Darian is great. I'm new to framed backpacks and he was patient going through a bunch of options with me. (and yes, after you went on break, I did end up buying a Gregory but just a Gregory 20 for this trip lol) i'll be back before for a bigger one next trip. Previous visits here I've tried on a bunch of shoes and can I just mention how amazing the return policy is for members? Once I find a shoe I just keep buying it here because I want this brick and mortar store to stay open. But every once in a while when my shoe changes and I have to find a new one it's nice to know that you have a year to bring it back if it doesn't work out. :-) Keep coming back y'all in person, or the brick and mortar stores will die read more

I like REI and have visited several locations, both in the Bay Area and out of state. My experiences have generally been positive--REI employees are typically friendly and helpful, similar to the vibe at Trader Joe's. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case at this location. The old lady that works there was unexpectedly rude during an unprompted interaction. With no eye contact or interaction between us she walked up to be and began speaking to me. When I looked up I was just confused because I wasn't even sure she was talking to me or the other person who also walked up next to me on the other side. When I didn't respond her attitude escalated and she spoke to me in a condescending, "talking at" manner, as if I didn't understand English. The completely unprovoked rudeness was so unwarranted. read more

I've spent roughly $2,000 over the past year at the Concord location (Store #46) of REI as a paid member. Members are told they receive benefits and an annual dividend on eligible purchases. After spending that kind of money, I was shocked to find I received nothing -- and no clear explanation. When I asked for clarification in-store, the response was dismissive and unhelpful. Shannon, the store manager, showed little interest in resolving the issue or providing transparency. For a company that markets itself as member-focused and community-driven, this experience felt like the opposite. Honestly, the entire situation felt like a scam. If customers are encouraged to sign up for membership and spend significant money without clear communication about what qualifies or how benefits are calculated, that's a serious problem. I would caution customers to double-check every purchase, confirm what is eligible, and monitor their accounts closely before assuming membership benefits will materialize. Based on my experience, I will be reconsidering where I spend my money. read more

I've been coming to this REI for years, and I've never had a bad visit. They carry all the essentials for your outdoor adventures, including more specialty gear - and if you're a member, the 10% cashback makes shopping here even better. I usually grab my America the Beautiful pass here each year just for the cashback perk alone. The staff is always friendly and helpful, and parking is easy since it's located in a spacious outdoor shopping center. On my most recent visit, I was looking for a new backpacking pack, and Peter helped me out. He was super knowledgeable and took the time to walk me through different options. One of the best parts about trying on backpacking packs at REI is that they let you test them with various weights so you can get a real feel for what it'll be like on the trail. Solid experience every time - highly recommend this location! read more

I stopped by REI about 10 minutes before closing for a tire repair, and Hadrian still took the time to help me out without hesitation. His customer service was outstanding--friendly, efficient, and genuinely helpful even at the end of his shift. Experiences like this are why I keep coming back. Thank you, Hadrian! read more

Long story short, I don't consider myself a member or customer of REI anymore. The first time I took my electric bike into the repair shop; I requested the side mirrors to the new bike be installed I had trouble doing on my own. In addition, the front disc brakes were rubbing. On the day it was due, the lead technician called me up to inform me they had lost the side mirrors I requested to be installed. They in turn replaced them with new ones on the house. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt by coming back a second time for another issue that arose later. Turned out to be a big mistake. The aforementioned issue was the rear brake pad began to squeak after a day trip. I went back to have it serviced. A different technician called me up to inform me the repair got done two days earlier than expected. Walked there to ride the bike back home, paid the fee, and went on my way. Immediately an error code came up on the display. Rode back to the shop and requested they repair it. After spending two hours, they couldn't fix it, so I walked home empty handed. The next day I returned to pick up the bike, the error code was now gone (the cable to the rear motor did not get connected properly).  I began the ride home again, only this time for the rear bike wheel to fall off completely! I could have fallen to the point of getting injured. Thankfully, that did not happen.  After muscling the bike back to the shop to get the problem resolved, I again was turned away empty handed after spending a total of three hours in the store. Called up the next day to ask about the status update, only for the lead technician to inform me the rear bike motor got damaged to the point of needing to be replaced completely. After over a month of waiting, the repair is complete after the parts arrived at the store. Suffice to say, I am quite dissatisfied. I give two stars and not one due to the fact that I've shopped at REI for many years prior to this situation occurring. However, it is clear now that some of the staff are not competent in their job functions. Too many apologies without results to show for it. I am done being taken for a ride. read more

solid people (workers). Knowledgeable but not forceful. Their products seem solid (reliable) as well. I've used the local REI for years, as have friends. read more

I took my 96 year old mom here today and we were blessed to meet Dasha. I cannot give her enough accolades for her taking care of my mom. Such wonderful customer service. Thank you Dasha. read more

Went to REI after my $220 hiking boot failed 14 months after purchase. Had about 500 miles on them(180 days x 3 mi per day). Manager told me that since I was outside the 12 month warranty, she could do nothing for me. Also said I should only expect 500 miles out of a pair of hiking boots. Used to be REI offered quality products for outdoor activities. Not so much anymore. read more

Julius just saying the man. He was so kind and understanding about us returning our shoes. He knew what the problem was and was very caring. He is a great guy and I would say to give him a raise. read more

10 to Sean from the bike repair Super accommodating, friendly and respectful. Highly recommended for his expertise, attention to detail, promptness, communication skills, and overall customer service. Thanks for your help read more

I had bad experience with your staff "CJ". I was going to return a shoe that I bought 3 months ago because I developed foot pain while wearing it. He was like why now and I said I got injured when I bought it and didn't use the shoes and decided to use it recently but it didn't feel comfortable. He didn't even check the shoes. It's like new condition and looks like never worn. Cj said just go home and do the return at home then come back to return it because it's going to look ugly with the other customers if I returned it right now. I was like I'm already here and it doesn't make sense and REI has 100% satisfaction guaranteed. Felt like he owns the place. So unprofessional and rude! I've seen returned shoes inside dirty and with mud on it. That's why I like REI Dublin and Berkeley more. Staff are friendly and very professional over there. read more

Went in yesterday to have my bike checked out, and even though Rob, an older fella in the bike repair department, had a backlog of bikes to repair, he still took the time to inspect my bike right then and there at no charge. You could tell he really knows his stuff and genuinely cares about helping people stay safe on the road. It's rare these days to find someone so patient and willing to go the extra mile, especially when they're already swamped with work. Big thanks to Rob and REI for the great service. read more

Excellent Service and inventory Whenever I go in to shop--they always have what I am looking for in stock read more

Taylor is the best in the shoes, and the clothing department. She helped me with absolutely everything. I have been transitioning, and she immediately made me feel more comfortable in my own skin. 15/10 stars. I hope she gets the largest promotion - she changed my life. read more

Great customer service by Josh. He went above and beyond and even stayed on the line with me while giving directions to the store. I lost my keys to my Yakima cargo box and Josh was able to unlock it for me. He was patient and I was in and out within 15mins. read more

Great team at this location. Employees go above and beyond to help. I like the layout of the store. They do a great job of showcasing what is on sale. The store is very clean and neatly organized. I like balance of REI products and other brands. The selection of bags and water bottles is nice. read more

Staff didn't seem to want to follow the co-op policy and I am starting to see that, this happened to me and others that I know. Better off going to Berkeley REI and actually feel welcomed rather than here. read more

Over $1,000 in a sale lost. Manager was nice and helped put stuff away. Would recommend read more

Great service in Concord today They care about their customers and go the extra mile.

Aiden was so helpful and polite. I started off by jokingly saying he looked too young to know what he was doing. It not only wasn't funny but it was absolutely wrong. Great kid and I am betting also a great team member! read more

Terrible customer service. I ordered something online and it was guaranteed to be ready by a certain time. It was not and the front desk person made me wait in line. I purposefully ordered earlier in the day from home to not have to wait because I knew I had a time crunch. You are all terrible. read more

After trying to shop at Road Runner we came here to shop for shoes. 180 degree difference. Small department but good selection and Jonathan was very knowledgeable and helpful. He managed to help 4 customers efficiently. One customer's next stop would be Road Runner and I discussed my experience of 15 minutes ago. Needless to say they got good advice from Jonathan and gave REI a try. read more

Gave up waiting for assistance. Asked two separate people for prices on the Yeti Coolers (not one of them marked)....second guy told me he was "busy", but made two attempts to page help. First person never came back.... No prices on anything and everything locked up so you just can't take to register to find out/ purchase. Big waste of time and not interested in actually doing much. I'm not upset about the guy who was busy...and it's just the week before Christmas....it's not one of more than a dozen Yeti coolers not being marked...AND locked up AND no customer service that is the issue. The store needs to make prices available or have staff available to assist. read more

After putting over 1k miles on my ON running shoes, it was time to get a new pair of something. Folks recommended HOKAs, so that's what I decided to try. Sadly, I apparently don't have "Bondi" feet, and four days in I had to exchange for a different pair. While the original employees who helped me a few days ago were fine, I really want to highlight "Jovanna" (spelling?) in the shoe department - as she was absolutely outstanding! She was managing about 5 different customers at a time, as I believe we caught her when her co-workers were on a lunch break. Was patient, informative, helpful, present, and was able to somehow help everyone, with everything, all at once. No small feat! After bringing me about 7 different pairs across two different HOKA models (because I kept finding the Bondis just don't jive with my right foot - who knew?!), and helping another gentleman across three brands, and multiple different sizes - I finally found my exchange. I greatly appreciate how easy the exchange process was, but it was Jovanna's customer service that really made this entire experience fabulous! And considering I had to make a 2nd trip to the store, 30 mi one way, for an exchange that was *no one's fault* at REI - and for me to still walk away uber impressed and writing a 5* review? Jovanna is an absolute elite employee and should be recognized as such! (And FWIW to anyone who reads - check out the Clifton 9's! Absolutely the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn - and just got back from my 8mi Moeser loop feeling like a dream!) read more

Disappointed with REI's return policy. The young guy at the registar said I could not return the 2 coats I had unless I had a reciept or the other person's email that gave them to me. The tags were on both and never worn. I mentioned I don't know if the person who gave them to me was a member? So I learned from the experience that 1. You have to have a reciept no matter what. 2. The person who bought you the present you must know their email address. REI is definitely not as good as it used to be, poor service. read more

Needed to pick up a roof rack and cargo box for a cross country trip. Ordered online and it ended up being a several-shipment order, had it sent to the store due to the large size of the cargo box (saved $150!). I had to make a few calls: one to make sure my order was all there so I can just make one trip (it was), another to get the a pair of scissors to cut the trim on the rack (they obliged), and another to get the cargo box brought out as they were holding it until I was done attaching the rack to my car. Fantastic, friendly service, even in these challenging times. I appreciate their social distancing approaches and the no-contact service - keeps everyone safe. Thank you for a good experience, hope to stop in for real sometime. read more

Sales associates at the registers have excellent customer service skills! There appears to have been a big shift toward making customer connections. Associates take the time to make suggestions of items in stock that relate to member purchases and interests. The store is set up to facilitate easy social distancing, while maintaining displays and staffing helpful associates on the floor downstairs. Upstairs, the shoe department associate appears less than enthused to be there, which is why I would rather try on items at home than in store. It would be nice if I could since I do have questions about recommended items. Hours have changed since the pandemic; they close earlier on weekends than they do on weekdays now. read more

Can shop here if you're not open. Came here on Friday and Saturday (10/6 & 10/7) and you were closed. Sign says closed early for the day??! What gives? read more

From reading all the reviews, I was scared to come to this store as a Black woman because the reviews suggested that I wouldn't be welcome. This couldn't be further from the truth. I came here on a Sunday morning, shortly after opening with my husband and kids to return an online purchase and to browse the store. Right when we walked in I was greeted with a smile and wave by 3 different cashiers. I had already started my return online, so this process was a breeze. It took less than 5 minutes to return my items and we were off! While browsing in the packs/camping section, we were quickly approached by Darian. He watched as I put on the Osprey baby carrier and was quick to offer suggestions to make me and the bambina more comfortable. He spent over 30 minutes helping us figure things out and honestly if he hadn't helped us, I wouldn't have even made the decision to purchase this item because I wasn't planning to buy anything! Plus we forgot that we had a membership, so we got an additional 20% off. I will be back! Thank you Darian! read more

I had recently been looking for some Snowboard / Ski gloves but a lot of places don't have them in stock. I was lucky to find 2 sets of utility gloves for the Mountain. The 1st one I found is for apres activities like lunch or changing after a long day. The other pair of gloves I had found was a little more for the mountain and are a little thicker and water proof. The sales person on the floor was very helpful and he guided me to the right rack and even scanned the prices for the inquiry. I went ahead and waited in line and it was quicker than what it looked like. Will be back for more outdoors/ sports needs next time I'm in the Willow Shopping center. read more

I had a very smooth, COVID-19 style return. Friendly staff and no wait. Bonus, there are two free EV chargers in front of the store.

In case you wondering, the curbside pick up doesn't work (while we still in a pandemic). You'd still need to go in pick up your item. ~I test it out this feature yesterday with the item I need to pickup there. It was about 7:30pm (there's still half hour before the store close). About 15minutes into this, I just dumb-found myself without any email updates, nothing, and end-up with down to the old route-go into the counter to pickup (where is not a single other customers at the counter at that very moment). I walked up to the counter, the lady asked me why are you here for-as nothing show up at their notification that there's a customer waited outside 15minutes already for the cubside pickup. So, again-start from beginning: show your ID, show your email (the lady even ask me which item you're picking up, after seeing the REI email that was sent to me for item pickup-fail again). At this point, I really wonder, do I have to hand-hold REI customer service personnel each steps: I'm here to pick up my item-there was the email I show you with the item I need to pickup, while my car is parked next to a fake sign out at the parking lot that says 'curb side pickup' that doesn't really do anything? read more

Love this location. All the staff are super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Also I'm super happy I became a member, there are definitely a lot of perks! I highly recommend you joining. read more

I needed a pair of cycling shoes and didn't want to order them online since the sizing seems all over the place. REI had my size in stock so I drove over to check it out. They are out of stock of the majority of outdoor items and cycling stuff. There's not much stuff to do nowadays except outdoor stuff. Everyone is really friendly and asked me if I needed help. They have hand sanitizer everywhere and someone is outside limiting the amount of people that can come in at once. I ended up getting an REI membership as well, it is a great deal, $20 for lifetime membership and they give you a $20 coupon if you buy something over $50. You also get cash back every year. It is not as big as Sports Basement but I was glad they had my shoes in stock. read more

4 Stars for the Concord REI. Shannon in the footwear section helped me out tremendously with some boots for a last minute trip giving me personalized service and finding exactly what I needed. The Concord location is not as big or well stocked as Berkeley or Dublin but I've received solid service any time I've gone there and customer service and knowledgeable staff is a huge factor in where I choose to shop, especially when in need of quality gear. read more

Best Bay Area REI for customer service! I went in for a pair of waterproof hiking shoes. I've been on a quest for awhile and had tried different models at different stores. I was successful on this trip to find the right shoes, which was great, but the best part of the experience was the friendliness and efficiency and effectiveness of all the staff who help me. The front counter person who helped me with my return was gracious and prompt, the one who helped me in the shoe department, was able to tell me which shoes he had in stock, and which he didn't, and then helped me figure out which brand might be the best for my specific needs, and then checking out was a breeze. Another great thing about the store was it wasn't super busy so the staff weren't completely overwhelmed. Highly recommend this spot over Berkeley 1000 times. read more

Loved this REI, the staff were so helpful and knowledgeable. I think Rob was who helped us with our ebike questions... he is a wealth of knowledge! Seamus also helped us from the bike shop and Rachel helped us with purchasing some hiking boots! Thank you guys! They also carry men's hiking boots in bigger sizes for anyone who's looking! We bought a pair of 14's but I believe Rachel said they also had some 15's in stock. read more

Went in for advice on hiking boots. Gary was very knowledgeable and helpful. The website is also a good resource - it had material in how to pick the right product, how to maintain them, etc. There was even a sale I've shopped here several times in the past 3 years, with uniformly good experiences. read more

Update/Edit: Bit of an issue with a binding mount at the ski shop. The shop/store completely took care of the issue despite a good bit of time having passed between the mount and my discovering the issue. read more