REI

It’s an ok store. Every REI is different. They have a clothes here and not much of a board selection during winter season. The clothing sections is all downstairs. Sometimes they have some sales.
As far as service, just one complaint. If you get your boots molded, it’s $ 15 for members. I called and that’s the price they told me. When I got there, they kept saying $ 30 but gave in eventually. If you go to the San Diego location, molding is free to member and you can do it yourself.

This REI is jammed full of lots of things that I love! This location is fairly big, and has two levels. Its sort of hidden, but once you find where its located access is easy which cant be said for other spots in Tysons.
They have extensive winter sports outer wear, and I just bought a snowboard helmet from here that was nicer than all the helmets that I have seen at stores that are exclusive for skiers and snowboarders.
They also have a great selection of footwear. I got a really awesome pair of Sorrel boots here just in time before the cold kicked in.
I’m not a camper, but the do have a ton of camping gear.
I feel like the women’s clothing that they choose to stock isn’t to my taste at all, but I tend to favor brands like Underarmour and Adidas which rei either doesn’t carry or carries very little of.
Also, I probably wouldn’t go to REI to buy a bike since they mostly carry a brand that is theirs only, and isn’t one of the better known brands as far a performance goes.
The staff has always been very helpful, attentive, and even funny. They have always scrambled around for products I couldn’t find or request as well.
I also love that I get cash back– If you spend a decent amount which is easy to do you definitely see a return.

Wow. REI no longer guarantees past a year! I feel like I’m breaking up with an old girlfriend. I have an MSR filter bought from REI 2 – 3 years ago. I’ve taken it on 3 – 4 trips and taken care of it. It failed on my last trip. I took it back to REI today to exchange it, and was told I couldn’t.
The whole reason I became a member and shop at REI was for the no questions asked return policy. For years I’ve been paying a lot more for stuff I can find cheaper online or at other places. This is two times in a row REI has failed to stand behind that guarantee for me. The first was for one of those Light my Fire spork things that snapped. They wouldn’t exchange it because they said the color of the one that broke didn’t match what was on my sales history. I’ve never bought one of those elsewhere, but no, stuck with the broken one.
Now, on an expensive filter, taken care of and lightly used, I’m told, sorry you need to buy a new cartridge.
Well, if there’s no longer the security of the REI guarantee, why should I spend more at REI for just the one year of security that I can simply get with a manufacturer guarantee that I can find a lot cheaper elsewhere.
This makes me sad. Just the other night I was talking with a family member who also cited the lifetime guarantee as the reason for choosing REI. It really does feel like breaking up with someone… same pit in my stomach, but there you go.
It’s a sad good-​bye, REI.

Long time member of REI. Going on 20+ years. They have changed their policy and no longer stand behind their products passed one year and a day (so I was informed today). Tried to return Sahara Convertible pants (my favorite hiking shorts) for an exchange. Was told I could not because it was passed a year. I had been mending (sewing) them so they would hold up for the last six months. They are not the quality they used to be. Shame on me for waiting passed one year to seek an exchange. Was not aware they changed their policy. So I went across the street to LL Bean Tysons and found a nicer pair of convertible hiking pants with a 100% satisfaction return policy should my pants ever fail…“ever.“
Now I must ask, what investment would you rather make?
Seems silly to turn a loyal customer away after 20 years and $ 1000s spent on hiking, camping, and winter apparel. Could they not see that on my membership profile on the computer screen in front of them? Could they not make their own judgement call? The front desk supervisor was not the least phased by my plea or my loyalty. No more.

This is the second REI I visited (the first being in SF) and I gotta say — their service restores my faith in older brick and mortar businesses.
I am going on a long 9-​month trip around the world and Lou, Will, and Molly were all amazingly kind, very informative, and knowledgeable about everything I needed to get done.
I know some people have complained about the employees pushing the $ 20 memberships. When I first went I was a bit bothered by the questions as well. Usually, when a retail shop asks you for a membership there’s a catch. — As a person that never joins store memberships I AM GLAD I DID THIS TIME. You get a check for 10% back on all the things I buy PLUS easy access to all your receipts for returns at any store (no paper one needed) AND a 1-​year return policy. No catch, no problems.
I tested out a bag I bought in the SF REI last week on my recent trip to DC. I realized it wasn’t a great fit and when I went into VA store I had no problems getting refunded for the one I had and getting help finding a better one.
Every visit in any city has been a one of learning and delight. I think with the membership, return policy and service this is a very well valued place to shop.
THANK YOU REI for being awesome and showing that there are still old retail brick and mortar retails places you can love and trust!

Been a member of REI for years and this store has all the quality gear that they’re known for carrying. I like the location as well because I used to have to drive 10+ miles to shop at one or order from their catalogue. Employees are available if you have questions as well.

Big location so it has everything you would need. Tons of stuff on sale if that’s what you’re looking for. Customer service was good but not great. There were a lot of people working but they didn’t have the most in-​depth knowledge. Not the best location and you always have to test your luck with traffic in the Tysons area but somewhere I would go back to.

I drove all the way to this REI from Derwood MD, as the Rockville location is very small. This location is not as big as some I’m used to going to in CA and CO, but close. The salespeople here were extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

This store is great; its always empty and brand new. Huge parking lot and friendly staff, much better than the other locations in DC Metro.

Right around the corner and great deals. Went looking for a gps running watch and the female helping me out was pretty knowledgeable. 1 year return policy is apple too.

I really enjoy this store. They have an awesome selection of outdoor equipment and clothing. I try and buy all my gifts here when possible. Get the membership not only do u get an instant discount but you collect dividends on anything you spend there thought the year and get 10% back. Membership also gets you exclusive sales and garage sale events. Friendly staff Who’s always helpful and willing to call around a few stores and find the right item of they don’t have it in stock.

Had no idea REI was located here. Not exactly great real estate considering you’d only find this place if you were looking for it. They really need a bigger sign if they want to drive more traffic into their store.
Seemed like a great place to get all your not so common or specialized gear. If you are looking to buy a high ticket item, definitely consider getting the $ 20 lifetime membership which saves you 20% on one item.

Okay, so my one gripe here is the that employees are weird. They hover around you — «Do you need help? Are you sure?», and try to be «helpful» by chatting you up. I was scoping out some climbing shoes here, and even had an employee touch my feet! Uhhh… what?

This store is huge and well staffed, even on a weekday. Staff is very knowledgeable and friendly; they approached me quickly to assit. My Asolos wore out and I needed new hiking boots. They answered my questions with ease, educated me about new technologies since I purchased the Asolos.
I had no trouble finding the store; I did use a GPS to locate it. It is very close to Tyson’s mall but not close enough that you could walk from the mall to the store.

REI gets 5 stars on everything except price.
I’d been procrastinating the unpleasant task of buying new hiking boots. This REI is so popular that coming to the shoe department on a Saturday morning would’ve been a mistake, so I went on a Tuesday lunch break (and still was surprised to find 3 other customers). Nonetheless, the woman working the shoe department was very attentive — suggesting shoes based on my tendency to overpronate, my chaffing ankle issues, and my desire for extremely waterproof shoes. She was knowledgeable enough to answer all of my questions, and even when I’d gotten distracted by the latest model of running shoes, she knew that this generation of the model I wanted had a wider toe box than the last generation.
Ultimately, I paid about $ 30 more than I would’ve paid online, but it was worth it to have someone direct me to the right shoe. Plus, there’s a 1 year return policy so I can return the shoe for any reason, even if I’d already worn it multiple times. This $ 30 is worth the extra insurance to me.
Also, for anyone else who is curious, the shoe department folks are not paid on commission (although they have a very low and easily attainable goal number of REI memberships to obtain).

You have to love the 2 level REI stores. This location has plenty of space to fill and it’s well-​organized. Most of the clothes and shoes are downstairs. There’s an elevator in the back and stairs in the middle of the store. Every staff member greeted me and asked if I need help as I walked by them so great service!
If you’re looking for it off of Leesburg Pike, it’s in the shopping center behind Woo Lae Oak. Still don’t know where that is? It’s on Watson Street behind PetSmart and Chics and Wings on Leesburg Pike. Or, if you’re heading south on International Drive, it’s your first right immediately after you cross over Chain Bridge Road.

New & spacious (athletic) apparel store. Friendly staff. And when we went? Quick checkout.
Please, please have more staff on hand, for us illiterate, dumbfounded folks. We went straight for the heart rate monitor watches because that is what the hubs was looking at. One employee said there was actually another employee in charge so we sat and waited… until another employee helping someone else happened to come by.

Amazing store. Super clean. Most friendliest employees of any retail store ever. I have size 14 feet, no arches, this was the first store that had literally everything in my size. Not even Nordstrom can say that. This place is sort of tucked away as far as retail stores go, I hope they do well in this location because it is super convenient to me. However, if more people shop here because of this review, I may find myself running out of choice merchandise. In any event, the guys in the shoe department are awesome — make sure to say hi from me.
(At the risk of sounding like a paid advertisement, their return policy is awesome — even if you wear your shoes on the trail, if you don’t like, you can return them worn. That’s not unique to this location but another reason to shop at REI)

This review is about their return process and the customer service regarding the return process.
I ordered a jacket from
and ended up not liking it. The problem is the jacket was shipped without a receipt. I called the Baileys Crossroad store to see if it would be a problem getting the refund. They were able to locate my order using my name within a minute. They also told me that I can return the jacket at any store because the information was in the system.
I was at the Tysons Corner area and decided to stop by this store to return the jacket. There were two cashiers there. They both did not know how to locate my order. They paged another person over to help. This person seemed more experienced with their system, but he also did not know what to do. I told them the other store located my order using my name a few times. I showed them the email confirmation I got. After trying for 10 – 15 minutes, they finally asked for my name and were able to locate the order right away.
One of the cashiers was left to process my return. He asked if I wore the jacket when the tag was securely attached to the zipper of the jacket. This was another long process with the cashier trying to go through the transaction twice and wanted to give me the refund in store credits. All the while without saying a word to me. I had to guess what he was going to do.
I understand this is a new store and the staff might need more training. I would not give them a bad rating because they were not able to locate my order right away. The whole experience was very unpleasant because they did not handle their customer service well. I will not go back to this store again.

I would agree that this store is in somewhat of an awkward location, but once you find it, consider yourself «in the game!» They have (in my opinion) a surprisingly pleasing selection and the staff was super helpful and friendly. Plus, they had a great selection of ORGANIC energy gels & bars!!!