REI seriously changing it's Business Model
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Hillwalker
Active member
I wish they had a store closer than a 250+ mile round trip from me, or at least one in NH
JoshandBaron
Well-known member
They are building one in Bedford
Given the LL Bean guarantee roll back and their major shift to store brand offshored equipment, I expect REI is going to getting more business.
Fuzzy
New member
Sweet. Did not know that.
No "official" announcement yet, but they will be moving into the site of the old Jordan Mars..ahem.. dating myself.. Macy's location right off I-293.
iAmKrzys
Member
I guess REI is trying to differentiate itself from Amazon in order to maintain customer loyalty. Otherwise they can't compete based on price.
I have been staring at the remains of the Macy's store/lot for 2 years, every day on my way to work, and it has yet to resemble an REI store, or any other store for that matter.
Tim
Tim
I have mixed feelings on retailers that jump on the "shopping experience" form of growth. Realistically they cant compete on price with Amazon or other online merchants, there is always some entity somewhere that is desperate for cash flow and are willing to sell a product at a loss in order to survive one more week before the bills come due. Yes there are few premium brands that somehow can maintain minimum pricing like Western Mountaineering (I have even found their gear on sale by small retailers on occasion). I dont chase Patagonia pricing but expect they to also have minimum pricing control. Thus the only way for retail to go is build the big splashy store with all sorts of attractions to make a visit there an "experience". Several years ago I went to the REI premier store in Seattle and it sure reminded me of an outdoors theme park where the gear seemed to be more of a souvenir. Nevertheless the "shopping experience" model goes for the shopper that buys things to make them feel good at that moment despite the hangover when the bills come in. They also cater to the the folks with far more money than leisure time who rationalize that top end gear is going to substitute for actual experience. Frequently the gear gets bought but rarely gets used before its replaced with the next hobby. On popular trails in the whites I usually encounter the folks with the gear that looks like the owners just cut the tags off that morning heading up as I am heading back down.
I admit I am the nightmare of marketers, I really could care less about the looks and cred and go for the function and then wear the stuff into the ground. I do appreciate high end retailers as they tend to turn their stock over quickly so I can buy the latest and greatest top of the line gear a year or two later when its been replaced with the new latest and greatest. Sadly Sierra Trading Post has gone corporate but in its early years I picked up a lot of good gear that they obviously had bought off a major retailer at the end of the season. I did buy Beans gear over the years, generally at the end of the year or with 20% off coupons I could buy with Discover Cash back points usually when they have a 10% off sale. I rarely return things unless they were defective and their gear usually is built well. The trade off is its rarely the latest and greatest anymore, the Beans label gear is usually just a clone of last years latest and greatest product.
If I want sustainability, responsible treatment of employees and local content I usually stick with the cottage manufacturers. My ULA backpack has a "made in my garage in Logan Utah" label and even with the ownership change a few years back most folks who call get the owner on the phone. I did splurge at one point on a Hyperlight Mountain Gear tent and they are made in southern maine. A lot of other gear popular with AT thru hikers are direct marketed "cottage" builders. Unfortunately many cottage marketers inevitably figure out that they can make far more money selling out the name, mountainsmith, dana designs come to mind.
I admit I am the nightmare of marketers, I really could care less about the looks and cred and go for the function and then wear the stuff into the ground. I do appreciate high end retailers as they tend to turn their stock over quickly so I can buy the latest and greatest top of the line gear a year or two later when its been replaced with the new latest and greatest. Sadly Sierra Trading Post has gone corporate but in its early years I picked up a lot of good gear that they obviously had bought off a major retailer at the end of the season. I did buy Beans gear over the years, generally at the end of the year or with 20% off coupons I could buy with Discover Cash back points usually when they have a 10% off sale. I rarely return things unless they were defective and their gear usually is built well. The trade off is its rarely the latest and greatest anymore, the Beans label gear is usually just a clone of last years latest and greatest product.
If I want sustainability, responsible treatment of employees and local content I usually stick with the cottage manufacturers. My ULA backpack has a "made in my garage in Logan Utah" label and even with the ownership change a few years back most folks who call get the owner on the phone. I did splurge at one point on a Hyperlight Mountain Gear tent and they are made in southern maine. A lot of other gear popular with AT thru hikers are direct marketed "cottage" builders. Unfortunately many cottage marketers inevitably figure out that they can make far more money selling out the name, mountainsmith, dana designs come to mind.
If you come, they will build it?
Hillwalker
Active member
Well, that's 235 miles. Getting closer
Stan
Well-known member
Great idea for REI which doesn't have stockholders or investors to answer to, only the dictates of high intentions. It is a cooperative and hence, the annual dividend. Don't know if this will boost sales as the market seems to prefer price or image over quality and the source. It is a "gimmick" that eventually will spread either by regulatory mandate or contagious conscience. I wish the same regard would catch on for labor but in that regard, REI has long been a great place to work and the 5 years my son worked there, coincidentally during our peakbagging years, were a great experience, probably the result of like minds and spirits congregating at the same place. Now if that same consideration for labor could be transferred to the producers of the products ...
We are fortunate to have so many outdoor retailers nearby: LLBean, Kittery Trading Post, Natick Outdoor Store, Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, to name a few. My observation of the failures is when they try to urbanize the outdoors and over invest in that market, both in stores and product, they hit the wall against a fickle market and end up with a product that serves neither the outdoorsman nor the chic very well.
We are fortunate to have so many outdoor retailers nearby: LLBean, Kittery Trading Post, Natick Outdoor Store, Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, to name a few. My observation of the failures is when they try to urbanize the outdoors and over invest in that market, both in stores and product, they hit the wall against a fickle market and end up with a product that serves neither the outdoorsman nor the chic very well.
I often holler, in passing, "Take my money, please!" Still no REI. There is a Whole Paycheck there however
But they don't get my money.Tim
Nessmuk
Active member
I have been an REI member since 1970. It was different then, their annual catalog was a welcome information packet full of outdoor camping and climbing tips as well as information on the co-op financials and board member's writings of their expeditions. You could vote for the board. I would save the catalogs for the information content then. But that goodness ended at some point. REI and EMS were strong competitors then, except EMS was not a co-op and did not offer dividends on purchases. But I bought gear from both anyway. Then after the internet became popular, EMS blew it by no longer producing and mailing a catalog, going for online sales only for a time. I stopped ordering anything from them because of that. They eventually saw the error in that and reverted to the old ways with catalogs.
Even though NY State has always "required" (on the honor system) state residents to declare and pay tax on all purchases coming into the state, whether there was a store presence in the state or not, if there was no store in the state, out of state vendors would not routinely add state and local tax to your purchases. So it was a blessing that REI and LLBean did not have stores present in NY at the time. But that all changed when both companies unfortunately opened stores in the state and automatically added tax to in-state shipments. And now it doesn't matter any more, as most all vendors shipping to NY from anywhere will add in the tax.
Truthfully, I don't need to buy much if any new gear each year, so although I enjoy perusing the catalogs, I don't buy much, even though I still enjoy cashing in on the dividends I get from using the RIE credit card.
Even though NY State has always "required" (on the honor system) state residents to declare and pay tax on all purchases coming into the state, whether there was a store presence in the state or not, if there was no store in the state, out of state vendors would not routinely add state and local tax to your purchases. So it was a blessing that REI and LLBean did not have stores present in NY at the time. But that all changed when both companies unfortunately opened stores in the state and automatically added tax to in-state shipments. And now it doesn't matter any more, as most all vendors shipping to NY from anywhere will add in the tax.
Truthfully, I don't need to buy much if any new gear each year, so although I enjoy perusing the catalogs, I don't buy much, even though I still enjoy cashing in on the dividends I get from using the RIE credit card.
iAmKrzys
Member
Maybe nowadays not every board member would have an expedition to tell us about?
Kimball
Member
Bedford NH REI? The brochure on the developer's website now (posted yesterday) says ....
REI's name was remove from the brochure last year, but thankfully they are back in.
Reference: http://encore.bz/market-main-bedford-nh/
REI's name was remove from the brochure last year, but thankfully they are back in.
Reference: http://encore.bz/market-main-bedford-nh/
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Maybe it's because I am from the west coast and learned a lot from REI that I am very loyal to them. REI has some shocking prices sometimes but I know exactly what I am getting and I know that if I don't like it I can return it no questions asked. I know that even if I try it out for a few trips still no questions asked. I also like that it is a co-op.
The only thing I have ever seen that irritated me at an REI is the store in Cranston, RI does not always carry climbing gear - what they originated on.
If that is my biggest complaint... that's not too bad.
The only thing I have ever seen that irritated me at an REI is the store in Cranston, RI does not always carry climbing gear - what they originated on.
If that is my biggest complaint... that's not too bad.
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