[at-l] REI

[gaudet@mediaone.net (Arthur Gaudet)]

This is the store I worked at for about a year, starting in Nov 1998. 
It was a great experience to work in the hiking dept. The staff there 
never told us what to sell, just how to meet & greet customers and 
then tell them what we think. I probably talked more customers out of 
gear than into gear. Certainly tried to talk sense to them if they 
weren't sure what they wanted. Got a few "atta boys" from staff once 
customers mentioned my name to the boss.

But I just dropped in before Christmas (after a year's absence) and 
was disappointed. All the gear is still there, I think, but it was 
disorganized and the staffing level was low. (Possibly a holiday 
effect, and I hope so). My theory is that REI walks a pretty fine 
line in being able to make a profit. The pay (in 1998) was less than 
$7 per hour, in Boston you can make more at McD's (want fries with 
that?) So it's tough for them to hire knowledgeable folks who are 
willing to work at that wage. The store is in a bind because it has 
goals that are set by Seattle headquarters that they have to meet 
quarterly. For the Reading store they have to move huge amounts of 
merchandise to meet that goal, and sometimes don't make it. Any 
overtime for staff, pay increases for staff, benefits, etc all cut 
into the ability to make that goal.

Also the decisions on what to stock are made in Seattle, according to 
programmatic reasoning. The store has to look like an REI store so 
there are compulsory items they must carry (I would guess 98% fo the 
store is determined in Seattle). The only variation that I heard of 
is based on seasons and the store's location. So we, at Reading, 
would receive about 100 pair of crampons in November, while Cary NC 
might only receive 10. I too was disappointed and I ended up getting 
my presents through REI online.

REI as a whole, continues to make a small profit. It returns, on 
average, about 10% to customer/members. Since it is a coop, and I 
support co-operative stores on a moral basis, I'll continue to shop 
there. I just hope they can hang on, perhaps do better than they are 
currently.

RockDancer

>Hey!  That's my local REI.  Just 10 minutes away...
>
>It's actually in Reading (or N. Reading) if you're ever trying to 
>find the address.
>
>It's a fairly big store so over the years, they now cater to more of 
>the in-town crowd but they still have a pretty good selection and 
>most of the people working there do have a clue as to what they're 
>talking about or will point you in the direction of someone who 
>does.  It's not unusual to just end up talking shop with someone 
>there about this that or the other thing.  Depends on how busy the 
>store is...
>
>Mara
>Stitches, GAME99
>
-- 
Arthur D. Gaudet         	"Is walking down called hiking, too?"
(RockDancer)  	                 -heard at the top of Mt Washington, NH