I've recently gotten back into camping, so I've spent a lot of time shopping at REI. Overall I've had a positive experience. The selection is pretty good for basic camping needs. I love my new Basecamp 4 tent. The staff seem helpful when you can find them. I feel like I'm getting a good value for my money on many items. One of my biggest complaints is the no bags when checking out. Come on this is ridiculous! read more

Camping and outdoor fun has become integral with my life since my son joined the Scouts. REI has been part of this journey with a huge selection of gear of the highest quality and customer service to match. I have learned volumes here just by walking around with the ability to touch and try things out to see how they fit or try and figure out why they are designed the way they are. When I have questions, I know I can can always ask any of the employees for some help. The prices may be a touch high but the ability to shop the way I do and with the local selection, I feel it is worth the premium. Overall, I highly recommend the store and love it here. read more

The REI Dublin / Columbus NW doesn't look like much on the outside but it's a great shop. Did you know that REI has bike shops inside of them? Same store hours as the main retail front. Full service bike shop. I dropped my bike for a tune up and it was ready 1 day later- fantastic service. Bike is working even better than before and was cleaned to a beautiful shine. Thanks REI! read more

Despite the fact that I do not trust the online ordering system as it cannot tell me what actually is or is not in stock, the service at this location is good. The selection of various gear is okay, but they seem to focus on 2 person tents rather then 1 person tents so I will have to find another place to get my backpacking tent as I won't use the app to order anything else. Not overly impressed so far with the clothing selections either. And some of the prices are horrendous for a pair of hiking pants. read more

I have been into REI several times before. I am normally treated fairly and with kindness. The staff is always welcoming and helpful. This was the first time I had questions regarding bikes. The helper was rather rude and seemed irritated with me right off the bat. He ended up asking more questions than answering my questions and only spoke of possibilities or what is recommended before buying a bike when I had come in and prefaced I wanted to buy one. He was unhelpful and looked down on me a bit with his tone. I will keep coming back because the rest of my experiences with other gear have been great, but would not recommend for purchasing a bike! read more

My husband and I are from out of town and we've been having a bit of bad luck. Jodi was my cashier at REI and was so incredibly pleasant. I got a REI gift card years ago and decided to go into this REI randomly on a day where there were a ton of perks/discounts. Jodi let me know about all the perks and she recommended some activities in the area. We were chatting about random stuff and I don't even know if she would remember me but she said a couple things that really turned my bad day around. Thank you Jodi! read more

The other night my partner and I visited this location because we were looking for running shorts and sling bags for an upcoming trip. The selection was great and prices were expensive as expected. The staff were friendly and nice and let us try products on without getting in our way. However, as we were checking out I was enthusiastically greeted by an older white woman and everything was fine until she told me about their membership program. Mind you, I am already spending two hundred dollars at this store and most likely won't return so I kindly said, "no thank you" to the cashier. My partner and I then felt extremely awkward and uncomfortable because this older white lady's face literally shifted and the smile fell off her face and she was visibly angry. She became quite aggressive in asking why I did not want a membership and so I explained I did not think I would be returning to shop there (who could blame me when Queen Bipolar Herself was manning the register)!!! She proceeded to get even more aggressive and had made me (a paying customer) feel guilty and wrong for saying no. It makes me wonder if REI only hires registered sex offenders, as the concept of "no" seemed to trigger her. Or perhaps every employee has to clock into shift and put a big REI membership card up their ass and that's where the sudden edge of aggression comes from. Either way, will never shop here again!! No store should ever make a customer feel guilty for shopping there and saying NO! Maybe a consent course is needed for the staff to be trained on. read more

Went in recently to buy a backpack and a pair of hiking shoes. The staff were incredibly helpful and explained what i should look for in a hiking back pack, placed weights inside and showed me how it should sit on my body. I just appreciatw and live the help and advice you get from the staff. read more

I had such a wonderful time coming to thus store. I was in need of a good quality flashlight and I found out through Google that this store had it available. I never heard if this store before and was excited to check it out. It caught me off guard a bit because some of the prices were high, but that's because I noticed they were carrying good quality products. I'd like to swing back by another time to check out some more camping gear for the future. Highly recommend! read more

In the 1970s REI was a great operation. It was staffed by actual experts and its focus was on keeping costs down for the average backpacker. The modern REI has almost nothing in common with the original REI. As a backpack or in Mountaineer with decades of experience I know bullshit when I hear it. When you walk into an REI shop it's like walking into an automobile dealership: you are hustled constantly and fed hype. Last time I was in the REI shop the "guide" had a carabiner hanging off a loop on the back of his shirt. I can't say how absurd this is. More often than not the employees have about zero wilderness experience. But they have had a lot of sales training. The last time I was in the shop I was looking for some outerwear for a trip I was getting ready for. The clerk kept pushing me to spend $400 on a parka. Explain to her that I was only going outside not to outer space! Skip REI. You can get what you need at places that don't have fees like country clubs. Humans have been going outside for fun for over 4 million years. You don't need $1200 of "PataGucci" Yes there are some great people that work at REI. But to generalize REI sucks. The same thing has happened to L.L. Bean. It's appropriate they put these shops inside big miles now. Because mostly what they are selling is just expensive fashion. read more

REI - The great outdoors. It's not fucking outer space! - Fitness/Exercise Equipment Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This place is by far my favorite store to just walk around. They pack all of my favorite hobbies into their shelves and offer pretty sweet discounts every once in a while on some high quality gear. I particularly like the garage sale section where you can snag some high quality gear for super cheap. I once got a pair of hiking boots worn once for $22! My favorite part of this location is how informative and helpful every employee is. I've been in around 10 times now and every time have had excellent service from the crew. 10/10 recommend! read more

REI is my go-to place for all outdoor items. I found my cycling gear here and my items for my upcoming trip to Ecuador for the long hike. The customer service here is great because they help you find what you need in each area of the store. It's pretty affordable too. I got my clips for my bike less than $20. The bug spray I need for my hike was here for less than $20 as well as hiking gear. I love that I can find everything all in one place for my outdoor recreational needs. read more

Went here yesterday to take a look at some outdoor equipment, and I was blown away by the fantastic customer service. They also keep a clean store that enforces COVID-19 policies to keep us safe! :) read more

REI - Socks and pillow purchased from the store - Fitness/Exercise Equipment Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I had awesome customer service today with a backpack! Amanda was very attentive and helpful! Many kudos to this very kind employee!! Thanks!! read more

What makes this a store worth visiting? I've primarily dealt with the people in the bike department - super helpful, super friendly people, who either know what they're talking about or will get you the answers you need - like when I was getting a kayak mount for my car, getting my bike checkup, or general questions about the ever growing list of "as a cyclist, I should probably own..." It's a good store for the outdoor enthusiast, staffed by knowledgable people who can help guide you on your plans for adventure! read more

Best store in the whole wide world! Whether you need climbing equipment or camping gear, this is the place :)

They are awesome people but high priced and sub par products. They are not good at assembly across product lines. Store is closing in 2021 anyway so we wish them well. read more

If you are an outdoor enthusiast then this is the place for you! I have never seen so many sock choices in my life and they have some pretty cool winter hats and a big selection of coats and jackets. Their bicycle section wasn't as big as some places but anything for camping? Oh yeah! I even saw a water bottle with instructions on it on how to survive a zombie attack - funny. Mentioning zombies, they had plenty of camping food from protein bars on up to really varied dehydrated meals and everything else you would need to survive for awhile. Their camping section is amazing. It made me want to buy a sleeping bag just in case. read more

Stopped in here to check the new store out. Exterior: getting in here was a little bit of a challenge. I followed my GPS, which had me turn in before it...but discovered there was not a side or front (not that I saw) parking lot entrance. We had to take the next road (behind the store) to get to an entrance, which was near a loading ramp. Definitely not the best choice of locations for easy access. Interior: it was extremely clean and well organized. There are plenty of displays throughout the store of various items and it's easy to find the section you seek. The aisles are easy to get through because they are clean and wide. Staff: the associates I encountered were polite and professional. Most of them were occupied with other customers, but since we were just wandering around, it didn't matter to us. Product: there is a huge selection of products for many different activities. They may not have the specific item you seek, but there are "product catalogues" in the various departments showing you what items you can order. Though the prices might seem a bit higher than other competitors, there's a much larger selection, and they have a reward program. If you purchase a fair amount of equipment each year, it's more than worth it from what I understand. Overall, this is a great place to get all sorts of sporting/outdoor gear (as well as other stuff) with friendly people and good rewards. Just wandering around the store will bring you to items you may not have realized existed for your next camping trip! read more

Worst customer service experience ever. Pete needs Golden Rule training. My husband and I have never had an experience where we have to practically beg a store to allow us to spend several hundreds of dollars at the store. I would have preferred Pete and the store manager tell us they do not sell to people like us. The silver lining in all of this is we found Outdoor Source. The customer service there is outstanding. We were very happy to spend our money there. read more

It's 10:40 AM and they still have their after hours message on their answering machine and no one is answering the phone. I bought a Thule bike rack from them that won't work with my thru axle bike even though they assured me it would. The axle piece on the rack is too short to go through my Trek fuel ex 8. read more

Of all the REIs I've been to, I have received the best customer service here by far. In general, all of the staff here have been exceedinly polite and helpful; never too overbearing, but ready to lend some assistance when you need it. In particular, Mark, thank you for the fantastic help with boot sizing and buying advice. Not only did you help me find some boots that wouldn't destroy my toes, but you found me a great deal too! read more

Not the most beautiful Rei I've ever been in, but the same outstanding customer service and selection of outdoor gear.

Matt in the bike shop is a fantastic bike mechanic. The turn-around time and quality of my recent tune-up was awesome. Bike rides better than when it was brand new. read more

REI Recreational Equipment doesn't meet my "eye" even though I believe the store is a good one; not great but good. In passing and of importance, I'm not much of a hiker/biker/camper and that explains my A-OK rating. So many of the products in REI are designed for the outdoor adventure seeker. What I see are $$$$ price tags so if the price of the good old outdoors is spending money on quality and chi-chi (shee shee) equipment - A OK. I have purchased outerwear just this year - a high quality winter knit pulldown sock hat and I do like it a lot. I purchased lightweight cool weather thermal gloves, too. The pair cost quite a bit but I'm happy. The REI shoe department is cool. I enjoy browsing shoes/boots especially the winter and hiking variety (but not buying; not hiking :p ) I own a TREK bike but its not off road or built for something like PELATONIA so I casual ride. Nothing fancy. I place REI on the end of the bell curve where there is some equipment/apparel snobbery and that's okay. I don't own an I-PHONE but they're cool. REI seems cool. If you're into outdoors - go there. Fun stuff. read more

Big "Shout-Out" to REI on Sawmill Road for excellent customer service; and a BIG thank you in particular to Cat/Kat for use of her jumper cables, and a willingness to help stranded travelers; (Saturday night, August 12, 2017.) read more

This was my first experience in an REI and it was great! The staff were outstanding and many offered to help me while I walked around the store. They all seemed to be very knowledgeable and were very personable. Also, REI offers great quality products! However I wish everything wasn't so expensive. read more

I visited REI today wanting to buy some basic camping equipment, but I didn't want to leave my dog in the car. The employees at the Sawmill Rd. REI invited us both in and offered me outstanding professional custom assistance in selecting the items I needed! I never felt pressured into buying something I didn't want or didn't need. The salesperson I worked with really knew his stuff, which made the process fun and easy. They also loaded up everything into my car after I made my purchase. I've been an REI member for some years now, and the member discount is wonderful. read more