Pros
-REI attracts good people. I loved my coworkers -I experienced steady pay increases over 4 years. -benefits are quite good, and mental health is valued. -it’s supposed to be fun!
Cons
-as a department manager, there is very little you can do when your store manager is negatively impacting the business or employee experience. All store info flows through them to upper management so they are protected from proper course correction. If they aren’t receptive to your feedback, you’re stuck. -it is becoming rapidly corporate, and losing much of what makes it special. The decision to hire big box corporate leaders is eroding the thing that made REI what it was. -the relentless pursuit of membership sucks the life out of working for REI. It became cult like towards the end. -unless you’re interested in management, there really isn’t room for growth in retail. -completely random schedule at all times. Week to week, I never knew when I would be scheduled. I had to have completely wide open availability from 7am-9:30pm everyday. Meaning it’s difficult to make plans outside of work. As a result, work life balance ultimately sucks. Oh, and you rarely get two days off in a row.
