# Any one work for REI?



## pulser (Dec 6, 2004)

Does any one work for REI? Im a mechanic for 2 performance stores in my area. Neither store can give me full time hours so I have to work at both. I really want to stop all the running around and just work at one place that’s going to give me benefits. Im wondering if you still can order parts from QBP and other places at wholesale? And what the bike prodeal situation is like.


----------



## AkDave (Jan 12, 2004)

*I worked at the Anchorage REI for 7 yrs.........*



pulser said:


> Does any one work for REI? Im a mechanic for 2 performance stores in my area. Neither store can give me full time hours so I have to work at both. I really want to stop all the running around and just work at one place that's going to give me benefits. Im wondering if you still can order parts from QBP and other places at wholesale? And what the bike prodeal situation is like.


I worked both in the shop and on the floor as a sales geek.....yes, at our store you could order from QBP and I also prodealed from many companies including many who did not have products sold at REI. Each shop "master tech" may run things differently though. Other products are prodealable as an employee also. I might add that the bennies are great also. Check 'em out.

Dave


----------



## mtn_man2 (Jan 26, 2004)

*My experience...*

was a little different. I worked at REI for over 2.5 years. The pay is pretty crappy but the benefits are great. Pro Deal (EP) on almost everything and huge discounts off the floor merchandise. Health and other benefits are great as well. The REI shop budgets are super tight though. As a shop tech you don't run the shop a manager does. They don't seem to understand the shop or the shop tech's point of view. On a side note rant...I was fired from REI for working at another bike shop concurrently. The bike shop sold Turner and Ventana custome bikes.  You do the math. Most employees at REI last about 6 months before they've had enough. Some stay for years and years. To each one his own I guess.


----------



## pulser (Dec 6, 2004)

Thanks guys. That’s the info I was looking for. I have a few bikes in the works and I cant lose the ability to get parts cheep. As for people lasting 6 months you really could say the same thing about Performance I have been in and out of the one shop im at for 9 years now. Its not bad there are perks to working in the largest bike retailer in the country. But I need to stabilize things and get health insurance. I dropped the App off tonight and talked to a manager so im just going to see how it goes.


----------



## 95Stumpy (Jul 29, 2005)

The only downside for my wife and I's short stint at REI was selling the membership quota. Everyone had to sell them. Apparently, the bike shop people have it easier selling a membership than the rest.


----------



## drunkle (Nov 11, 2005)

i heard rei's employee discount added up to jack, that it was still cheaper to buy stuff on sale elsewhere. 

rei's prices are nuts anyway. and their stock sucks.


----------



## RideFaster (Dec 18, 2004)

When you prodeal stuff, like bikes, how much of a discount do you get? Or are you not allowed to say that? And don't you also have to know stuff about ski and board too, because at my local REI the emploies have to know about both? (I don't like sking and don't know a single thing about it). I have a Novara, one of REI's bikes. Just curious.


----------



## pulser (Dec 6, 2004)

RideFaster said:


> When you prodeal stuff, like bikes, how much of a discount do you get? Or are you not allowed to say that? And don't you also have to know stuff about ski and board too, because at my local REI the emploies have to know about both? (I don't like sking and don't know a single thing about it). I have a Novara, one of REI's bikes. Just curious.


I will let you in on the big secret. Im probably going to get hunted down and X communicated from the bike business for it. Most of the time prodeal is half retail or a little lower. Some companies give better deals then others. If your really in to bikes this get a part time job at a local shop its grate. I don't think I could ever go back to paying retail for stuff.


----------



## mtn_man2 (Jan 26, 2004)

*I'll let the cat out of the bag.*



RideFaster said:


> When you prodeal stuff, like bikes, how much of a discount do you get? Or are you not allowed to say that? And don't you also have to know stuff about ski and board too, because at my local REI the emploies have to know about both? (I don't like sking and don't know a single thing about it). I have a Novara, one of REI's bikes. Just curious.


Since I have a bone to pick with REI I'll let you in on their secrets. REI employees get 50% off all REI items with their name on it. Novara bikes get 30% off retail price. You get 30% off any other item on the sales floor or off the website. 10% discount for sale items. You also get discounts on garage sale items. ProDeal is different for every company and it is up to their discretion. Some companies have seasonal sales which are rediculously cheap. Many times these prices are below wholesale.

As far as your product knowledge is concerned. Each store is different but you are usually hired based on your current knowledge and then trained in areas you need help with. If you know about bikes try and get into the bike department. If you don't know a whole lot about boats, skis or bikes try applying for a cashier job or clothing department or something. Almost every position has the same discounts offered to them. REI has one of the better discount systems out there if you ask me.

There ya go folks. Hope that answers a lot of questions.


----------



## pulser (Dec 6, 2004)

mtn_man2 said:


> Since I have a bone to pick with REI I'll let you in on their secrets. REI employees get 50% off all REI items with their name on it. Novara bikes get 30% off retail price. You get 30% off any other item on the sales floor or off the website. 10% discount for sale items. You also get discounts on garage sale items. ProDeal is different for every company and it is up to their discretion. Some companies have seasonal sales which are rediculously cheap. Many times these prices are below wholesale.
> 
> As far as your product knowledge is concerned. Each store is different but you are usually hired based on your current knowledge and then trained in areas you need help with. If you know about bikes try and get into the bike department. If you don't know a whole lot about boats, skis or bikes try applying for a cashier job or clothing department or something. Almost every position has the same discounts offered to them. REI has one of the better discount systems out there if you ask me.
> 
> There ya go folks. Hope that answers a lot of questions.


That's basically the same as Performance. The only difference is I have the ability to call QBP, BTI, Down East and just about any other Hole sailor and order right from them. Its that ability im not willing to lose by going to REI. And form an earlier post it sounds like I might still be able to.


----------



## 95Stumpy (Jul 29, 2005)

They might not carry an entire line of stuff from companies but they have a fair selection. Enough to satisify varying groups of people. The biggest benefit from buying from them is they stand by their word about satisfaction guaranteed. They will take back everything no questions asked. I didn't do a lot of prodealing but their selection was pretty substantial. Clothing wise you could get pretty much anything you want. I wish I new they sold Yeti or Tomac a few years back. I would have taken major advantage of the prodeals. I got one of the last 575's sold at REI for a great sale price, no discount or prodeal. I buy from REI if there is question about a product. Like any job, the atmosphere is created by the people who manage it. Some REI's are run differently. Or at least from what I've seen. As for the mechanic, they do send their head mechanics to school out west. I think it's Barnetts.


----------



## Atomic300 (Feb 9, 2004)

*prodeal question*

Just wondering about prodeal, don't know but as to the person who talked about working at performance is he saying that he had the ability to order any bike product or bike from a dist. of any bike for 1/2 off. Also if you work at a bike store do you automatically get the opportunity to get prodeals? Or is that up to the owner if it is a lbs? I knew of someone who once worked at a ski shop and got 40 percent off anything in the store or more.


----------



## mtn_man2 (Jan 26, 2004)

*My understanding is...*



Atomic300 said:


> Just wondering about prodeal, don't know but as to the person who talked about working at performance is he saying that he had the ability to order any bike product or bike from a dist. of any bike for 1/2 off. Also if you work at a bike store do you automatically get the opportunity to get prodeals? Or is that up to the owner if it is a lbs? I knew of someone who once worked at a ski shop and got 40 percent off anything in the store or more.


that from performance you can order from wholesale distributors (QBP and BTI) and pay wholesale pricing. These distributors between the two carry most of the major and many small companies when it comes to accessories (anything but frames). Each one has a different assortment of bike frames as well. As an employee you can purchase these frames at wholesale. This is considered an employee purchase/pro deal. I would assume each bike company performance carries also offers employees a purchase program that could be as much or more than 1/2 off. Most bikes, skis, canoes/kayaks (known as hard goods) have a smaller mark-up from wholesale than accessories and lower priced items. For this reason most bike pro deals are roughly 30-40% off retail pricing.

Most shops bike or ski will offer employee purchase. It is not a requirement that they do so. Some shops limit the amount you can purchase and/or when and how you purchase. This is a benefit that can be dictated by the shop owner/management. Most feel that employees should be able to prodeal. All pro deals are for the employee only. No family, wife, friends, gifts, etc. This is from the manufacturer not the shop. Most shops will fire employees for braking this rule whether it is an REI, Performance, or lbs.

Your friend's example of a ski shop is how the industry works. The owner of the shop wanted to offer their employees big discounts so they would purchase more. Not all shops are like this. This is wise in my opinion b/c your employees use the stuff they sell. Personal experience will out sell any selling strategy any day.


----------



## djcrb9 (Jan 13, 2004)

pulser said:


> I will let you in on the big secret. Im probably going to get hunted down and X communicated from the bike business for it. Most of the time prodeal is half retail or a little lower. Some companies give better deals then others. If your really in to bikes this get a part time job at a local shop its grate. I don't think I could ever go back to paying retail for stuff.


HALF retail?
Are you on crack??? or do you just ride crappy bikes? NO self-respecting bike company charges HALF off retail on a prodeal bicycle!
Sorry i've spent wayyyy too much time in the bike biz to believe that, unless you're riding the crappiest of the crappy bikes.


----------



## AkDave (Jan 12, 2004)

*I guess everyones experiance if diff....*



mtn_man2 said:


> was a little different. I worked at REI for over 2.5 years. The pay is pretty crappy but the benefits are great. Pro Deal (EP) on almost everything and huge discounts off the floor merchandise. Health and other benefits are great as well. The REI shop budgets are super tight though. As a shop tech you don't run the shop a manager does. They don't seem to understand the shop or the shop tech's point of view. On a side note rant...I was fired from REI for working at another bike shop concurrently. The bike shop sold Turner and Ventana custome bikes.  You do the math. Most employees at REI last about 6 months before they've had enough. Some stay for years and years. To each one his own I guess.


I was retired (early) and got bored so I went to work.....The wages were secondary after I realized what prodeals were. The Anch store was a bit different than many. The shop there actually started generating a pos cash flow for REI with a new master tech. The manager actually worked hand in hand with the MT. It was a great experiance for me anyway. There was a large core of long time emp's at that store. Now that I quit and moved I miss the inexpensive bike stuff!
Dave


----------



## neveride (Feb 7, 2004)

*Some FYI's*

Don't mistake a retail company's employee discount with a prodeal. A retail company's employee discount, for example, can range from a specific percentage off that retail store's selling price(ie 10%, 20%, 30%, etc), to getting the items at wholesale (just about every shop I've worked at the employee's, after going through an waiting period, have gotten items at wholesale plus shipping. This is often used as an incentive to the somewhat lower wages shop employees can earn--as a former service manager, I've also had to watch for abuses, I've seen a couple of guys over the years buy stuff for wholesale to turn around and try and sell it for a profit, which is not in any shops interest).

A true "pro deal", on the other hand, is normally what is offered by a specific company, ie Trek or Mavic, rather than the retail company or even distributer. A shop or industry employee will get a specific deal on an item, usually below wholesale (yes, below what the shop would be able to buy from the same company), but it is also usually a once a year thing, many times on one item only, and often your'e supposed to keep and use the item for at least a year, be it bike, part, whatever. Getting this deal varies from company to company, and usually is specifically between the shop employee and the company, meaning you(as employee) often pay direct to the company, and sometimes but not always subject to submitting a pay stub. The incentive for the company to do the pro deal is that shop employees are riding their products, which can serve as free advertising for the company.

I've also run across companies that have "pro deals" that you actually pay more than wholesale (the assumption on their part that you as a shop employee probably arent' getting wholesale so this is still a good deal). And I'm not sure if this is still the case, but for a while some companies were tacking on a specific dollar amount or percentage to pro deals, with the extra money going to bikes belong or similar organizations.


----------



## Atomic300 (Feb 9, 2004)

*prodeal*

Yes my friend could only purchase for himself no other family members and only a limited amount of items, meaning if he was buying 2 sets of skis or booths the owner got very interested and would tell employees that they better not be abusing the store system or they would be fired. The store did go out of business due to poor mgt and competition. Not from any discounts being given.


----------



## BelaySlave (Aug 4, 2004)

I've been employed by REI on a parttime basis for 8.5 years now. Originally was hired to work on the stock crew and then after a change in management worked the climbing wall for a number of years (hence my username on MTBR) and then after our wall got taken down by our manager for the sake of more floor space  I (along with two other climbing wall belay slave's) got moved back to the stock crew where I've been since last spring. Damnit to hell I miss that climbing wall.

The majority of the time we only work for a couple of hours on a Tuesday night and every once in a while we have to work a Garage Sale or greeting shift (I HATE HATE HATE those). I'll also work during our Job Fair's that we have once or twice a year.

At it's very essence, REI is just like any other retailer out there. Sometimes you get those crappy shifts. Sometimes you have difficult customers to put up with. Yadda yadda yadda. The pay isn't great...heck I think I'm barely over $7/hour. But the upside is the discounts and prodeals that are plentiful. Several years ago I was one of the highest spending employees at our store. OUCH!!!! So much prodealing in fact that I had to get an offsite storage unit , but I'm "recovering" now and am trying to pare things down to a more manageable level.

A store's "character" will be based on all employees from the manager down to the shipping and receiving clerk. We have a broad range of employees at our store...from George W. supporters to hardcore vegan yoga freaks and for the most part we all get along pretty good. Some employees are nearly clueless on the merchandise we sell while others are a walking Backpacker Magazine Buyer's Guide.



mtn_man2 said:


> Since I have a bone to pick with REI I'll let you in on their secrets. REI employees get 50% off all REI items with their name on it. Novara bikes get 30% off retail price. You get 30% off any other item on the sales floor or off the website. 10% discount for sale items. You also get discounts on garage sale items. ProDeal is different for every company and it is up to their discretion.


 Yup he pretty much nailed it. But just because a company offers 50% off of retail on their product doesn't necessarily mean it's the best deal out there. You also have to factor in shipping and handling. When you take that into account it's sometimes a wash with just using your 30% discount in the store or online.

I have bought several bikes via prodealing. My latest acquisition was a Yeti 575 this past summer. In the end I think it was around 35-40% off of retail. Earlier last spring I prodealed a Scott road bike and I do believe that the cost (not including shipping and handling) was about 50% off of retail. Some other manufacturers that we can prodeal from include Norco, Cannondale, Tomac, K2, Litespeed.

QBP is a pretty damn good place to prodeal from as well provided that your minimum purchase is at least $150. Or you could just see when the master tech places his order and just lump your order in with his. QBP carries frames/bikes from Surly, Azonic, Banshee, BMC, Salsa.

Of course I may have forgotten some others.



> Some companies have seasonal sales which are rediculously cheap. Many times these prices are below wholesale.


 Mtn. Hardwear and Patagonia are pretty damn good at this. I think last month Cook Brothers was selling 2006 pedals and other products for about 70% off of retail.


----------



## RideFaster (Dec 18, 2004)

Belay slave, thank you, you answered my quetions. Ahhhh...can't wait to prodeal a bike.


----------



## the Inbred (Jan 13, 2004)

djcrb9 said:


> HALF retail?
> Are you on crack??? or do you just ride crappy bikes? NO self-respecting bike company charges HALF off retail on a prodeal bicycle!
> Sorry i've spent wayyyy too much time in the bike biz to believe that, unless you're riding the crappiest of the crappy bikes.


i called up Manitou, asking about the product number for the Sherman Jumper. i left a message as no one was around. i mentioned no affiliation with a shop. they called me back the next day, and left a message telling me the prodeal pricing for the fork, and how to order it. it was below half of retail. i was a little shocked that 1) they would pass out info like that to joe schmoe public and 2) how cheap that fork was.


----------



## pulser (Dec 6, 2004)

BelaySlave said:


> I've been employed by REI on a parttime basis for 8.5 years now. Originally was hired to work on the stock crew and then after a change in management worked the climbing wall for a number of years (hence my username on MTBR) and then after our wall got taken down by our manager for the sake of more floor space  I (along with two other climbing wall belay slave's) got moved back to the stock crew where I've been since last spring. Damnit to hell I miss that climbing wall.
> 
> The majority of the time we only work for a couple of hours on a Tuesday night and every once in a while we have to work a Garage Sale or greeting shift (I HATE HATE HATE those). I'll also work during our Job Fair's that we have once or twice a year.
> 
> ...


Thanx man thats exatly what i wanted to here. Now i just hope thay call me its been 2 days.


----------



## BelaySlave (Aug 4, 2004)

neveride said:


> Don't mistake a retail company's employee discount with a prodeal. A retail company's employee discount, for example, can range from a specific percentage off that retail store's selling price(ie 10%, 20%, 30%, etc), to getting the items at wholesale (just about every shop I've worked at the employee's, after going through an waiting period, have gotten items at wholesale plus shipping. This is often used as an incentive to the somewhat lower wages shop employees can earn--as a former service manager, I've also had to watch for abuses, I've seen a couple of guys over the years buy stuff for wholesale to turn around and try and sell it for a profit, which is not in any shops interest).


 At REI we don't have a waiting period...as soon as you are officially hired and understand how to prodeal, you can have right at it. However, I do sorta wish there was a waiting period or some type of restrictions put on new hires...we've had a couple of people that get hired and then next thing you know they are on Snaplink all the time and then several months later they leave the store.

As I have said earlier, I work very little at our store and don't even make $8/hour, but the benefits I get more than make up for the "low" pay. I think last year I only made about $2000, but the purchases I made at the store for 2005 was in the neighborhood of $4000. And that's at my cost AFTER my discounts/prodeals. So if you figure discounts and prodeals are between 10-50+% off of retail, I definately got more out of my employment than the store got out of me.

One of my stock crew coworkers prodealed like six Nevegals for only $19/each.


----------



## neveride (Feb 7, 2004)

BelaySlave said:


> As I have said earlier, I work very little at our store and don't even make $8/hour, but the benefits I get more than make up for the "low" pay. I think last year I only made about $2000, but the purchases I made at the store for 2005 was in the neighborhood of $4000. And that's at my cost AFTER my discounts/prodeals. So if you figure discounts and prodeals are between 10-50+% off of retail, I definately got more out of my employment than the store got out of me.
> 
> One of my stock crew coworkers prodealed like six Nevegals for only $19/each.


I started working in my local shop at age 15 (I'm 33 now, but out of the industry since '02). I actually stayed on at a shop longer after getting several offers with higher pay, because I had a great relation with the owner, is was a super cool atmosphere, I got the parts at cost AND he let me pay them off on time (meaning, I could order up a new bike and pay "x" amount a month and pay it off in 6 months, so long as we weren't abusing the amounts).

As time went on and I put myself through college and needed to make a better living, I also stopped getting the latest and greatest new items(sometimes I splurged, as it can e hard to do). The irony is that once I hit a certain pay level (and was managing a shop) the owner of this shop tried to use the parts at cost against us--meaning he'd say "I can't give you a raise, besides you get parts at cost-what more do you want". I would point out that the last part I bought at cost, besides the occassional tire or tube, as it wore, was 3 years prior, when I ordered a fork through the manufacturer, not affecting him at all. And what I wanted was an equivalent wage to what a manager working at another retail store with the same revenue and employees was getting, considering the years of training,both ceritified and on-the-job that I had. Just before I left the shop, I purposefully stocked up on things I new I would need at wholesale.

These days, I get a decent discount still at the first shop I ever worked at, and though I do miss the wholesale, I often just do without or shop for deals online or used.

I miss working at the shop at times, if you have the right atmosphere there is almost no better place to work. If you have the wrong atmosphere (as I did at my last job), it can make you quit cycling for a while...


----------



## dansjustchillin (Apr 8, 2004)

I basically have 2 weeks to get a job and REI is one of the places i'm going for, anything i should know about them?


----------



## BelaySlave (Aug 4, 2004)

Sorry for digging up an old thread, but a lil' update of what is available....

We can get LOOK bikes directly from them. Redline from Seattle Bicycle Supply (wow that Monocog is CHEAP!!). I looked at the '06 QBP catalog and I only saw Surley, BMC, Salsa, and DBR or DMR or something like that. I don't think Banshee or Azonic frames are available from them anymore (although I could be wrong).


----------



## BelaySlave (Aug 4, 2004)

dansjustchillin said:


> I basically have 2 weeks to get a job and REI is one of the places i'm going for, anything i should know about them?


Have you been offered a job yet or is there a Job Fair coming up soon?

All REI's operate a lil' bit differently from one another so I'll just share my experiences of the hiring process.

Our last big Job Fair was last fall where we ended up hiring upwards of 30 people. While being an "outdoorsy" type of person was a big plus, a very big factor in who we chose was simply based on immediate availability. The reason for this is because within weeks of officially being hired, there was an intensive 2 week training period that was pretty much mandatory unless you were a rehire (ie..someone who has worked for REI before). With our store, the training occurred mainly in the late afternoons/evenings with a smattering of morning/afternoon training sessions. During the interview process we would ask what their availability was. If they couldn't make the 2 weeks of training, they unfortunately were not going to be seriously considered.

So even though you could be the King **** of Everything Outdoors, if you couldn't make the 2 weeks of training, you just weren't going to be hired.

On the flipside, there have been a number of times when we would hire a couple of people outside of Job Fairs and then would put them through similar training, but in a much smaller setting.


----------



## kYLEMtnCRUZr (Dec 7, 2011)

Can anyone verify this 6 year old info?

I will be able to prodeal a bike from QBP upon being hired? Or has anything changed?

Thanks!!!


----------



## BigKahuna (Jan 19, 2004)

Some manufacturers will only sell you a product if your store carries it. But yes, prodeal pricing varies, from 20% off retail, to sometimes as low as 20% off wholesale. Pries will vary from company to company, and sometimes even "go on sale" at bigger discounts. I've seen brands like North Face at discounts as low as 70% off retail. I've looked at some bike prices, and 50% off retail isn't unusual.


----------



## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

kYLEMtnCRUZr said:


> Can anyone verify this 6 year old info?
> 
> I will be able to prodeal a bike from QBP upon being hired? Or has anything changed?
> 
> Thanks!!!


Pro deal doesn't work like that. And, most big retailers know better than to offer all bennies to brand new employees. Pro deals are usually withheld for a probationary period. When you are new, you can usually use your employee discount on what your store has in stock


----------



## kYLEMtnCRUZr (Dec 7, 2011)

Cool thanks guys. I plan on being there a while so I don't mind waiting. Upgrading from home depot


----------

