Not as great as they seem. - Shop Technician REI Employee Review

3.0
25 Sept 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Pro-deals, discounts, and rentals are available (not super amazing, though.) Happier environment to work in than, for example, Walmart. Not every employee is chronically depressed about their employment. They try kind of hard to be all-inclusive. They give out awards like they're candy, but they don't mean anything, and they definitely don't entail a raise. But sometimes it means you get to take a trip somewhere you wouldn't want to go even if you got paid for it. Frequent store-wide sales meetings disguised as potlucks. A small raise every year. You can receive half benefits as a part-time employee. You get to play with a walkie-talkie all day long with no exception.

Cons

(Store-wide) You have a walkie-talkie blaring in your ear all day without exceptions. Every employee including management loves to transfer calls to different departments until someone breaks and finally answers the phone. Pay does not match the living wage requirements in the stores location. (Corporate doesn't care. I, and others asked to make sure.) Company has had several lay-off plans leaked on social media before they were put into action. They allow their homeless employees to live in their cars in the parking lots while they continue to be underpaid. Additional raises can be earned, but you have to be a store favorite to get first dibs. While I worked there, the idea of "full-time" was illusive and unobtainable. "Extra hours" is not in their dictionary at the moment. Not super accommodating to folks with disabilities despite claiming otherwise. They have a wide variety of benefits, but they aren't great. The feared "Corporate Friendly Music Playlist" is on all day, every day. It cannot be turned off, or changed. And it even plays in the breakroom. There's no escape. (Shop Specifics) Tech work loads can be insanely overwhelming, and Management does nothing to throttle it down. Management/Leadership/Corporate has a nasty habit of trying to run the shops. This led to a sparsity of recourses, tools, machines, and budget to provide a useful service to all customers, and ultimately made the work experience one of the worst I've ever had. My "Master Tech," as they called themselves loved to hover, and micromanage in a narcissistic type of way. They also loved to gaslight the other techs working under them into believing they are always right (even when they were undoubtedly and obviously wrong.) This had led to countless customer properties being damaged, or totaled due to their incompetence. And from talking with other techs in other stores, this is quite a common occurrence for this company. In the last months of my employment I became my Master Tech's favorite to micromanage leading me to receive extensive coaching on a subject I have years in experience on (more than they had.) My co-workers actually made comments about my well-being because it got so bad! Other reviews about this company claim this is how they get rid of their least favorite employees. And I definitely believe that 100%.

Explore other reviews about REI

5.0
26 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good managers, deals, coworkers, products

Cons

No cons, I really liked my time.

3.0
9 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Most coworkers, some managers, discounts, outfitting people properly without extra nonsense

Cons

Some truly horrible managers, pressure to sell credit cards is a morale killer, the union people. Employees drinking the union kool aid fail to see the company’s position, REI cannot give higher pay, better benefits , consistent hours, etc… with the erratic revenue stream that comes in , if a 5 year average is X in revenue and 5 year average is Y on wages and costs, how are they supposed to increase wages and benefits? It’s numbers and they don’t line up, if REI gives the increases which increases the expenses greatly, they will cut staff, a lot fewer employees which will eliminate a bunch of union supporters, an REI job is not supposed to be a lucrative deal, when you get hired the part time , part time plus and full time options are there and you choose what you want fully understanding what hours you are going to get at minimum, they will hire those positions on a need basis, to cry later that you don’t make enough money is your fault, the terms were clear and you signed off on them. The union is promising rainbows , reality will be far different, careful what you wish for

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