Unfortunately, it seems the people running Camp Connection haven't bothered to read these reviews and perhaps learn how they could do better... I recently had a pretty disappointing / frustrating experience shopping at Camp Connection. Without going into detail, their customer service people made it very clear to me that our many years of spending our hard earned $ there means absolutely NOTHING to them, while refusing to own a mistake that their store made that left me with a product that I can't use. It's important for their patrons and prospective customers to know that customer loyalty seemingly holds little significance for them, and that if even a minor dispute should arise, the cost of the product (however minimal) + not owning their mistake(s) are demonstrably of far greater importance to them than the entire past and future's-worth of YOUR business. I've received their message loud and clear and am sharing it with the hope of sparing others a similar experience. Nobody likes to feel ripped off and on top of that, not valued (especially, after many years of patronage). Finally, it should be mentioned that I reached out to Camp Connection to let them know that I would be sharing my experience. They ignored me. They don't care. Shop where business owners appreciate your business, that care about their reputations and their customers, and that own their mistakes. Camp Connection is NOT one of those places. read more

Camp Connection is a holdover from the days before fast fashion meant anyone could outfit themselves in a new $3 t shirt every day of the month. Designed to support kids heading off to overnight camp they specialize in the kind of clothes that parents wouldn't care if they never saw again. T shirts, Ivy League themed bootleg sweatshirts, flannel pyjama bottoms and the like. It was a successful model; one that relied on parents to buy in bulk and not ask questions or expect any kind of service beyond reaching the top shelf. But as the retail landscape has changed, and brands like Old Navy and Urban Outfitters and H and M have entered the fray, Camp Connection feels like an anachronism. Kids can buy their disposable summer gear elsewhere for less money with cooler licensing. Prices have risen while staff attitudes and return policies have soured. They even recently discontinued their already modest loyalty program at a time when most brands are scrambling to throw free merch associated with byzantine points systems at you. In this respect, Camp Connection stands in contrast to MEC and Sporting Life; both retailers who have upped their online retail presence and expanded aggressively; capturing a more premium-minded outdoor enthusiast and backing the customer experience up with rock solid service. I won't pile on to the negativity, but will just ay the three start I bequeath herein are because Camp Connection seems to be the only place to get Stone Peak cotton camp socks in a size that fits me. These are the greatest socks in the universe, and since nobody will take socks back anyway, they are enough reason to endure the indignity of shopping here. read more

This is the least customer friendly store I've ever encountered. Their policies suit them and them only. Do yourself a favour - try and find another store to get your camp stuff. read more

Camp Connection is the go to store for anyone in the area sending kids to camp. They have great selection and reasonable prices making it a convenient stop or ship to home. They also have a really great rewards program but you have to go more than once to benefit. Now that my kid is older I always buy her name labels here. Small, discreet, no more cute animals on them. The sales people are friendly and helpful, never pushy. Many of them have been to camp themselves and they know how to talk to kids. read more

So sad. The customer service here is BAD. We spent $250 at the store and our water bottle that we purchased was not working. The store owner said it was perfectly good an would not exchange or refund our bottle. I said you can send it back to the manufacturer but he said no you can not they do not take them back. Well, called Nalgene and I guess they run a better business then Camp Connection and honor the customer. Voila! New bottle on the way from Nalgene. BAD BAD BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE. Go somewhere else! read more

I worked here for a few days 20 years ago when I was in high school. It's been around a long time. It used to be a good place to buy Converse shoes when they were hard to find. Camp Connection is a place where parents can buy a whack of discount clothes for their kids to trash when they go to overnight camp, or away to university. So there are lots of sweats with logos on them, boxer shorts, underwear. There is also some camping gear stuff, thermoses, flashlights, etc. This isnt mountain equipment co-op though. My problem is the prices arent cheap enough for me. (not that I'm the target market) If I was looking for disposable clothes I would buy them at Goodwill. The prices are comparable to Chocky's. read more

Odd selection of camp items/t shorts and long sleeves. The stuff is fun but the prices are decently high for what it is. The on sale things are where prices should really be for this type of gear. If you have time to look at the sale racks you can do pretty well. The sales person who helped us was friendly and the others seems to offer some advice too. I saw other reviews weren't too impressed but our experience was ok. 3 stars mainly for prices. read more

Im a Camp Connection fan 100% and forever will be!! I lived in Toronto for the year to get out of my small town & found it very hard to get a job in a new city. I searched for months for the perfect place that well suited me... I finally got a job at Aldo shoes in the mall but was really not looking forward to having the people who worked there as co-workers (I had shopped at this Aldo about 3 times before getting a job there & found the staff very rude). After a few shifts they let me to because they were "over staffed" and had hired too many people at the same time. After leaving Aldo I ended up getting a call from BLENZ coffee in the mall and went for an interview the next day, before my interview I had looked on a few different websites and came across a store called "CAMP CONNECTION" that was looking to hire a few new people & realized it was pretty close to where I lived, so I applied. After my interview with Blenz Coffee I realized that it wasnt the right place for me either & I felt a bit out of my comfort zone. I called Camp Connection to speak to the manager & ask if they had received my resume etc... she said she would look it over and give me a call back in the next little bit! And thats exactly what she did!! She told me to come in for a interview the next day.. I went for the interview & a few hours later I got the job!!!! I was so excited!! I got to meet so many nice people & I actually enjoyed "working" because I felt right at home with everyone there! Work never actually felt like work.. ever. Everyone was so welcoming and helpful, and helped me gain my confidence with working in a new city & being around people I didn't know!! These people grew on me, and I was very sad when the day came that I had to leave that wonderful store! If it wasn't for me having to go home & then go to Vancouver for school.. Id still be working there! Amazing place 100%. I had to leave this review because I had seen two reviews on here that actually really upset me.. and usually I'm not one for downloading Yelp & writing one! You pay for what you get at this store, I still use everything I bought from there to this day & I worked there in 2015. Also, customer service is always really good and helpful!! People who go there are usually returning customers & do love the store just as much as I do!! :) Camp Connection is an amazing place to shop, but everyone has different opinions & experiences .. and that leads to mixed reviews! You will just have to go in and take a look for yourself! :) Hope this helped! ~Joslynn Nowatzki read more

My son worked here for a while a couple of years ago, though I advised him to quit after hearing what it was like to work at camp connection from both him, and other workers. The place is known to be a condescending, miserable place to work. The management does not encourage staff to grow, and the manager herself does not care about the staff, but rather just herself, and will yell at staff when small mistakes are made, rather than give constructive criticism. Some advice I would give them is to remember that they are working with KIDS, not adults, and that while the manager should of course worry about the store, they should also remember that kids are kids, and need to learn and be taught, before being yelled at. I can't say I completely blame the manager, because the owner of the store is only worried about his money. However, there is a certain way to treat people, and I don't think they know how at camp connection. I have heard that when it comes to customer service, the managers and owners never look to improve, but rather decide that they are always right... for people who are so worried about money and sales, you would think that they would try to understand how their customers feel. Not a good start for a young adult looking to grow, there are many other/better places to work where the management actually cares about their staff. read more