cross-posted, via Videos Community.
They’re tired of the stonewalling and union busting. Now they’re escalating, and asking you to join them.
Done. I’ve been boycotting REI since… 2019, I think? When all this crap first came to light, or at least when I became aware of it. When their ex-Amazon management was trumpeting how their membership numbers were such a metric of success, I also managed to cancel my “lifetime” REI membership. This made their customer support people very confused. So confused that they actually gave my membership fee back, despite the fact that I’d paid for it like 15 years beforehand.
I had an REI credit card. I cancelled that, too.
I stood up for REI for a long time. I held my nose and bought my camping and climbing stuff from them for ages despite the fact that they were and are consistently the most expensive place on Earth to buy outdoors stuff. Because they were supposed to be a “co-op” they were “not corporate.”
Yeah, so, about that.
Fuck 'em. If you’re going to be dealing with corporate asshats anyway you may as well shop at the ones that have the decency to be cheaper.
I went into one with my uncle a couple months ago cause he needed a balaclava, just the one.
I think he ended up spending almost $30 on a piece of spandex cloth, then almost bought a $90 pair of hiking pants.
What’s everyone’s alternative today? I really like REI for the stuff they sell, but am absolutely behind the boycott.
While they aren’t a co-op and are just online, I do like Garage Grown Gear for backpacking stuff.
No online bullshit. I need to try out my stuff. Also guess Bass Pro out as well. There nothing else here that aren’t 100% corporate and support Trump and anti union.
Try on at REI, buy it from the manufacturer direct.
I thought the employees were also owners?
Close. It used to be a co-op.
From Wikipedia:
“It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers’ co-operative.”
Thanks.
I think this is an example of the inherent misalignment of consumer and worker interests in consumer coops compared to worker coops. While there are also misalignments between consumers and workers in worker coops, there’s more alignment, especially because the workers are often consumers of the coop themselves.
Goddammit just walked into one today for first time. Didn’t know these existed. It just open in Tulsa. Now got to boycott? Where can I go to try on hiking boots? Getting fuck hard as hell to shop local now a days.
Breaks my fuckin heart that this is still going on.
