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[pct-l] ice axe length



While this is definitely true of some employess (not me!!!!!), it goes both=
 ways.  I get customers at REI who come in and say things like, "Yeah, I ha=
d these boots that I bought like fifteen years ago, they were brown, you kn=
ow those ones?  Are you guys still making those?"  Or even worse, "Yeah, I'=
m going rock climbing this weekend, taking my kids, never gone before, like=
 what kind of stuff do I need?  Should we use a rope?"

Also, sometimes the answers employees give are geniune and based on their o=
wn experience.  I think a good employee will qualify their answers by prefa=
cing it with an, "In my experience..."

Of course, I agree that there are employees who will tell you stuff as if i=
t is an undisputed fact when they have no idea what they are talking about.=
  And they think that because they work outdoor retail that people will wor=
ship them as outdoor gurus.

Also, as a company, REI would have you believe that in order to have a safe=
 and happy outdoor experience, you need to carry a 200 pound backpack with =
the 100 essentials, complete with a picnic table, ten-person tent, and comp=
actible SUV.  And they support and sell the Northwest Forest Pass (EVIL!- I=
MO).

But a lot of the employees care deeply about the outdoor experience, severa=
l have section or thru hiked, and most will give you an honest and thoughtf=
ul answer when it comes to gear.  I will tell people what my opinion is, bu=
t I'm never offended when they don't decide to take my approach.

Just my two cents on REI- not perfect, but not completely irresponsible, ei=
ther.

Heidi

>>> Brad Wilson <BWIL5272@postoffice.uri.edu> 02/16/03 20:41 PM >>>
Yeah I guess you're right, but I've had so many bad experiences with them..=
.
In fact some of my friends and I make a game of it. We basically go in and
ask them simple questions - all stuff right in the catalogs, and see what
they answer. There's no point system (yet) but we see who can get the sales
person to make the most outrageous claims about gear.  The claim that the G
pack can handle up to 60 lbs would have been hard to beat!

Maybe we have too much time on our hands... But it keeps us out of trouble.

-Brad


On 2/16/03 8:11 PM, "Gary Wright" <at2002@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
> On Sunday, February 16, 2003, at 11:05  AM, Brad Wilson wrote:
>> I'm from RI - there's not a whole lot in our area in regards to
>> classes. I
>> would look into classes offered in the Whites (or even Berkshires) by
>> the
>> AMC. I've never taken a class with the EMS school, but after some of
>> the
>> lies and BS I've been fed by their sales staff, I would not go to them
>> for
>> advice or instruction.
>
> To be fair I don't think that the staff at the climbing school has
> much if anything to do with the staff at their retail stores. In fact
> other than outfitters on the AT, I pretty much ignore the advice of
> clerks at retail outfitters--unless they happen to be ex thru-hikers!
>
> For example, I stopped by a store the other day to see the new Gregory
> G pack.  I asked the clerk what the recommended max weight was for the
> pack and he said "oh, maybe 60 lbs.".  Hah!
>

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