Is REI a good company to work for?

REI has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 4,508 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 63% of employees would recommend working at REI to a friend and 34% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about REI have been left by employees working as Store Sales Specialist , Retail Specialist and Frontline Staff .

Does REI pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, REI employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at REI. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at REI?

63% of REI employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated REI 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.8 for culture and values and 2.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at REI?

Sales Associate (636) , Sales Specialist (462) , Retail Sales Associate (327) , Retail Sales Specialist (179) , Sales Lead (151) , Customer Service Specialist (109) , Customer Service Representative (103) , Cashier (49) , Sales Associate/Cashier (37) , Retail Sales Manager (35) , Customer Service (31) , Warehouse Associate (31) , Sales (30) , Sales Representative (29) , Frontline Cashier (27)

What are the pros of working at REI according to real employee reviews?

"Great for people that enjoy the outdoors particularly if you are looking for deep discounts on outdoor product for yourself." ((in 469 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and the general technical acumen is high." ((in 360 reviews)); "They give you a great discount on all store merchandise as well as comprehensive benefits." ((in 334 reviews)); "REI has a great culture for those who are or want to be involved with the outdoors." ((in 198 reviews)); "Great work life balance is great." ((in 139 reviews))

What are the cons of working at REI according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and even lower pay for those with over 20 years in the company." ((in 372 reviews)); "Bad management and not much growth" ((in 258 reviews)); "Some managers don't appreciate hard work and favor employees who make them feel liked." ((in 115 reviews)); "Long hours and difficult to have a consistent schedule" ((in 104 reviews)); "Senior Leadership has low awareness of the challenges of getting work done and dismisses the feedback from employees." ((in 62 reviews))

What are employees saying about REI layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about REI layoffs and their outlook for job security at REI in 2026.

What are the top reviewed REI locations?

Seattle , Kent , Sumner , Denver , New York , San Diego , Portland , Atlanta , Austin , San Francisco , Chicago , Boston , Berkeley , Bellevue , Houston , Tustin , Boulder , Issaquah , Los Angeles , Goodyear , Salt Lake City , Framingham , Washington , Columbus , Bloomington , Dallas , San Antonio , Bedford , Phoenix , San Carlos

REI reviews

3.6

63% would recommend to a friend

(4,369 total reviews)

Mary Beth Laughton

38% approve of CEO

34% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (4,369 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

REI has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 4,369 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The REI employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

5.0

Aug 16, 2013

Fun job. people and great benefits

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing benefits and I loved the way to employed within and worked with you to optimze your personal growth.

Cons

You have to start by working the retail floor.

4.0

Aug 13, 2013

Amazing benefits, Great people to work with, good pay for retail, management actually cares about their people.

Sales associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing health beneifts - a real, bona-fide honest health care plan for employees working 20+ hrs/week Generous accrual of vacation hours. Great pay for retail - someone could actually do this job 20hrs/week and something else 20hrs/week and make ends meet - even with a family Lots of freedom and empowerment Management actually cares about their people in a genuine way. They visibly support the team from the Sales Floor rather than hiding in their office. Flexible hours - schedule always written well in advance Sell cool stuff - products are actually interesting. Meet cool people - most customers are actually fine folks.

Cons

Same as working at any other retail establishment: the occasional difficult, self-entitled customer; weird hours (you work when everyone else is playing and vice-versa); the dreaded "clopen" - off at 9:30pm and have to be back at 6am; difficult to advance in the company, no clear or set management track; promotion luck of the draw.... but if you have to work retail, this is the place to do it.

4.0

Aug 9, 2013

Great company to work for

Customer service representative

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits and discounts and even better coworkers. I've worked at REI as a part time customer Service Rep. for three years and see my self working for many more as long as I have the time.

Cons

The computer system is ancient by by 2000 standards, let alone by 2013. Work could be done a lot faster and with less wait times to customers, specially on a busy day.

Viewing 4132 - 4134 of 4,369 Reviews

Jobs at REI

Receiving Associate Full Time (Friday through Monday) 4am - 2:30pm

Receiving Associate Full Time - 2nd Shift (Mon-Thurs 3pm-130am)

Fulfillment Warehouse Associate Part Time - 5th Shift (Fri - Sun 3pm-130am)

Stocking Equipment Operator - Full Time (Friday Through Monday) 4am - 2:30pm

Senior Sales Specialist

REI

REI reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Fun job. people and great benefits

Amazing benefits, Great people to work with, good pay for retail, management actually cares about their people.

Great company to work for

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