worked there as a young man quite a few years ago; we still have lots of gear that held up all that time. It was a great place to work. If they manage to "grab a buck" its because they've managed to serve a market.

I never go by Ragged Mountain without stopping and never fail to find something I didn't know I needed!

Kittery Trading Post is not mentioned very often here which might suggest it is under utilized as a resource for the hiking community.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

Kittery Trading Post is not mentioned very often here which might suggest it is under utilized as a resource for the hiking community.

ME sales tax If you're coming to NH anyway, might as well save the state tax.

Tim

 

[dave.m]

Stan, good point on the co-op model being at the heart of REI's success.

I always thought that EMS did a better job at product design but IMO, that's not enough. Typical capitalist structures have a particular logic built into them and EMS's arc and decline is just another case study in what happens regularly.

REI's co-op Model May not be perfect but it does democratize some of the decision making and that can lead to good outcomes from a community POV.

 

[Nessmuk]

I joined REI in the late 1960's. I always enjoyed their catalog, as it was full of helpful and useful articles to read about backpacking and details about how to use their products. Plus each board member had their own description and what wrote of activities they were involved with. For a time I kept each catalog for reference. I remember they were in competition with EMS, but REI gave the dividend, winning them over in most cases for my purchases. Then EMS got the bright idea of dropping catalog sales for a few years, eventually reversing that near fatal decision. I was angry when REI decided to put a store in NY state (but it was near NYC, too far from me to be of any value), because it meant NY could charge then sales tax (of course in-state presence no longer matters, we get hit with the sales tax anyway).

 

[Remix]

I have a suggestion if you dont mind credit cards. Get an American Express Blue. Pay your groceries, fuel, electricity, cell phone everything you possibly can on it. Of course, pay the balance completely each month because its a high interest card with alot of perks.. The reason is that it is much easier to REI GIFT cards from American Express than anyone else....meaning you get a more Rei money per dollar charged than other cards. (That I have)

As an aside their premium car rental insurance seems to work well. Somebody did a hit and run on my enterprise rental. There was 1200 dollars of damage, 240 dollars of loss of use, and a 100 dollar administrative fee. Amex negotiated everything down and I did not pay a penny.

 

[peakbagger]

FYI, the best credit card deal indirectly connected to an outdoor sports retailer I have found was the Discover card. I could apply the cashback to buying LL Bean gift certificates at 20% off. It was a better deal than the LL Bean card. By keeping an eye on sales I got a lot of high end gear over the years that way. Not sure if the deal is still in place as the Discover card is pretty basic on the other perks so I use a different one.

 

[ChrisB]

REI's co-op Model May not be perfect but it does democratize some of the decision making and that can lead to good outcomes from a community POV.

Here is a story about REI moving into NH, both at N Conway and Bedford locations.

One advantage they will bring is a wider selection of brands than EMS carried. Article claims they returned 70% of profits in dividends to members last year!

cb