So who is a member?
When I lived in Boston for a couple years, I first visited the REI stores in Reading and out in the Fenway area. I will admit that I pretty much exclusively went to EMS when I was in the Northeast. I was skeptical then of joining the coop because at that time I just did not buy much stuff and was looking for deals. Besides that REI just was not a big presence in the Northeast.
Fast forward to this year when we move to SLC. Of course there is no EMS here and if there was I might not shop there as much because it is just not as good as it used to be. We went to REI in January to get my wife some skis and was blown away by our store. It is HUGE and carries a lot of brands. They have a full ski/bike tuning shop, rental shop, event/conference room area, and even shopping carts :lol: We found that the folks there are very helpful and knowledgeable...suggesting the right skis for my wife. We joined the coop and are pretty happy.
They have had some good sales and deals...and next year we will probably have a good dividend.
I have not bought any store brand gear, but once we do I will let you know what we think....
When I lived in Boston for a couple years, I first visited the REI stores in Reading and out in the Fenway area. I will admit that I pretty much exclusively went to EMS when I was in the Northeast. I was skeptical then of joining the coop because at that time I just did not buy much stuff and was looking for deals. Besides that REI just was not a big presence in the Northeast.
Fast forward to this year when we move to SLC. Of course there is no EMS here and if there was I might not shop there as much because it is just not as good as it used to be. We went to REI in January to get my wife some skis and was blown away by our store. It is HUGE and carries a lot of brands. They have a full ski/bike tuning shop, rental shop, event/conference room area, and even shopping carts :lol: We found that the folks there are very helpful and knowledgeable...suggesting the right skis for my wife. We joined the coop and are pretty happy.
They have had some good sales and deals...and next year we will probably have a good dividend.
I have not bought any store brand gear, but once we do I will let you know what we think....