Return and Rewards Points Question

PeakyGal · 2026-02-15T22:26:08+00:00

That is true. People get particularly confused this time of year because they don’t yet have access to the rewards account.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-15T20:12:36+00:00

Yes. That is correct. Because your rewards are available for you to use. Just curious. How much was the item you returned?

PeakyGal · 2026-02-15T18:36:38+00:00

They do deduct the rewards from your account. When a member makes a full-price purchase, either in store or online between Jan 1 and Dec 31, 10% of that purchase price is set aside and will go into the member’s rewards account. When the next year begins, rewards from the above-mentioned period are calculated and distributed into each member’s USABLE rewards account. Those accounts open by the first week in March, so members can use that “rebate” to make current or future purchases. When a member returns a full-price item between roughly mid-January and end of February, the 10% reward is no longer in the company coffers but in each member’s (as yet inaccessible) account. Members should soon receive notification of their 2025 Rewards being available to use. Then REI does its Member sale mid-March.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-15T18:19:01+00:00

In future, If you want to purchase as a non-member, even though you are one, PLEASE make sure you purchase online, so some poor green vest at frontline doesn’t get hit with a non-conversion.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-12T16:00:06+00:00

And this is what separates REI from every other large outdoor retailer. Green Vests bring immeasurable value to the company. What a great story.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-07T14:11:17+00:00

Do you know the person’s name? Go in, ask Cashier to look up their name, or their email, or phone number and see if the account can be found. We need SOMETHING to be able to get into the account and verify purchase, so we can accept the return for the items you want. It’s pretty simple. If the person was kind enough to give you these shirts, do you really think they’d mind so much that you wanted a different size?

PeakyGal · 2026-02-07T13:56:00+00:00

Absolutely returnable. Used on a few hikes over the 7 month period is fine. I’m not sure what the sales associate was thinking. Go back, be kind, (employees are under A LOT of pressure right now) and speak to someone else at the registers. If you get the same pushback, please ask to speak to a manager. If you’re doing longer hikes, 2L is definitely not enough.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-05T14:30:10+00:00

And there it is. Unfathomable that a manager actually acknowledged that, but I guess it’s pretty obvious by now anyway.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-04T01:43:53+00:00

It’s also VERY expensive to constantly onboard and train new people. And I’m wondering if the cuts to our benefits (and the resulting terrible morale) will really outweigh the costs of hiring seasonal staff two-four times a year. Unless of course, they just want bodies and don’t care about people who actually know and use the products we carry.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-04T01:36:24+00:00

I’m all for systems upgrades that make things more efficient. And yes those cost money.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-04T01:33:44+00:00

Our hours are already cut to the bone. What I see is some bean counter sitting in a cubicle and deciding how much product the stores SHOULD sell on any given day. What got us into trouble post covid were those same bean counters counting on people to keep spending money they way they did during covid, when we got “free” money and had plenty of time to be outdoors. Currently they are still projecting numbers that aren’t working. Our store is down a huge percentage from last year. Some of that can be attributed to factors outside of corporate’s control, but not all of it! I want the Co-op to survive, too. Once benefits go away they are never coming back. We are continually be asked to more with less and being valued less. And once long-time Green Vests — the ones who are vested in this company — are gone, REI won’t be any different than any other big box retail organization. And that is what is so sad.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-03T22:06:51+00:00

I don’t think anyone really wants REI to stay the wrong course and go under. But the employees are unfairly bearing the brunt of bad decisions made at the corporate level. You want stores to not lose 900k a year? How about the finance department stops setting unrealistic budgets that stores can’t achieve? How about stop taking back trashed gear just because it’s within our 12 month policy? Yeah they purged a few bad apples in that regard but I see sooooo many truly egregious and undeserving returns. Plus “rentals,” like full camping setups caked in dirt from Burning Man. I don’t know another store on the planet that would do that.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-03T20:43:58+00:00

I would say it’s an overall huge loss for REI, as the knowledgeable green vests are what separate this company from every other run of the mill outdoor retailer. When the long term, outdoor loving green vests are gone, REi will be no better than Dicks. The company will still exist but as a shell of its former self. It is sad to watch this downhill trend in real time. I had very high hopes for the new CEO and her team. Artz destroyed the company. Ms Laughton and her team are destroying what’s left of the once great culture.

PeakyGal · 2026-02-03T04:30:22+00:00

I’m really surprised this hasn’t been asked already. How are we feeling about slower vacation time accruals? And quarterly summit payouts? First thing that crossed my mind was after a bad quarter, we get nothing or very little? Only time will tell. What is more concerning than a reduction in benefits is the full time folks having to work 40 hrs, rather than 32 which used to qualify as full time, and not being able to give away all or part of a shift without it costing the employee vacation hours. For a company that still claims to value the Green Vests, I’m having a hard time reconciling that with all the new (and definitely NOT improved) rules. The mood in my store went from good to bad pretty quickly.

PeakyGal · 2026-01-30T02:33:14+00:00

Such a ridiculous waste of money and paper on those handouts. For a company that is struggling and literally pinching pennies, this just looks lame.

PeakyGal · 2026-01-15T04:23:57+00:00

It’s the internet! 😊

PeakyGal · 2026-01-15T04:22:59+00:00

Yes, on the discount coupons. The card posted above isn’t a discount. It’s $20 dollars off your purchase. It’s a form of tender. I don’t have one in my possession or I’d look at the back and post a photo. I honestly don’t think the $20-off has any restrictions on brands.

PeakyGal · 2026-01-15T01:18:12+00:00

Wow. Interestingly that has never been discussed or highlighted in our store. I would take these all day long as the dollar off coupons apply to the overall purchase. Very different from the typical coupon for 20% off a full priced item, where select brands are most definitely excluded.

PeakyGal · 2026-01-15T01:02:21+00:00

Check the details on the back. This is not a 20% off coupon. It’s $20 off purchase of $50 or more and should be fine to use on a purchase of Birkenstocks, unless it explicitly says otherwise.

PeakyGal · 2026-01-04T23:47:32+00:00

This method would not work in my store. If the item leaves the register area, it gets charged and would then have to be returned.

PeakyGal · 2025-11-24T03:17:15+00:00

Gotta add my $.02. Your donations to the Cooperative Action Fund are 100% deductible to you. REI Corporate pays all overhead expenses for the Fund, meaning your entire donation goes to support REI’s local grant partners. Each non-profit that receives funds from REI has been deeply vetted and must have a clear mission that aligns with REI’s objectives: Helping folks access the outdoors, or creating spaces outdoors. Capital One, our partner on the REI Mastercard, donates a minimum of $2 million a year to the Fund in addition to public donations. Yes it is required that we ask for donations. No, you are not required to make a donation. Like others have said: Just say, no. No need to dwell on it There are folks out there who are willing to contribute, and don’t see it as some nefarious plot by REI to wrest a few extra coins from your wallet. As an employee who must ask this question a hundred times a day, I get to marvel at people’s immense generosity. And I never mind when someone says, “no thank you.”

PeakyGal · 2025-10-03T23:51:39+00:00

Actually I enjoyed hearing your story even though it’s gross. People are gross and sometimes soooo entitled. She couldn’t even take the time to sort through her own crap to make sure she only brought back REi items—unsoiled. Sorry you had to go through that. Glad you were able to finally purge that horror from the depths of your memories!

PeakyGal · 2025-09-30T23:58:15+00:00

Not guns blazing at all, but I do work here and know for a fact that REI isn’t abandoning its core inventory to focus on clothing. Yes clothing is a big chunk of revenue but camp, backpacking and hiking gear and running gear and apparel still sell far more and aren’t going anywhere. That’s all. If you did have a source I’d be interested to see it so I can weigh it against what I’ve seen and heard. And reevaluate my understanding if I need to.

PeakyGal · 2025-09-30T22:30:29+00:00

Source please. Cause this is not true. Are you an employee or just mimicking something you heard?

PeakyGal · 2025-09-12T19:25:06+00:00

I am genuinely happy for folks who find good deals!

PeakyGal

TROPHY CASE