Is REI a good company to work for?

REI has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 4,507 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 been stable over the past 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 (460) , 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 466 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and the general technical acumen is high." ((in 361 reviews)); "Benefits including 401k and health insurance are great after you work for them for one year." ((in 332 reviews)); "REI has a great culture for those who are or want to be involved with the outdoors." ((in 195 reviews)); "Great work life balance is great." ((in 129 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 373 reviews)); "Bad management and not much growth" ((in 247 reviews)); "Some managers don't appreciate hard work and favor employees who make them feel liked." ((in 112 reviews)); "Long hours and difficult to have a consistent schedule" ((in 100 reviews)); "Low wages and hours here." ((in 28 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

(4,368 total reviews)

Mary Beth Laughton

35% approve of CEO

34% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (4,368 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 4,368 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 29, 2012

Awesome

Sales specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great community, wonderful management, promoted my interests as well as those of my colleagues. The co-op structure is for real, and we all took that to heart; REI has great values and stands by them, all the way to the top, and help create a wonderful atmosphere.

Cons

Hours were always a struggle, which was a bigger disappointment than the pay (~$12/hr starting). Training was nearly non-existent, which led to inadequate product knowledge among many employees.

4.0

Aug 29, 2012

Great Company with very eclectic people

Camping department lead

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great Quality Products Customers truly value REI brands and want to learn about the products they are buying making it easy to inform them Sales Associates are motivated because they love and believe in the products

Cons

Need more REI Brand name gear. Too much "Made in China" gear and equipment being sold. Need to divest and make all REI gear "American Made". Lead the Charge!!

4.0

Aug 10, 2012

great place to work. Tough to earn a living wage. Most people are very friendly and care about the world.

Sales specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working with some great people. Great Company vision. Cool products and gadgets

Cons

Very Low Pay for top performers. Everyone makes about the same hourly wage, so there is no reason for lazy folks to put forth an effort. They should offer some type of bonus or commission for high performers. Their margins are super high, so it's not motivating to sell someone a high ticket item at full price and not make a penny...They say it's for the good of the "Co-Op....

Viewing 4204 - 4206 of 4,368 Reviews

Jobs at REI

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

Forklift-Cherry Picker/SP/OP operator/warehouse associate-First Shift/Fulltime/ Mon-Thurs

Forklift-CherryPicker/SP/OP Operator/Warehouse Associate- First Shift/ Part Time/ Sun-Mon/ 5am-3pm

Forklift-Cherry Picker/SP/OP Operator/Warehouse Associate- First Shift/Part Time/Thur-Fri/5am-3pm

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

REI

REI reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Awesome

Great Company with very eclectic people

great place to work. Tough to earn a living wage. Most people are very friendly and care about the world.

Jobs at REI

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