I love going to REI. Everything I need is pretty much there. I like that they let you try things out and can bring back if you don't like it no questions asked. The staff are always around to help and are very knowledgeable. There alsays seems to be lack of parking on weekenda though, beware :D read more

REI - Climbing section - Bikes Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

We love shopping here for bikes and clothes. Prices are very good when the items are on sell. Customer service has always been very good when we shop here. Everyone is friendly and helpful. We resent my bought two racing bikes that we both really love. Since it was the end of summer, the prices were marked down huge. Can't beat highly marked down merchandise Parking can be tricky if you come on a weekend. It gets packed since they share the parking lot with Trader Joe's and Home Goods read more

Great, great service. The staff is very knowledgeable and really helps with both equipment selection and fitting. Returns are fast and without hassle. Lots of travel stuff besides outdoor stuff, i.e. bug nets/repellent for going to India. read more

As noted by several other reviewers, this REI has terrible customer service. Ive been a long time member and used to purchase so many things from REI b/c they stood behind their products. Not anymore. I bought a portable solar charger that stopped working. Being lazy, I contacted the manufacturer AND REI's online help first. Both told me I needed to take it to an REI store so they could take a look. Unfortunately, the store manager, John, did nothing to help. Even though REI makes an exception to their 1-yr return policy if it's a manufacturer defect, apparently they have no means of determining if it's a manufacturer defect - even thought REI online help told me they did. This particular manager didn't even bother trying. He just told me to call the manufacturer, even after I told him numerous times I had. It was obvious he didn't care and told me REI "only sells the product", implying to me that it wasn't their responsibility whether the product crapped out or not. The least he could have done was call the manufacturer and at least pretend to help me. He did offer me a discount on a similar product - but after that terrible experience? Hell no. Never purchasing anything from REI again - what's the point when they won't stand behind their products. read more

This REI store is a lot smaller than the flagship in Seattle but it is still pretty big all things considered! There are two levels but unfortunately you don't get the garage sale room of returned items that the flagship store has. The hat selection is much larger at the flagship but the hat I was interested in was a bit damaged. I found the exact same hat at this REI with little difficulty! There is a giant rock for climbing near the front of the entrance. read more

The Redmond location has everything you'd expect to see at REI. Knowledgeable, friendly staff and all the active gear your heart desires and then some. This location is smaller than Seattle, but it gets the job done. read more

Our family loves REI and this is a well laid out store. Two story and has the rock climbing wall for kids to climb(price is decent). We came looking for shoes specifically today. We spent a lot time up there trying on shoes. The workers in that area are swamped but they kept smiling, bringing more shoes. My daughter found a sweet deal in clearance and my boys found hiking boots. The dressing room was being manned by two ladies but they kept it moving so I didn't have to wait to try on something. Downstairs I was looking at hiking guide books. A nice staff member recommended 2 books for the area I wanted. Both were great. Check out had a wait. Probably could have opened up another register. But we like this store and the staff on our visit was very helpful. read more

I am on vacation here in Seattle/ Bellevue and my family and I wanted to do some hiking. We decided to try this store because it was highly recommended for the basic outdoor/hiking necessities. We drove here and have our dog. She is a registered emotional support animal due to me having PTSD and severe anxiety. We have been to countless other retailers and to many of the famous sites here and they have all been accepting of my dog, no questions asked. But it's very off putting to me that a store- specializing in outdoors equipment/apparel doesn't accept dogs. read more

Staff were very helpful, but items were a bit expensive. There is a lot of selection for shoes; I was able to get a larger size that fit my needs read more

I used to love the Redmond Store, but the traffic and less selection at Bellevue make this out to be closer to Eddie Bauer than the REI I used to know and love. Its a lot of money for REI to spend to drop a store down a notch. I think I'd rather make the drive to Issaquah or Seattle than battle Bellevue traffic and then the tiny parking again. I came to buy a snow park pass, and there was a lot of confusion. They gave me the receipt after I paid but they couldn't get it around their head that they never gave me the actual pass. "I...NEED...THE...PHYSICAL....PASS...ITSELF" and they kept pointing to the receipt I had. No, this is not the ACTUAL PASS, I will get fined with the receipt. Poor training for such an established company, I had to wait in long lines 3 times and speak to a manager to get the actual pass. Additionally the store is not laid out in a way the invited browsing. I felt like I just wanted to get in and get out and not wander around. I love the Seattle and Redmond (RIP) stores because exploring the store was the first adventure. A mini clothing focused REI store isn't worth the time or effort for me. The good news is my spending there just dropped in half. Eddie Bauer has struggled when they went clothing focused, I fear REI will as well. But Eddie has great sales so I will probably buy my clothes there, the parking is easier. read more

Store is hard to get to (really congested area in Bellevue, shared building with Trader Joe's and home goods), and difficult to park in. It also feels smaller than the one in Redmond used to be, and less well organized. Definitely a downgrade. I enjoyed my trips to the Redmond one, they were calmer. I guess all good things come to an end. read more

Kudos to Matt in the shop! Inspected my bike(even though i didn't purchase it through REI) and made sure it was road ready. He pumped the tires, aligned the handlebars, straightened the brake and most of all shared his cycling knowledge. He helped me out with what items to get and not to get(without any hint of up-selling their products). read more

This is a poorly chosen location, primarily due to parking. There is just is not enough space for vehicles. Last time I visited, I ended up leaving without even going in after circling the parking structure twice. The parking structure is also very tight: it's difficult to maneuver in and see other cars. Unlike the location they moved from (Redmond), no other stores are conveniently close. It's a shame the Redmond store closed: I won't be coming back to the Bellevue location. read more

This store is first rate, and their excellent staff helped out with a difficult customer service problem. Among the wonderfully helpful personnel were Kaylie and Mike. I had a tricky (unbeknownst to me) return that I delegated to my poor daughter. They worked with her for quite a while to get it taken care of. I've shopped at REI for years and I feel bad for not reviewing them properly in the past. Highly recommended. read more

ALDERWOOD MALL REI has 100% better customer care. Redmond REI employee's graduated to the new Bellevue REI. Bellevue employee's are not educated on product's. I went to the Antarctica and the Redmond employee's suggested gear would have left me FROZEN and BLIND. From head to toe the gear was WRONG...Bellevue REI is HORRIBLE. ALDERWOOD MALL REI has EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE! From the minute I walked up to Matt at the register and went upstairs to be helped by Susan(she's very educated), I received impeccable service. When I left the store I new the drive from Redmond was worth it! The Bellevue REI is closer but the customer service is nothing compared to Alderwood Mall REI customer service... KUDOS to Matt and Susan! I'm off to Africa. Sincerely, Dianna Westall REI #136543 read more

I've heard that this store had really good merchandise, especially if going outdoors. I was able to navigate my way throughout the store without any assistance. I found a product that I really like but had a difficult time flagging down an employee to help me with more information of this product. The two employees in the department I was in, were constantly helping other folks. When I asked for help from a male worker walking past, he pointed to the other busy gentlemen helping customers and said, "ask them for help, I'm busy." I started to become upset with how I was being disregarded, so I budded in while the gentlemen were helping others and asked for help. One of the gentlemen helped me and also striked a conversation. It was awesome. 4 stars because that one worker not being any help at all. read more

This place has no staff assistant customers. Many employees just walking around and talking among one another. Lines everywhere due to the chit chat with employees. I'd rather go to another spot. I could have driven to Seattle it Lynnwood for the amount of time I spent buying a pair of shoes. read more

I'm a fan of their anniversary sale, I'll tell you that! Honestly, the parking lot at this REI doesn't drive me to drink like the one downtown does, so there you go. They also don't seem to be quite as busy as the DT location when I've been in. The check out lines move fast and I found some cycling gloves and a pair of decent sunglasses for a great price. Hollar! While it's not as much fun to browse in this one (let's face it- the downtown store is more aesthetically pleasing!) they still carry just as much good stuff for us PNWrs. Hey, REI knows their customer. Just like the Pemco commercial says... they're a lot like us. Hell, they are us.* *REI is based in Kent if ya didn't know read more

Who goes to Seattle with no rain jacket? Who Who? Only packing cute outfits and my juicy sweater, I was destined for all failure on Saturday. REI is big in Seattle...why not...their flagship is in Seattle...so I knew exactly where to go. 10 minutes of exploring got me in to serious trouble. I walked out with a super cute North Face Jacket with pit vents, a "Kermit The Frog" Green Sweater also with pit vents, and an urge to get hiking shoes. Who knew pit vents were so popular? read more

I recently tried owning a Novara Ponderosa from this REI. I was successful in two things: buying it, and returning it. I could NOT succeed in keeping the bike for a simple reason: it was sold to me in a non-working fashion; the front rotor was bent, and the front caliper was on at an angle. The rotor was replaced for free after arguing that the bike was sold to me in this fashion and I had not crashed in the less than 24 hours since I had bought it. However, after two more visits complaining about excessive rubbing on the front brake and their techs trying to fix it each time, neither noticed that the caliper was at an angle. They simply moved the caliper to not rub, and handed the bike back to me. The second visit when they handed it back, I checked and it was still rubbing, and they made a second attempt to adjust things again. Only once home and I did some investigating of my own did I notice that the caliper was at an angle (shining a flashlight up from below and looking down.) I confirmed that on the pads there was a dark line where the rotor was making excessive contact, and the pads were not making total contact with the rotor until I pulled the brakes down hard. I just decided that I shouldn't have to deal with this nonsense on a brand new bike, and returned it (they threatened to have the bike "inspected" before I returned it. Once I made it clear I didn't give two craps about them inspecting it given I had a paper trail of me going back with the bike as early as the day after I had bought it, they just accepted the return without any further questions.) REI is great for many things, and often has some very knowledgeable people...however, their bike service shop leaves MUCH to be desired. (in the bike area, the only person I got very good help from was a red headed gentleman - I sadly don't know his name, but he was quite helpful in helping me choose a bike and setting me up with various test rides. He was the sole bright spot in this entire experience.) As an addendum: seriously guys, get more people on the floor to help out. I shouldn't have to be looking for help for minutes when trying to ask questions, purchase a bike or get access to a changing room. Their way of locking people out of changing rooms and not having someone attending the downstairs rooms - let alone anyone nearby to let me into the changing room is asinine. read more

It's a nice looking store but I can never seem to get assistance in the footwear section. It's not a lack of employees but rather they are more interested in entertaining each other. read more

Great store, great crew. Jack was extremely helpful in showing me which Patagonia jackets would be good for which reasons. He was extremely knowledgeable and helpful in influencing my purchasing decision. I ended up purchasing a down sweater and plan on returning for all of my future purchases of outdoor wear read more

I love REI! I was so excited to find out this REI is walking distance from my current office. Well, on the other hand, it can be very dangerous financially! I walked over here during lunch time twice so far. The first time, I had to return a pair of gloves that I impulsively purchased and thought I was able to use for cycling. But, no! They processed my return very quickly with no hassels. The 2nd time, I had to purchase some KT tape for my ankle injury. I walked into the store and asked someone. They directed me to wher the KT tape located immediately. I love it! Both times, I also purchased Theo Chocolate from the store. It's probably not necessary. But, hey, dark chocolate is good for you, right! I gotta love REI! read more

I've been an REI customer for a while in a couple of cities. I end up shopping there less often because of prices primarily but when I need a quality item for longer use REI is my first choice. Why do I like the Redmond Store? First off they're more laid back, less busy, and to me much nicer than their Seattle big sister. I used to go to the Seattle main store because it;s closer until I realized that I'd much rather find an excuse to stop by the Redmond store. All of the clerks I met in the Redmond store were super helpful and non-patronizing even with the silliest questions. Immediately after leaving the store with a brand new bike we managed to lose the papers (yeah, they were on top of the car). We called them in and they graciously emailed us a picture of the receipt so we have the serial number of the bike. Very cool. read more

Great location! After shopping at this REI, we headed to Trader Joe's which was right below.

My boyfriend and I come to this REI quite often and have consistently received exceptional customer service. Today was no exception. Scott helped us both find new snowboard boots and went above and beyond to find a perfect fit and make sure we were taken care of. Thank you, Scott! Merry Christmas read more

My wife and I are planning a Round the World Trip(tm) for next year. So, we told the REI staff that we were about to get married and opened a registry there. Well, OK, they probably noticed that we were already wearing wedding bands, and know we are already married... but I enjoy pretending like we are tricking them, so lets just run with that for a bit, alright? Anyhow, REI is quickly becoming our second home. I've noticed that the quality of help there tends to vary greatly though. The first time we went to REI looking for backpacks, the employee working in the backpack section seemed genuinely confused as to what a backpack was. Or, at least how to verbalize the advantages of wearing one. But, the next time we went in, the guy who helped us had just gotten back from spending five months hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and was better as sizing up and adjusting backpacks than I am at tying my own shoe. Seriously. One thing that bugs me about REI is their outdoor clothing. Or, maybe, its that I have an outdated view of what people should wear while traveling. All the clothes they carry seem to be Gortex, or "highly-breathable, quick-dry, synthetic fibers" with zip-off legs. And, all I want is, like, white linen suits. And maybe a safari jacket. And a pith helmet. And, just maybe, an elephant gun. But, apparently, linen wrinkles or something. So, Gortex it is. Finally, if you are looking for hiking shoes, its worth trying some on here. You can wear them on the special indoor hiking shoe test trail. This small fake trail has the advantage of being swarmed with children and helps more accurately simulate the experience or hiking on Tiger Mountain or Mount Si. All this aside, I do enjoy going to REI. It's a large store with a great selection. The prices are reasonable and the staff is helpful more often than not. If you're looking for pretty much anything for your next hike or camping trip (from axes and coolers to tents and bug spray... but not including pith helmets), I'm sure you can find it here. I wonder if I can get an elephant gun at Big 5? EDIT: After several weeks of having this review up I've realized that I am a genious (sic) of the highest caliber. This review is for the Seattle REI... but in my raw, unbridled awesomeness, I've managed to enter it into the Redmond one. Oh well, the review still basically holds true for this REI too... minus all the anecdotes, and stuff. read more

My son attended the Outdoor School How to Ride a Bike for Kids at the Seattle REI store. My son just turned 6 and was so excited to take this class because he's been very nervous about taking his training wheels off his bike. It was held in the basement of the garage so there was no seating for the parents and it was cold but the kids didn't seem to mind. The class was supposed to be full with 6 kids but there were 8 kids taking the class with 2 instructors. The first half of the class was ok and my son appeared to be having a good time and working hard at learning the skills being taught. The second hour was another story. The kids were being led by the instructors one at a time up and down the garage with their pedals on for the first time. For some reason my son kept getting left by the instructor in the middle of the garage so she could help other kids. Every other child was led all the way up and all the way back by an instructor the entire time. After about ten minutes of my son struggling in the middle of the garage I went up to him to help him get back to the starting line. He was in tears and scared. I felt terrible because where I was standing he appeared to be working hard and really trying. I got him back to his starting place and he was so defeated. The instructor came over and asked if he wanted to try again. Once he regained his composure he decided to try and they took off. Then the instructor walked him half way and left him AGAIN! I watched as all the other kids had one on one help for multiple turns while my son was left to fend for himself. I don't know why he was left like that and it is very disheartening because he was looking forward to this class. I learned some good strategies to help him on his own but overall I'm very disappointed. read more

WORST REI. I ordered 3 backpacks and they came DEFECTIVE. I mean IT was a BROKEN ONE. Can you EVEN BELIEVE REI SELLS THIS STUFF ? WOW! I STILL cannot Believe IT ! IT is SO HORRIBLE! The Customer Service Agreed, there are LOT OF Manufacturing DEFECTS! SO PLEASE AWARE! DONT BUY FROM REI. Buy from somewhere else! there are lot of good shops with Cheaper price, why would you buy a horrible product with horrible customer service with expensive price ? read more

I won't buy anything here again. I took the plunge and spent $1,200 on a bike, helmet and a camera. Their communication and service since that point has been abysmal, worse than 'the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing', they would be better described based on my experience as 'the left hand doesn't know what it is doing and doesn't know about the right hand'. Redmond is truly cursed with poor retail outlets, it seems. read more

If I could choose one place to shop for the rest of my life, it would be REI. I know it's very expensive, but I see it as the Nordstrom of outdoor gear. Between online shopping and the store, you can find absolutley everything you need. Everything about this store is efficient and well thought out. The employees are super helpful, and I always feel comfortable asking them for advice. Not going to lie, I usually hit the clearance racks and I'm STILL cleaned out of my cash, but it's worth it. You can find some AWESOME deals if you're in the mood to look, and their stuff is amazing quality, so it lasts forever. I much prefer the Redmond store to others, not only because it's familiar, but because it's not too big and the parking is so much better than downtown. I love the fact that it's a co-op and I get a dividend each year, on top of a discount! Granted, you're still paying a ton of money, but I'm just too busy being blinded by all the amazing products to notice. There's some sort of high that comes with walking in the doors and seeing all the products just begging for you to buy them. I love this place. read more

Sorry, guys. I don't get the love here. I guess this place gives people a warm-fuzzy because it's a cooperative. So it has a kind of hippie appeal to it. Alright. I get that. But still, I know "sucks" when I see it. And this place sucks. I knew the bicycle pump that I bought here was overpriced when I bought it (just like everything in this store, but that's another rant for another day). I bought the pump anyway (for $40) because my wife's bike and my bike have different kinds of valves and this pump (at least as advertised) had a piece you could flip over which would make it adapt to either of them. First time I try to use the presta valve configuration on my bike, turns out it doesn't work. The piece that opens the valve is broken off - basically, a defective product. Other than losing out on a pleasant bike ride to work on a rare nice sunny day in wintertime, no big deal, I thought. I'll just take it back and trade it in. After all, one of the reasons why people overpay at REI is for the good service, right? Wrong. The customer service rep, after being extremely rude to me, tells me that all sales are final and I cannot exchange the pump (they won't even TAKE the defective thing off my hands), he's "sorry", but I'll have to buy a new one. I promptly handed over my membership card to him. I'm done with this place. Plenty of other places to buy bicycle equipment that might actually want my business, and have better prices to boot. EDIT: after writing an email to the REI headquarters in Kent and very quickly received an apology from the VP of Customer Service. They also offered to mail me (at their expense) a replacement pump or issue a credit to my credit card for the original purchase. I asked them if I could pick it up in store, and they assured me that I would be able to, and were as surprised as I was that I was treated as I was in their store. I exchanged the pump seamlessly the second time, and REI customer service even followed up to make sure everything was okay. I forgive the bad customer service. But the store is still overpriced. Taking it from 1 star to 3 stars. read more

I was surprised to see so many negative reviews here? This location is lovely, and I've had great experiences with the staff on numerous occasions. Its clean, well laid out, and still feels like walking into the world's greatest candy store. On a recent visit, I was able to find parking quickly and easily despite coming straight from work and battling 405 traffic (this is not usually a thing. Weekends are particularly tricky). Walking into the store still makes me giggle a bit on the inside- SO MUCH GEAR. Honestly (please don't fight me), but the layout of this store feels more intuitive than the Redmond location did. There is a certain level of attention to detail that makes it flow in a way that takes you through every single nook and cranny of the store. Inventory-wise I have always been able to find exactly what I needed, but also haven't been looking for anything too specific or name-brand. They do tend to get the newer Brooks trail running shoes before any of the other retailers I frequent, so big plus there. Checkout feels like Sephora with all the mini items to grab, but its food so 100x better. Usually take this time to find a new gel or snack for my long runs. Customer service is still the gem that REI is known for. I've returned used running shoes and an unused but defective camp stove with no hassle. read more

After sending mails / calls to the service center, I eventually get the receipt. It would be a 5-stars experience if REI helped to look up the receipt in the first place. Change the stars to 3, the people in service center makes effort to look up the receipt. read more

Poor customer service and high prices. I mean extremely high at no added value. Ok, I pay for smile and over staff they have but come on. I am fed up with their poor customer service and getting on my back for the number of my returns. I am a personal shopper with $30k/yr shopping from REI in 2010. Of course, I have some returns. I tried to explained to them but they didn't care. So sad for them to lose my business to online stores. Now, I shop more and pay less - how? By saving on the same items online, don't pay shipping charges and tax :-) And gas because I don't have to drive any where either. read more

There are suprisingly few REI's in the Seattle area, the only two that I know of are downtown and Redmond. They are both very nice stores, obviously the downtown one is the spiffier of the two, but inside the store in Redmond is well laid out. Everything looks very nice and clean, the staff are nice. I have started wearing this kind of Teva sandals almost exclusively, so I'm at REI once a summer to pick up a couple new pairs. I've got a mix of stuff from them, water bottle, plus-size rain jacket (yes plus size!). Great reliable chain. read more

The "Nordstrom" for the outdoor enthusiast. REI is as good as it gets for top notch sporting gear. It's not just for campers or hikers anymore either. Yoga, running and cycling gear are all here too. The best way to make your dollar go further? GARAGE SALE! And- bring a list. It's easy to get sidetracked into expensive water bottles and all sorts of key chains or flashlights that you don't need. read more

Great customer service. They were knowledgeable and helpful. Employee was great and took time explaining different options to us even in the midst of a busy day with loads of customers! To get help in shoes I had to scan a QR code and then add myself to the line. They texted me when it was my turn to be helped. That was slick! read more

This is my favorite REI store! The selection is amazing and the staff is very knowledgeable. For those of you unfamiliar with REI they are a co-op and each year you will receive a dividend check in the mail for 10% of your total purchases that year. We love REI and shop here for all our outdoor adventure needs. As a matter of fact, we will be visiting soon to pick up gear for our trek up Mt. Adams! read more

REI - Bikes Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

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Great staff... no one bugged me not wearing a mask with new Washington State laws. Friendly people with a nice clean store. I hope too see more smiles and less masks. read more