Is REI a good company to work for?

REI has an overall rating of 3.6 out of 5, based on over 4,506 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 469 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and the general technical acumen is high." ((in 359 reviews)); "They give you a great discount on all store merchandise as well as comprehensive benefits." ((in 326 reviews)); "REI has a great culture for those who are or want to be involved with the outdoors." ((in 193 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 256 reviews)); "Some managers don't appreciate hard work and favor employees who make them feel liked." ((in 110 reviews)); "Long hours and difficult to have a consistent schedule" ((in 104 reviews)); "Low wages and hours here." ((in 29 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

(4,367 total reviews)

Mary Beth Laughton

35% approve of CEO

34% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (4,367 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 4,367 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

4.0

Feb 13, 2012

Although amazing and fun--- don't get too excited, it's still low-paying retail.

Sales specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

REI has an awesome environment, the employees are friendly and almost everyone is friends and spends time together outside of work. If you love tents and cross country skis and outdoor gear, it's worth it just for that.

Cons

You're never going to make a lot of money as a part-time sales associate. The company will tell you how many opportunities their are for advancement, but in the time I've been there (almost a year) nobody has gone anywhere. If you want to move up, you need to move to a store in a different city and really work your butt off.

4.0

Feb 13, 2012

Pretty good company, and pretty good place to work.

Customer service specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, pretty nice coworkers, company has lots of respect in the community, flexible hours, easy to request time off when necessary, better pay than most retail.

Cons

Typical big-box retail -- constantly changing hours, you work all holidays, pay, although better than most, isn't enough to make ends meet without a second job.

1.0

Feb 6, 2012

Very Political culture, totally unsatisfied

Senior business analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Good Perks - Employee sale - Good People

Cons

- Very politically motivated - Some back stabbers - Position holders don't have enough knowledge of their work/ systems - incompetent management

Viewing 4243 - 4245 of 4,367 Reviews

Jobs at REI

Fulfillment Warehouse Associate Full Time - 5th Shift (Fri - Mon 3pm - 130am)

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

Regional Director of Stores, Southeast

4th Shift Fulfillment, Friday through Monday 4am - 2:30pm

Shipping & Receiving Spec

REI

REI reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Although amazing and fun--- don't get too excited, it's still low-paying retail.

Pretty good company, and pretty good place to work.

Very Political culture, totally unsatisfied

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