MOVarazzi

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

888. Why I Can't Shop at REI

Backstory:  The Husband plays basketball on Sunday mornings.  This particular Sunday, Tall was invited to a laser tag birthday party, which meant that I had to take Short with me to drop off Tall.  Which is fine, except that the laser tag place is far away, so I did not feel like going all the way home and then all the way back, nor did I feel like buying a gazillion tokens for Short to play video games.  Luckily, there was an REI next door. 

Short and I walk into REI to “have a quick look,” which translates into him suddenly wanting to take up kayaking and me wanting to find a cute skirt on sale.  I have not been in REI in a long time (okay, maybe ever) so I am soaking in the vibe of all things REI.  This place looks like a cross between LLBean and Dick’s Sporting Goods.  I am magnetically drawn to a rack marked “Clearance.” 
“Wow, look at this cute fleece jacket!” I say to myself, but Short thinks I am talking to him. 

“You should get it, Mommy,” he nods enthusiastically. 
I glance at the price tag.  Regular price:  $220.  Sale price:  $181.  For a fleece jacket?!?  That looks like it is from Target and should cost $30?  I look around for a salesgirl, as the tag must be mismarked. 

“Excuse me, miss?”  I wave hopefully at the REI girl walking past.  “Is this price right?” 
“Yep.  That’s right!  Can you believe it?  That is almost $40 off!  What an unbelievable sale!” 

It’s unbelievable all right. 
Undaunted, I soldier on.  I find a darling long-sleeved t-shirt to wear around the house.  There is a fun design of little skiers on the front. 

“How much does it cost?” inquires Short, as he notices me holding the t-shirt up to the mirror.  I take a deep breath and look at the tag.  Original price:  $165.  New price:  $109.  For a t-shirt?!  That will fall apart in three months? 
I am flabbergasted.  Socks cost $40.  Skirts are $120.  I check the labels:  cotton and Lycra.  Nope, no gold. 

I don’t mind paying Macy’s or Nordstrom $100 for a cashmere sweater that looks like it cost $100.  What I really love is getting it on sale for $65 and having it still look like it cost $100.  What I have a huge problem with is buying something that actually looks cheaper than it is. 
It’s like REI is an upside Target, with expensive prices on cheap stuff instead of cheap prices on expensive stuff. 

My brain flashes back to a few Christmases ago when The Husband and I gave my sister Oakley a $75 gift card.  She seemed very happy at the time, but now I realize she could not afford to buy a t-shirt with that, even on clearance. 
She could perhaps buy a sleeve. 

MOV

32 comments:

  1. For those prices, I'd expect someone from the store to be coming by the house once a week to wash, dry, and put away the clothing.

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    1. Ha! Do some clothes come with that feature? I mean, a person is included in coming over to maintain the outfit for you? and if so, what is the etiquette involved? Do I need to offer them some coffee, or would I risk spilling it on the outfit, thus necessitating them coming back for a second visit? I think this could cause all kinds of problems......

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    2. Good point, better to just skip the overpriced cheap stuff and hit Target instead. You have to wash the clothes yourself but your homeowners insurance won't go up.

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    3. ah! homeowners insurance! did not think of that!

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  2. I agree with the wanting my things to be less expensive than they appear. I am always amazed that stores like that have such a huge following. Even a water bottle there is expensive. Does a water bottle without a swoosh or some other logo make it less useable. Sans the logo $12.00 becomes $2.00.

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    1. Cheryl, the store was PACKED when I went in there! Someone is obviously drinking the Kool-Aid......

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  3. I am glad there is no REI here. There might be picketing and/or vandalism. Transplanted Yankees are notoriously cheap.

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    1. You are very lucky. As long as you have a Target near you.

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  4. dude, heck with REI for laser tag distractions. Two words for you: Tuesday Morning!!!!

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    1. they were closed! I would have been all over it, as they were right next door.

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  5. Wow. Good thing I don't need lots of mountain climbing equipment or camping gear. Apparently the nearest store is about 2 hours away from here so I'm safe!

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    1. Yeah, 2 hours is definitely too far to drive for overpriced fleeces and mountain gear that I would most likely not use very often (or ever).

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  6. There's been a big 'broo-ha' about a new store here called Scheels. My husband and I went a couple weeks ago. Sounds like REI- lots of expensive exercise equipment/sporting goods and overpriced clothes. They did have a big ferris wheel in the middle of the store. Kind of cool, except you had to pay for that, too. We walked in, made one circle through the store and walked right back out.

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    1. FERRIS WHEEL???????? So when you made your one circle thru the store before leaving, was the circle on the Ferris Wheel?

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  7. I shop at Outlet stores. I got five shirts for a hundred bucks.

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    1. You are much too smart for my blog. How did you get here?

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  8. I've never heard of REI. It's just as well. Obviously I'm not the REI type.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Me neither! I am the Starbucks and complain about why I can't lost 10 pounds type (while eating my chocolate chip scone......)

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  9. Anytime I'm in an REI I'm always paranoid that an employee is going to take one look at me and say "Hey you're not an outdoorsy person" and then I'll break down crying saying "I know... I know..." and then go hide in a canoe.

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    1. So that has happened to you too before then?

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  10. I go in those stores (well, we don't have REI here, but I go into Mountain Equipment Coop) just to drool at the kayaks. And the bike bags. For some reason, every time I'm in MEC I realize that I'm dying to go on a long cross-country bike trek. Then I remember that I get tired after 20 minutes.

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    1. I get tired after 20 minutes too! So much for the bike across Europe idea......

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  11. I would have a hard time paying those prices too! I'd be thinking I could feed a family of four for two weeks on the cost of that jacket. But apparently someone must buy those things because the store is still in business, right?

    betty

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    1. Betty, that is what drives me crazy and keeps me up at night: WHO is paying those prices? WHO? We are not all Ivanka Trump or Princess Kate.

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  12. I can never tell if the sales clerks are desensitized to the prices or if they go to some kind of brainwashing camp during training. Or maybe they've just never been to Target? No, that can't be it.

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  13. I've never even heard of REI. I guess that's a good thing for my wallet.

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  14. Sometimes I wonder who does shop at these places? Who can afford the $500 skirt in Oprah's magazine. Do these people actually exist?

    Also, all the people working at REI probably can't even afford to buy a sock or a sleeve. That's crazy, right?

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    Replies
    1. I like to think that they pay their REI clerks $50 per hour, 'cause they are Outdoors Gear Consultants. Hmm, maybe I should get a job at REI?

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