Question : When did REI become yet another trendy, yuppie, outdoor clothier, boutique?
More and more, I've noticed that REI has gotten away from being an outdoor equipment outfitter and has become yet another one of those trendy, mainstream outdoor clothing boutiques.In all the stores that I've gone to, including the "flagship" store in Seattle, about 75% of the floor space is given over to clothing. No webbing, cam-buckles, tri-glides, carbiners or repelling gloves, but I could get a laptop case, dog toys and flameless ovens for my vegetarian freeze-dried apple pie.
- asked by Jack.Bauer
All Answers: Answer #1That started more than 10 years ago. They've been that way since I was a kid. I bought from NorthernOutfitters or Apocalypse Design for actualoutfitting and the like because they are the realdeal....not REI, never REI.
- answered by cyanne2ak
Answer #2
Retail stores face the problem of high rent andpleasing the people who choose to visit theirstore. The people who are buying from thesestores choose the items you describe, for the samereason they buy SUVs and drive them on pavedroads.As a hiker and backpacker, I am finding itincreasingly more productive to order gear online. Link below is to a story that may help you solveyour gear purchase challenge.These days I purchasedried food and dehydrated food items in bulk at mylocal health food store and I buy LARABARs by thecase from Whole Foods.Not only am I getting morebang for my buck - but that's one less vehicle onthe roads.Happy Trails.
- answered by writerbynature
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