Pros

If you’re a lover of the outdoors and enjoy outdoor hobbies, you will definitely appreciate working in a “toy store” full of quality gear.

Cons

By far, the largest con would be the total emphasis on membership sales. It does not matter what else an employee brings to the table. If they don’t push the membership as hard as possible, they will be penalized in some fashion. My membership sales were fine, but REI’s treatment of employees hinges entirely on one metric. That is not at all what you would expect from a company that works so hard to appear different from other big box stores. Also: Poor compensation, Lack of focus on employee knowledge and competencies, and the fact that they market themselves through virtue signaling and pandering. Trust me, they don’t really care about anything beyond their bottom line. Seeing behind the curtain was discouraging as a longtime member of the co-op… which is not an actual co-op, by the way. Members do not get to choose board members or vote on many important issues. REI used to be run by folks who love the outdoors. It has gone 100% corporate and uses the environmental/inclusivity platform to guarantee growth.