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Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

nytimes.com

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Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#71

Post by chiief »

knz wrote: post #57
coldpie wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a similar vein, the state parks of Minnesota usually charge a fee for parking and sometimes for entrance, but those fees are waived on Black Friday. I call it State Park Friday and my wife and I go for a short hike every year :)

State Park passes are cheap enough in MN. If you enjoy them consider an annual pass to support the DNR and enjoy the parks year round! I wish they would just wrap a state park pass up with the conservation plates...

You're in luck, MN State Park Plates came out a few months ago! http://dnr.state.mn.us/parksplate/index.html

Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#72

Post by rconti »

SnacksOnAPlane wrote: post #51

REI is my favorite toy store. I know their prices are higher than, say, Wal-Mart, but I actually feel good supporting them. Plus, you can find insanely good sales if you're a member and you go to their garage sales. One year I got an entire ski setup (boots, skis, bindings, and installation) for under $300. Ended up reselling them for like $500 3 years later when I moved away from Boston. Got great boots at a garage…

You can absolutely find better deals elsewhere, but I find once I get my ~10% back at the end of the year, it all averages out.

And anyway, I like supporting such a consumer (member?)-friendly company, and their return policy is top notch. I don't think twice about returning crap gear, and they don't think twice about accepting it -- and it feels like it benefits all of the members, because it feels like they care about my complaints and they likely won't sell the same junk for much longer. Whereas it feels like other stores will just sell whatever makes money.

Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#73

Post by rconti »

hueving wrote: post #31
ejlangev wrote: post #14

What a great company, always feel like they have good products, good sales, and helpful employees. Never regretted buying something from REI.

Except for the insane prices for everything, sure. It's great for people with money to burn, but it's definitely not a good place to shop if you're into outdoor activities and not rich.

Insane? Most prices on their non-house-brand gear are about what you'll find anywhere else at retail, so a chunk more expensive than you can find online. Once you get your ~10% dividend back at the end of the year, it pretty much makes up the difference vs shopping online.

Especially if you EVER have to return anything or rely on customer service. Unless your time is worth nothing...

I absolutely don't buy everything there, but your time is often better spent doing that than bargain hunting.

Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#74

Post by SnacksOnAPlane »

rconti wrote: post #72
SnacksOnAPlane wrote: post #51

REI is my favorite toy store. I know their prices are higher than, say, Wal-Mart, but I actually feel good supporting them. Plus, you can find insanely good sales if you're a member and you go to their garage sales. One year I got an entire ski setup (boots, skis, bindings, and installation) for under $300. Ended up reselling them for like $500 3 years later when I moved away from Boston. Got great boots at a garage…

You can absolutely find better deals elsewhere, but I find once I get my ~10% back at the end of the year, it all averages out. And anyway, I like supporting such a consumer (member?)-friendly company, and their return policy is top notch. I don't think twice about returning crap gear, and they don't think twice about accepting it -- and it feels like it benefits all of the members, because it feels like they care ab…

Yeah, that's what's great about the company. How many companies can you say "they cost a little bit more, but I like them so much that I'm willing to pay it" about? I can count like 3. It's a testament to how awesome they are.

Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#76

Post by radnor »

devy wrote: post #68
SnacksOnAPlane wrote: post #51

REI is my favorite toy store. I know their prices are higher than, say, Wal-Mart, but I actually feel good supporting them. Plus, you can find insanely good sales if you're a member and you go to their garage sales. One year I got an entire ski setup (boots, skis, bindings, and installation) for under $300. Ended up reselling them for like $500 3 years later when I moved away from Boston. Got great boots at a garage…

> REI is my favorite toy store. It's mine too. Do they advertise garage sales or you have to be friends with the store manager to get the scoop?

It was March 18th this year - https://www.rei.com/promotions/garage-sale

Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#77

Post by lastofus »

Paul-ish wrote: post #75

Why aren't more businesses run as coops owned by either the workers or the customers?

I would imagine it comes down to having the initial capital to start such a venture. Those with the capital retain ownership and reap the future returns.

If there was a way coops could raise significant funds to start say a big box chain store, we might see more of them. I don't think small business loans quite cut it here.

Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#78

Post by dang »

throwaway9475 wrote: post #46
throwaway9475 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So clearly we should all look at language through the lens of your childhood experiences. Got it.

Lotta male tears here, but then again, it's Hacker News...

Please stop posting unsubstantive comments.

Re: Mary Anderson, a Founder of the Outdoor Cooperative REI, Dies at 107

#80

Post by weaksauce »

Bartweiss wrote: post #54
avar wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of mountaineering gear costs a lot , but lasts for a really long time. It's like buying a car in some ways. So your go-to solution should be to buy used. There's no shortage of people who bought an $800 backpack along with $2000 of other gear, who thought they'd be using them regularly, who later find out that they made a significant investment in a hobby they don't care much about. Unless you're swimming in mo…

> A lot of mountaineering gear costs a lot, but lasts for a really long time. Precisely. REI has some stuff which is wildly overpriced - I wouldn't buy hiking shorts there. But if I'm buying climbing gear, no one will sell it cheap anywhere . REI dividends and a good warranty make the competitive, because I'm expecting to keep the gear for a decade or more.

They changed the return policy on climbing gear to be much shorter. The gear coop has pretty good climbing deals and a good selection and a lifetime return policy(iirc) just don't abuse it.

Edit not lifetime anymore. Both places are one year.

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