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Main
Date: 04 Oct 2007 17:48:26
From: Cruiser Joe
Subject: REI bashing
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this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
http://www.cafepress.com/reisucks
lol
Joe
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Date: 06 Oct 2007 22:23:58
From:
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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If a person has to work two
> or three jobs to pay the rent then maybe they need to get skills that
> pay better. Sometimes you even have to move to a different town to get
> a better wage. <<<
wow...if that is not the most ignorant and patronizing thing I have
ever read. Many of the people I know who do work at REI and other
places, who barely make a living and do work other jobs have college
degrees, advanced degrees and or years of experience in a variety of
fields. And yes...some people do move across the country at their own
expense to live a better life. Some people don't have that luxury.
In fact, they may be working at REI to pay for that expensive, not-so-
useful education they paid big money for, only to find that they can
only get part-time work a three different places. Just what is your
point? if you can barely survive? it's your own fault?
It's the rule rather than the exception these days for companies to
provide full-time employement, with benefits up until retirement. REI
is not the only company that relies on part-time labor to improve its
bottom line. In fact, oddly enough, REI is one of those rare companies
that actually offers partial health benefits to part-time employees
according to how many hours they work.
the point is, from my end......why drive profits so hard that you HAVE
to rely on a majority part-time work force? why do they have to open
giant new stores across the nation every year? why not hire more full-
time people and pay them a living wage? is growth for growth's sake
worth it? the same goes for other companies that do the same, whether
or not they call themselves a co-op.
Arthur W.
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Date: 07 Oct 2007 21:49:35
From: Jim Behning
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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On Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:23:58 -0700, artiewoods@earthlink.net wrote:
> If a person has to work two
>> or three jobs to pay the rent then maybe they need to get skills that
>> pay better. Sometimes you even have to move to a different town to get
>> a better wage. <<<
>
>wow...if that is not the most ignorant and patronizing thing I have
>ever read. Many of the people I know who do work at REI and other
>places, who barely make a living and do work other jobs have college
>degrees, advanced degrees and or years of experience in a variety of
>fields. And yes...some people do move across the country at their own
>expense to live a better life. Some people don't have that luxury.
>In fact, they may be working at REI to pay for that expensive, not-so-
>useful education they paid big money for, only to find that they can
>only get part-time work a three different places. Just what is your
>point? if you can barely survive? it's your own fault?
>
>It's the rule rather than the exception these days for companies to
>provide full-time employement, with benefits up until retirement. REI
>is not the only company that relies on part-time labor to improve its
>bottom line. In fact, oddly enough, REI is one of those rare companies
>that actually offers partial health benefits to part-time employees
>according to how many hours they work.
>
>the point is, from my end......why drive profits so hard that you HAVE
>to rely on a majority part-time work force? why do they have to open
>giant new stores across the nation every year? why not hire more full-
>time people and pay them a living wage? is growth for growth's sake
>worth it? the same goes for other companies that do the same, whether
>or not they call themselves a co-op.
>
>Arthur W.
If a kid says I am going to be a basketball star and buy my mom a new
house. Is that a realistic expectation given that there are only a
hundred pro basketball players at any one time? Is it realistic to get
a degree in art history and expect to make a good living when there
are only so many art history teachers and museum curators out there
and they are not dying out faster than the colleges are churning out
art history majors. Who is responsible for a person's career choices?
I sort of lucked in to my current job after 15 years of working. My
failure to have a master plan and some realistic goals has delayed my
retirement by 15 years. No one to blame but myself.
I can see some finger pointing if a kid makes bad choices but as an
adult who chose to pursue some unrealistic or unlikely dream, I do not
think you can blame Walmart, Sears or REI.
Getting a better job does not necessarily mean moving cross country.
It might mean moving out of a town of 2,00 to a bigger city. For me I
moved 700 miles south out of the rust belt and in to a city that is
growing. For my one brother it was moving out of the rust belt to a
smaller town out west working a second job because the first one does
not pay enough. For another brother it was moving south and then
moving back up north a decade later.
And yes, it is my point that if you do not make enough it is often
your fault. I had plenty of years where I made a crappy wage. It was
my fault for being in a job that paid poorly. I was smart enough to do
better but did not have the confidence to change. Degrees after high
school have nothing to do with earnings potential sometimes. I have
accounts that have law degrees. Some bill at $50 an hour while others
bill at $200 and hour. That was a choice of the lawyers. Both in what
type of law they wanted to practice, where they wanted to live and
what they enjoy. I like music but it sure would have been a stupid
thing for me to have studdied music for four years in clooege when I
am not more talented than the singers at American Idol tryouts that
cannot carry a tune with a bucket.
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Date: 07 Oct 2007 11:45:12
From: Mark
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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artiewoods@earthlink.net wrote:
> If a person has to work two
>> or three jobs to pay the rent then maybe they need to get skills that
>> pay better. Sometimes you even have to move to a different town to get
>> a better wage. <<<
>
> wow...if that is not the most ignorant and patronizing thing I have
> ever read. Many of the people I know who do work at REI and other
> places, who barely make a living and do work other jobs have college
> degrees, advanced degrees and or years of experience in a variety of
> fields. And yes...some people do move across the country at their own
> expense to live a better life. Some people don't have that luxury.
> In fact, they may be working at REI to pay for that expensive, not-so-
> useful education they paid big money for, only to find that they can
> only get part-time work a three different places. Just what is your
> point? if you can barely survive? it's your own fault?
>
> It's the rule rather than the exception
I get the impression you meant this the other way around. Was I wrong?
> these days for companies to
> provide full-time employement, with benefits up until retirement. REI
> is not the only company that relies on part-time labor to improve its
> bottom line. In fact, oddly enough, REI is one of those rare companies
> that actually offers partial health benefits to part-time employees
> according to how many hours they work.
>
> the point is, from my end......why drive profits so hard that you HAVE
> to rely on a majority part-time work force? why do they have to open
> giant new stores across the nation every year? why not hire more full-
> time people and pay them a living wage? is growth for growth's sake
> worth it? the same goes for other companies that do the same, whether
> or not they call themselves a co-op.
>
> Arthur W.
>
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 21:37:36
From: landotter
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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On Oct 5, 3:57 pm, "Tom Nakashima" <t...@slac.stanford.edu > wrote:
> About Sears,
> I purchased a vacuum cleaner from them and was very please that the
> employee knew everything about the products they sold. A far cry
> from REI.
My local Sears is great as well. Bought one of their little "Magic
Blue" canister vacs last year. Add a commercial horse hair nozzle, and
it's the business for hardwood.
When I seemed undecided during the purchase, the clerk threw a bunch
of dirt from a jar onto the carpet and said, "you need to test drive
to decide." Gotta love that!
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 21:31:39
From: Michael Press
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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In article
<1191545306.176075.171620@n39g2000hsh.googlegroups.com >
,
Cruiser Joe <cruiser_joe@earthlink.net > wrote:
> this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>
> http://www.cafepress.com/reisucks
>
> lol
One joke, and not very funny.
I do not shop at REI. I think the prices are too high,
same as the goods on the web site you are flogging.
--
Michael Press
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 14:02:20
From: Hank Wirtz
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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On Oct 5, 1:57 pm, "Tom Nakashima" <t...@slac.stanford.edu > wrote:
> <techiem...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>
> news:1191616461.448796.123650@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
>
>
> > oh yeah...and nobody knows anything about bikes
> > at the ones I've visited. Might as well go to Sears for a bike.
> > Mike T.
>
> Reminds me of the time I needed to purchase a water filter. I got
> the famous REI employee line: "Do you need any help with anything?"
> So I asked; "What can you tell me about water filters?"
> The employee proudly walked over to the rack of data sheets, pulled
> out the one for water filters and handed it to me. I told him, I can
> read, but I want you to tell me about water filters from your expertise of
> working in this department. He had a very puzzled look on his face, then
> started reading from the data sheet. So I went home empty handed.
> Did my own research, went back to REI and purchased the Pur Hiker,
> which I've been very happy with. That day, I also sold 2 Pur Hikers to
> other consumers, when they asked about water filters. Now I always
> do my own research before walking into REI.
>
> About Sears,
> I purchased a vacuum cleaner from them and was very please that the
> employee knew everything about the products they sold. A far cry
> from REI.
> -tom
But at least REI has the datasheets. Bad information is worse than no
information, in my book.
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 13:43:06
From:
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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>
> Buy yours now, the cease and desist order is on it's way!
I think REI would be too busy to bother, while they take over the
world and open a store in every nook and cranny in the US. After all,
EVERYBODY needs snowshoes, folding easy chairs, and lexan coffee
presses, whether they know it or not.
Plus...the logo isn't even close. Looks like freedom of speech and
expression to me.
I'll take a bumper sticker.
Janet K.
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 13:34:21
From:
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
>
> WTF? My local REI, which is unfortunately in a strip mall in an icky
> "new-money" part of town, is pretty spectacular.
I think there are two distinct groups of people who have two separate
experiences with REI. Customers, who get stuff cheap and lots of
it....and employees who work for a greedy company that masquerades as
a co-op. Sure, they give some money back to the community, but they're
a big box store that relies almost entirely on part-time employees who
have to work 2 or 3 jobs to pay the rent. Not much better than wal-
mart, in my opinion. oh yeah...and nobody knows anything about bikes
at the ones I've visited. Might as well go to Sears for a bike.
Mike T.
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Date: 06 Oct 2007 11:21:14
From: Jim Behning
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:34:21 -0700, techiemike@earthlink.net wrote:
>
>>
>> WTF? My local REI, which is unfortunately in a strip mall in an icky
>> "new-money" part of town, is pretty spectacular.
>
>I think there are two distinct groups of people who have two separate
>experiences with REI. Customers, who get stuff cheap and lots of
>it....and employees who work for a greedy company that masquerades as
>a co-op. Sure, they give some money back to the community, but they're
>a big box store that relies almost entirely on part-time employees who
>have to work 2 or 3 jobs to pay the rent. Not much better than wal-
>mart, in my opinion. oh yeah...and nobody knows anything about bikes
>at the ones I've visited. Might as well go to Sears for a bike.
>
>Mike T.
The Atlanta REI store I go to has two mechanics older than me. That
means they know what 10 speed bikes are and rode them. They know about
friction shifters. I can go in and ask them questions and they will
give me good answers. I may not like their answers but they are still
good answers. Some of the other mechanics seem to know their stuff. I
do not know about the floor staff. I usually am looking for parts so I
start on the floor and then I head to the mechanics.
When I shop at REI I start on the clearance racks. I then look at the
sale racks. Then I look at the regularly priced stuff. Actually we, my
wife and I get what we want from the clearance or sale racks.
I do not know what their employee situation is. That type of retail is
not known for huge salaries I would guess. The two mechanics are full
time. I did see the one mechanic working full time at Carl's bike
store years ago before Carl had a midlife crisis and made some bad
business decisions. A daughter of a friend worked there through
college and then full time for a few years before she went back to get
her masters. So I am saying that there are some full time employees
there that prefer REI to Walmart. They may not get rich but who says
that most retail is a place to get rich. If a person has to work two
or three jobs to pay the rent then maybe they need to get skills that
pay better. Sometimes you even have to move to a different town to get
a better wage. So pray tell how many retail shops pay a "living wage?"
I bet the stores that do are not the stores you want to shop in. I
know I don't. But I do shop to buy cars, tires and autoparts. Some of
those full time employees do not make $50,000 plus which is probably a
make ends meet wage for a family of 4. OK, you can argue that you can
live on $20,000 a year but I bet a family of 4 has to work hard doing
that. They need to find new cardboard for their house after a storm.
They probably are not going out and buying $2,00 bicycles either.
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Date: 09 Oct 2007 22:14:54
From: vey
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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Jim Behning wrote:
a classic example of telling more about himself than the topic at hand.
While he spoke and thought about his parents as being "middle class",
parents earning 10 times less and 10 times more were also telling their
children that they were "middle class."
And that is what I was told.
My father was an electronics technician (he didn't call himself that)
when Jim Behning's father was an engineer. His father's draftsman earned
more than my father did. It was my father that had to take what his
father said would work and actually make it work in the field because
his father or his draftsman had overlooked a few "minor" things -- like
polarity.
His father did not have to deal with the customer standing right there
behind him, demanding to know what the holdup was while my father was
scratching his head to figure out exactly what was really meant rather
than what was really drawn. The customer had been told by the salesman
that things would work right away.
My father earned ten times less than Jim Behning's father. His father's
draftsman made more than twice as much as my father. Yet my father made
what they had dreamed up work. Or not.
My father managed to rear a family of a wife and four children on a 10th
of what Jim Behning's family earned. It was not much more than minimum
wage -- not even double minimum wage, but that was considered "good pay"
in this area because he worked for a big company. If he had worked for a
small company, his pay would have been even less. The union made sure he
had medical and retirement. Even today, that is the exception here, not
the rule.
There were and still are breadwinners in retail. Go to a Sears store and
go to the appliance section. There, you will find a few well dressed
salesmen that work mostly for commissions. They know more than you will
ever learn on the internet.
There used to be such commissioned types in the TV department, but
"everybody" figured out that "they" were smarter than those silly
salesmen. We regularly read their complaints now on the internet.
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Date: 10 Oct 2007 09:44:44
From: Jim Behning
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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On Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:14:54 -0400, vey <junker@ericvey.com > wrote:
>Jim Behning wrote:
>
>a classic example of telling more about himself than the topic at hand.
>
>While he spoke and thought about his parents as being "middle class",
>parents earning 10 times less and 10 times more were also telling their
>children that they were "middle class."
>
>And that is what I was told.
>
>My father was an electronics technician (he didn't call himself that)
>when Jim Behning's father was an engineer. His father's draftsman earned
>more than my father did. It was my father that had to take what his
>father said would work and actually make it work in the field because
>his father or his draftsman had overlooked a few "minor" things -- like
>polarity.
>
>His father did not have to deal with the customer standing right there
>behind him, demanding to know what the holdup was while my father was
>scratching his head to figure out exactly what was really meant rather
>than what was really drawn. The customer had been told by the salesman
>that things would work right away.
>
>My father earned ten times less than Jim Behning's father. His father's
>draftsman made more than twice as much as my father. Yet my father made
>what they had dreamed up work. Or not.
>
>My father managed to rear a family of a wife and four children on a 10th
>of what Jim Behning's family earned. It was not much more than minimum
>wage -- not even double minimum wage, but that was considered "good pay"
>in this area because he worked for a big company. If he had worked for a
>small company, his pay would have been even less. The union made sure he
>had medical and retirement. Even today, that is the exception here, not
>the rule.
>
>There were and still are breadwinners in retail. Go to a Sears store and
>go to the appliance section. There, you will find a few well dressed
>salesmen that work mostly for commissions. They know more than you will
>ever learn on the internet.
>
>There used to be such commissioned types in the TV department, but
>"everybody" figured out that "they" were smarter than those silly
>salesmen. We regularly read their complaints now on the internet.
My father had a daughter that suffered an umbilical cord around the
neck during childbirth. My father's daughter required expensive care
for many years. That alleged good middle class income was sucked up by
healthcare. My father always bought used cars and maintained them
until they rusted out. He had 6 kids. 5 of those kids got a bit less
because of the first.
I don't know what you called middle class when growing up. A lot of
the people in our church and school worked in steel plants and car
assembly plants. Those wages were not bad and were not any worse than
an engineer's. I can recall ridiculous wages some of my high school
buddy's made working double and triple shifts. We were not of the
families in church that got new cars every few years. Were not of the
families that bought new houses in the subdivision behind us. We did
not have plumbers and painters coming over to work on the house.
Father worked with the machinist making designs. Later worked between
engineers and test engineers setting up test procedures. Did he do
some goofy engineering? Probably. Did he get to make things work. I
think so. Boo Hoo to the he designed and left it for someone else to
make work. He made stuff work all the time.
Yes you are correct. My father at his last job did not have a customer
standing behind him. He did have customers flying around in space
though. In earlier jobs he had meat to keep cool, houses to keep cool
and other jobs that did have more down to earth needs.
I never said there were not retail jobs that paid well. Some car
salesmen do well. Some jewelry store people do well. Those that do
well chose better establishments to work in.
I believe the topic was should a person expect to earn a good living
working in a sector of retail that has never had a history of
providing great wages and benefits? Where my parents worked is not
relevant. You are correct.
If someone knew store economics here would be an interesting idea. Say
you believe that a fair wage is $30,000 a year for anyone working 40
hours a week in retail. Add in another $4,000 for healthcare. Add
$2,100 for employer taxes. Now that person is a $36,100 a year line
item. In a tradition retail that person is making 1,000 hours a year
and $6 an hour with no health insurance. 42 cents an hour the employer
pays in taxes. $12,840 for two employees to work the other person's
full time job. What do you get for that extra $23,260? How much does a
store that needs 35 employees spend. How much of the price of a
product you purchase is the expense of the store employees? I do not
know. If you know enlighten me. How much more would you pay every year
if you paid for folks to not be earning minimum wage for low value
added jobs? Would your boss gladly increase your wages that 10-20% to
cover your additional expenses? Some of this is a vicious circle. What
about supply and demand? lots of low skilled labor willing to work for
low wages. I do not believe the manager of a business is worth
thousands more than the worker bees.
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Date: 10 Oct 2007 14:59:36
From: still me
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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On Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:44:44 -0400, Jim Behning
<jimbehning@doesthisblockpork.mindspring.com > wrote:
>I do not believe the manager of a business is worth
>thousands more than the worker bees.
Goddamn Communist!
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Date: 09 Oct 2007 22:35:41
From: vey
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
vey wrote:
>
> There used to be such commissioned types in the TV department, but
> "everybody" figured out that "they" were smarter than those silly
> salesmen. We regularly read their complaints now on the internet.
I forgot to say that those TV department salesmen made more than my dad
did. In fact they used to tell my dad that he was wasting his time and
that he ought to join them because thy were making "east money."
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 13:57:25
From: Tom Nakashima
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
<techiemike@earthlink.net > wrote in message
news:1191616461.448796.123650@k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
>
> oh yeah...and nobody knows anything about bikes
> at the ones I've visited. Might as well go to Sears for a bike.
> Mike T.
>
Reminds me of the time I needed to purchase a water filter. I got
the famous REI employee line: "Do you need any help with anything?"
So I asked; "What can you tell me about water filters?"
The employee proudly walked over to the rack of data sheets, pulled
out the one for water filters and handed it to me. I told him, I can
read, but I want you to tell me about water filters from your expertise of
working in this department. He had a very puzzled look on his face, then
started reading from the data sheet. So I went home empty handed.
Did my own research, went back to REI and purchased the Pur Hiker,
which I've been very happy with. That day, I also sold 2 Pur Hikers to
other consumers, when they asked about water filters. Now I always
do my own research before walking into REI.
About Sears,
I purchased a vacuum cleaner from them and was very please that the
employee knew everything about the products they sold. A far cry
from REI.
-tom
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 10:47:29
From: Dane Buson
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
Cruiser Joe <cruiser_joe@earthlink.net > wrote:
>
> this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>
> http://www.spammityspam.com/reisucks
>
> lol
Not particularly, it's neither clever nor shocking. It's about on the
level with my three year old's humour.
--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
We all declare for liberty, but in using the same word we do not all
mean the same thing. -- A. Lincoln
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 13:21:28
From: SMS
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
Dane Buson wrote:
> Cruiser Joe <cruiser_joe@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>>
>> http://www.spammityspam.com/reisucks
>>
>> lol
>
> Not particularly, it's neither clever nor shocking. It's about on the
> level with my three year old's humour.
Don't insult your three year old.
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 08:00:17
From: Hank Wirtz
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
On Oct 5, 6:59 am, landotter <landot...@gmail.com > wrote:
> On Oct 4, 7:48 pm, Cruiser Joe <cruiser_...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>
> >http://www.cafepress.com/reisucks
>
> WTF? My local REI, which is unfortunately in a strip mall in an icky
> "new-money" part of town, is pretty spectacular. I can order online,
> and pick stuff up at the store in a couple days. Shoot the last time I
> picked something up the girls is like, "What's you're name" and I
> reply, "Max---" and before I could finish my last name she had the box
> in my arm. I swear they gottem on crystal over there.
>
> The only beef I have with them is that they only sell cable housing in
> 20' lengths-which is pretty odd.
That is odd, because at all the ones I've been to here (Downtown
Seattle, Alderwood/Lynnwood, Redmond) I've been able to buy it by the
foot.
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 13:59:33
From: landotter
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
On Oct 4, 7:48 pm, Cruiser Joe <cruiser_...@earthlink.net > wrote:
> this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>
> http://www.cafepress.com/reisucks
WTF? My local REI, which is unfortunately in a strip mall in an icky
"new-money" part of town, is pretty spectacular. I can order online,
and pick stuff up at the store in a couple days. Shoot the last time I
picked something up the girls is like, "What's you're name" and I
reply, "Max---" and before I could finish my last name she had the box
in my arm. I swear they gottem on crystal over there.
The only beef I have with them is that they only sell cable housing in
20' lengths-which is pretty odd.
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 14:11:06
From: A Muzi
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
> On Oct 4, 7:48 pm, Cruiser Joe <cruiser_...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>> http://www.cafepress.com/reisucks
landotter wrote:
> WTF? My local REI, which is unfortunately in a strip mall in an icky
> "new-money" part of town, is pretty spectacular. I can order online,
> and pick stuff up at the store in a couple days. Shoot the last time I
> picked something up the girls is like, "What's you're name" and I
> reply, "Max---" and before I could finish my last name she had the box
> in my arm. I swear they gottem on crystal over there.
>
> The only beef I have with them is that they only sell cable housing in
> 20' lengths-which is pretty odd.
Maybe they called Chalo or Tom Sherman as part of 'consumer research'.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 18:03:38
From: Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman
Subject: Re: REI bashing
|
Andrew Muzi of the Mad City wrote:
> landotter wrote:
> ...
>> The only beef I have with them is that they only sell cable housing in
>> 20' lengths-which is pretty odd.
>
> Maybe they called Chalo or Tom Sherman as part of 'consumer research'.
Actually, "tandem length" cables generally are long enough for single
recumbents.
Which reminds me, I need to get around to putting new cables on one of
my bikes, since it was originally set up for a woman over 30 cm shorter
than I am. Telescoping the frame out 4 inches means when I tilt the
steering to far forward, it applies the front brake, which make it
harder to walk the bike.
--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
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Date: 06 Oct 2007 08:17:57
From: SMS
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:
> Andrew Muzi of the Mad City wrote:
>> landotter wrote:
>> ...
>>> The only beef I have with them is that they only sell cable housing in
>>> 20' lengths-which is pretty odd.
>>
>> Maybe they called Chalo or Tom Sherman as part of 'consumer research'.
>
> Actually, "tandem length" cables generally are long enough for single
> recumbents.
>
> Which reminds me, I need to get around to putting new cables on one of
> my bikes, since it was originally set up for a woman over 30 cm shorter
> than I am. Telescoping the frame out 4 inches means when I tilt the
> steering to far forward, it applies the front brake, which make it
> harder to walk the bike.
>
Yesterday I was putty disc brakes on my mountain bike. I needed some of
those little end caps for the cable housing as the kit didn't include
enough of them. Went to REI, asked at the shop for them, and they gave
them to me for free.
Like most stores, the employees knowledge varies. The bicycle
departments in the two stores near me are exceptionally good. I was
looking for a rear rack, and their selection was minimal, as is the case
at most bicycle shops. But two of their Novara model bicycles had just
the kind of rack I was looking for. I told the employee, _that's_ the
kind of rack I'm looking for, expecting to be told "sorry, we don't sell
those racks." Instead he told me, "you can order one as a spare part,"
and proceeded to give me the part number. Then I though, oh no, it's
going to be like an OEM auto part, where it costs a fortune, but it
wasn't, it was $25 (since REI probably pays $2 for the rack as part of
the complete bicycle, maybe $25 was a fortune, but it was still much
less than comparable after-market racks).
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 12:38:28
From: datakoll
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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one morning I awoke and found REI selling $300 kayak paddles half
price.
then RE! asked me to sign up for an RE! Visa card with elabrious
discounts
Snot a Visa card, itsa RE! Visa card for RE!'s bank. RE! is owned by a
bank masqueraiding as Visa.
EEEEEK
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Date: 05 Oct 2007 02:12:30
From: datakoll
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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REI sponsored?
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Date: 04 Oct 2007 18:08:35
From: Ozark Bicycle
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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On Oct 4, 7:48 pm, Cruiser Joe <cruiser_...@earthlink.net > wrote:
> this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>
> http://www.cafepress.com/reisucks
>
> lol
>
> Joe
Buy yours now, the cease and desist order is on it's way!
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Date: 10 Oct 2007 19:53:56
From: Reid
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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Ozark Bicycle wrote:
> On Oct 4, 7:48 pm, Cruiser Joe <cruiser_...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> this is hilarious....whether or not your agree with it:
>>
>> http://www.cafepress.com/reisucks
>>
>> lol
>>
>> Joe
>
> Buy yours now, the cease and desist order is on it's way!
Three things bother me about REI:
1) The quality of the store-brand stuff has declined. REI was founded,
in part, to provide better quality, more reliable stuff than what was
otherwise available from other places. These days, much REI stuff is
touch and go.
2) The expertise of the staff has declined. I think some stores even
rotate staff around different departments, but I might have the wrong.
This may be a by-product of expansion.
3) REI has traded a focus on selling quality, worthwhile products in a
few well-staffed, well-supplied places for selling things that people
"want" wherever it can make money. If REI's only goal were making money
- in other words, if it were a private business - I would understand
this and accept it. But, REI is a co-op that supposedly has other
goals. I don't believe encouraging foolish or irresponsible materialism
is among those goals.
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Date: 04 Oct 2007 19:09:54
From: Ted Bennett
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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Ozark Bicycle <bicycleatelier@ozarkbicycleservice.com > wrote:
> Buy yours now, the cease and desist order is on it's way!
Correction:
Buy yours now, the cease and desist order is on its way!
^^
Yes, it's a small thing, but it drives me nuts.
--
Ted Bennett
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Date: 04 Oct 2007 20:57:58
From: SMS
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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Ted Bennett wrote:
> Ozark Bicycle <bicycleatelier@ozarkbicycleservice.com> wrote:
>
>
>> Buy yours now, the cease and desist order is on it's way!
>
> Correction:
> Buy yours now, the cease and desist order is on its way!
> ^^
>
>
>
>
> Yes, it's a small thing, but it drives me nuts.
LOL, what drives me more nuts is the "loose" or "looser" rather than
"lose" or "loser."
How many normal people actually have unresolved problems with REI? They
seem to go far beyond what would normally be expected of a store in
regards to returns.
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Date: 04 Oct 2007 23:22:43
From: mark
Subject: Re: REI bashing
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SMS wrote:
> How many normal people actually have unresolved problems with REI? They
> seem to go far beyond what would normally be expected of a store in
> regards to returns.
>
Hence the nickname "Return Every Item". My own experience is that, if
you know what you're looking for, you can get consistently good deals
without having to chase all over town (or all over the internet, if
you're doing mail order). Their mail order operation is excellent. The
store staff are quite accommodating about things like special orders and
holding items for longer than is really reasonable. Product knowledge
varies quite a bit from store to store and employee to employee, but the
employees are consistently very good about referring you to someone with
a little more expertise instead of feeding you a line of bullshit. This
alone puts them far ahead of most outdoor shops. All things considered,
I think the $2 that I spent to join back in 1977 or so was money well spent.
mark
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