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Posted by Bill S on November 16, 2007 at 12:11:00 pm EST
In reply to Adjusting Backpack correctly?? posted by Gbrian on October 26, 2007 at 7:51:47 am EDT

REIs vary greatly in their personnel. We now have 11 in the SFBay Area (Monterey store just opened, though I'm not sure the Santa Cruz-Monterey folks want to be included in the SF area). Of the closest to me, Mountain View is ok for backpacking, lousy for climbing. San Carlos is mediocre for both, as is Fremont. Saratoga is good for climbing if you get one of the 3 real climbers (especially Luc) and good for backpacking. Berkeley has one good person in climbing and one is backpacking, but a large number who seem to be rank beginners. Most of the people in all of these seem to know nothing about GPS and other electronic widgets (strange for Silicon Valley, nerd-center of the universe), or about maps or compasses. Even the "clothing" people seem to have a hard time finding the item you spotted in the sale catalog that just came in the mail when you show them the mailer and ask where it is to be found (usually turns out to be on a rack with a large, red "SALE" sign on it). I often get the impression that most of them are just working there because it is "a job" that has the benefit of giving good discounts to employees. I have friends who work at some of them who say that everyone goes through training, but confirm that too many just aren't interested in actually learning about the products.

Still, way too often REI and their eastern counterpart EMS are the only game in town for gear of reasonable quality.

By the way, I had a conversation with a couple friends who work for REI, one a climber and the other a geocacher who works the electronic widgets counter, about why the selection of climbing gear has decreased so much in the past 5 to 10 years. Reason is that the lawyers are very worried about the liability issue. Seems that some people have bought gear, thinking it would automatically make them climbers. When they got into trouble, they would threaten suits. So by minimizing the gear (particularly ice climbing gear), the lawyers think they will lower the exposure. So I guess clothing is less risky?

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