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 462 reviews)); "Coworkers are great and the general technical acumen is high." ((in 362 reviews)); "Benefits including 401k and health insurance are great after you work for them for one year." ((in 341 reviews)); "REI has a great culture for those who are or want to be involved with the outdoors." ((in 197 reviews)); "Great work life balance is great." ((in 135 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 257 reviews)); "Some managers don't appreciate hard work and favor employees who make them feel liked." ((in 113 reviews)); "Long hours and difficult to have a consistent schedule" ((in 101 reviews)); "Senior Leadership has low awareness of the challenges of getting work done and dismisses the feedback from employees." ((in 59 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

5.0

Sep 7, 2011

I love this company!

Store manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fantastic work / life balance, authenticity, and respect. REI stays true to the co-op's core values. Everyone in the organization has a true passion for the outdoors and the work environment is amazing.

Cons

Limited upward growth past store manager. Tenure is respected at times more than potential. When people stay in position 20-30 years, promotional opportunities above store manager are limited, causing most careers to top out at store manager unless you are willing to relocate to Kent, WA for a job at headquarters.

3.0

Sep 2, 2011

Bottom line is its all about the dollar sign

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Great place to work while in college or as a recent graduate trying to figure out what to do with your life. -Health benefits are fantastic but you have to work a lot to get them. -Amazing employee discounts that enable you to get the gear you want so you can get out and do what you want.

Cons

-Management tries to push membership conversion rating without ever telling you what your stake in that as part of the excels bonus is. I wish they would be more up front and honest about the financial implications of that. -Unless you are worthy of endorsement and want it they will not mentor you. Some of us would like to get in a position to work in the outdoor industry as a company rep, but they either don't care or don't know about that side of the business.

5.0

Aug 31, 2011

great company, great lifestyle

Sales specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

awesome coworkers, easygoing atmosphere, excellent company framework

Cons

it's retail - lots of flaky coworkers, and sometimes really young too.

Viewing 4276 - 4278 of 4,367 Reviews

Jobs at REI

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

Distribution Center - PA - Warehouse Associate

Fulfillment Warehouse Associate Full Time - 1st Shift (Mon-Thurs 4am-230pm)

Receiving Associate Full Time - 1st Shift (Mon-Thurs 4am-230pm)

Regional Director of Stores, Southeast

REI

REI reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

I love this company!

Bottom line is its all about the dollar sign

great company, great lifestyle

Jobs at REI

REI reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Company ratings over time

Jobs at REI

REI reviews FAQs