Vista Outdoors owns Savage Arms and Federal Premium ammunition — as well as a portfolio of companies that sell outdoor gear. Products that have nothing to do with firearms per se. REI is a outdoor lifestyle retailer that sells Vista products like Camelbak water bottles and Camp Chef stoves — but not guns. And not the other stuff now, either. money.cnn.com:
REI, a retailer that sells outdoor apparel and supplies, is stopping its relationship with Vista Outdoor after the company failed to issue a statement following a mass shooting in Florida.
“We believe that it is the job of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to work towards common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month,” the retailer said in a statement.
“This morning we learned that Vista does not plan to make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action. As a result, we have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds.”
REI said it has been in “active discussions” with Vista this week. Vista did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
REI’s customers most likely skew heavily left, where gun rights go to die. It’s doubtful that they’d fill any kind of backlash from The People of the Gun. But the ban represents a new front in the War on Guns: companies punishing companies for their lack of political purity on the issue of gun control.
This will not end well.
They’re a “Co-op” nuf said
Seattle based greenie Marxist prgtards. For DECADES
Much like Starbucks, decent products in general but overpriced.
RE Aye yai yai!
I hear Home Depot is banning nail guns, and Apple is banning Guns & Roses songs on iTunes. Also Sesame Street will no long feature the letters G, U, and N.
Camelbak has been a military supplier for decades. Little slow on the draw eh REI.
Finally! A boycott I can participate in! I was planning on heading to the local REI in the near future.
Funny, I was planning to swing by REI and grab a couple items this weekend, for a backpacking trip next week. As it is, I’ll instead be returning a couple recent purchases, and buying what I need elsewhere.
Fuggem
This will be hilarious. Some of those products are major lines with a good following among a wide range of people and those products probably take up a lot of shelf space. Re-sourcing products on such a short notice to fill the empty spaces is going to throw REI’s supply chain into a mess. I’m pretty sure they haven’t thought that through yet.
Well, you know the saying, get woke, go broke.
Well, good bye REI.
Might as well just give Amazon your money instead. Even if they’re not especially pro-2A, it will at least take money away from REI. And if these leftist scum want to play this game and try to force us to not patronize other stores then we’ll just go back to buying gear for as cheap as possible and save money to spend on guns and ammo. Screw REI in a way that will do the most damage to them and the least to us.
Bezos is clearly an anti-2A guy. However, if you make your purchases via smile.amazon.com, you can choose to gave a small percentage of each purchase going to the second amendment foundation.
I have done that for years.
That’s what I do.
I think a more accurate way to say it is: the probability of Jeff Bezos not being a gun control guy is very low.
However, Amazon nor Bezos has made any official stance on gun control. The closest they come is not dealing in magazines, guns, power, or primers. But there are clearly other reasons to avoid those; their differing legalities state to state and even county to county or city to city, makes them unprofitable due to regulatory burden.
If they were committed gun controllers (rather than attempt-to-be-neutrals) they would purge all pro-2A charities from the list of possible charities on smile.amazon.com. They haven’t taken that step, so it is probably wise to treat them as the neutrals they wish to be.
And I just did. Ordered a Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven as a present for the brother. I had been looking at it on REI and Amazon waiting to see when it would dip under $200 again. I think I”ll send a note to REI thanking them for keeping me from spending money with them.
I saw it on Amazon and did not even check with REI again but that’s beside the point.
Does REI contribute to Planned Parenthood which kills thousands of babies each year? Maybe we should start a boycott. I’ve been a member for over 30 years, but it may come to an end soon. While they can sell, or not sell, any product they wish, I can also choose where to spend my camping dollar.
Yeah, I have buddy who is hugely pro-gun guy who likes REI. That will be a fun conversation. :O
I dropped REI a long time ago. Most of their stuff is available elsewhere for much lower prices. They’ve been anti-gun for awhile.
REI? Yeah, no… PotG do not shop there. Can’t say for certain that their clientele skews towards anti-civil rights types but they are definitely the bicycle riding, granola munching types who try to take selfies with grizzly bears.
🤠
BS. I have shopped there for years. I’m pro 2A as it gets. Sure it’s a co-op but they stock a number of items like leatherman, Gerber, great sleeping mats, Merrell boots that our troops wear. And their return policy is first rate. Very pleasant staff.
However: I’m done with REI. Their emotional and financial blackmail of Vista is outrageous. Vista has a huge customer base, including DoD contracts, so they can likely absorb loss of REI business.
REI just lost my business for good.
I’ve been a rock climber and staunch 2A supporter since I was a teenager. REI in Montana was one of the closest retail locations for me to purchase my climbing gear. No more. I will search out local climbing suppliers even if I have to drive out of my way. Sorry not sorry REI!
I am a (now former) co-op member of REI and have been for many years. This sickens me. Although I doubt it will have a huge impact, I just emailed the following to REI:
————————————————————————————————————
“I was dismayed to learn today that REI has decided to ban Vista Outdoor products simply because REI seems to deem Vista as not “anti-gun” enough to suit them.
I’ve been a customer of REI for many, many years and a member since 2010. I’m an outdoorsman which includes backpacking and firearms sports. When REI chooses to endorse pro-outdoor causes, I hugely in favor of this. Those positive actions are clearly in line with REI’s core values.
BUT when REI decides to protest against causes unrelated to outdoors sports, I am hugely disappointed.
I am not alone. Most of my backpacking friends are pro-gun to various degrees and I suspect if you conducted a survey of your co-op members, you would find a significant number who participate in hunting or other shooting related activities.
REI must be an advocate for POSITIVE causes related to the outdoors and wilderness. But DO NOT presume to preach on unrelated social issues.
As REI boycotts Vista Outdoors, so shall I boycott REI. This is sad as I’ve always viewed REI as one of the premier retailers in the country.”
Hit Vista’s website. Unreal product lineup. I count 12 Giro ski and bike helmets my family owns, 6 Giro ski goggles, camelbak aplenty, Savage, Bell, Federal, Bushnell, many other products. All high quality, majority not purchased from REI, yet I’ve spent plenty over 20 years with REI. Vista is incredibly diversified and the loser here is REI. Not Vista. Good luck filling your bike helmet shelves REI! My money is on Vista to blow off the virtue signaling idiots of REI.
I just sent this to them.
Membership xxxxx, burned into my brain. My buying has slowed down a lot in recent years for other reasons, but it will now stop cold. This is entirely due to your decision to stop selling Vista Outdoor products.
Aside from the asinine attitude that it is your duty to blackmail producers, it also reduces your selection. I will not waste my time going to a store which selects goods for political reasons instead of product quality.
My sister is a religious nut. She once scorned some chocolate Thomas-the Tank-Engine lollipop stocking stuffers for her kids because that’s a Disney franchse and they support gay rights. Congratulations, you are now as stupid as the anti-gay religious nuts.
Keep this up, expand this policy, and you won’t have anything left to sell period. Are you going to stop taking deliveries by UPS or FedEx because they also ship other products your abhor?
I can’t think of any reason to ever shop at any store which has such asinine, short-sighted, patronizing, insulting, nonsensical, virtue-signalling policies.
I emailed them as well. The board of directors email is [email protected]. If emailing and you are a member make sure to include you membership number.
My response:
I will no longer be making purchases from REI unless “our” statement concerning the relationship with Vista Outdoor is rescinded. Outdoors people come from all walks of life, many of us choose to exercise our second amendment right as well as our first. If this is truly a co-op consider the stance you are taking against your own membership. Perhaps the board of directors should consider thinking outside of their Pacific Northwest echo chamber, and realize those who truly live among nature in rural areas have a right to protect themselves by any means necessary when a call to law enforcement may come with a 20 plus minute response time. I’ll offer some business advice; Stick to selling products and not politically alienating consumers.
Thanks for the email Ben, I sent one to it.
My wife and I have been shopping there since 2003, a lot of products we bought there went on deployments and held up well. We’ll stop going to them if they’re incapable of being apolitical.
Someone else on the internet who thinks that his buying habits equate to everyone else
Plenty of people, including me, who are into shooting sports are ALSO into things like backpacking, kayaking, rock climbing, etc and have purchased at REI.
That said, I am not surprised by this move. It’s all the rage now. Unlike politicians, they can do it and ride out the pissed off customers because there’s much less in the way of levers to punish them.
I often shop at REI, as in addition to being an AR shootin’, Ghost Gun buildin’, pistol carryin’ NRA instructor, I also cross country ski, hike, mountain bike, and forage for edible mushrooms. Shooting and the gun culture used to be closely associated with other outdoor pursuits. Too bad REI is going even further to full retard – I like their stores and generally helpful staff.
Yeah I don’t get it. I wouldn’t dream of going hiking or backpacking without a gun an I know a lot of people who share that perspective. Heck I love humping my 10/22 takedown into the boonies and plinking away. To me, hiking, camping, shooting, hunting, they’re all part of the outdoors recreation spectrum.
This is a case study in virtue signaling; nothing more.
That just happened in Canada as well- Mountain Equipment Co-op has stopped selling Vista products:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mec-vista-outdoor-1.4557071
In addition, the Running Room has stopped selling them. And now because of some shooting totally unrelated to the situation in Canada, the Liberal government has decided that, ” In the wake of the Florida student shootings that have galvanized anti-gun Americans and Canadians, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale promised Thursday he will table legislation “within weeks” to complete Liberal gun-control election commitments.”
We see similar movements all around the Western world- from New Zealand, to Europe- further restrictions on rights. This is a well-coordinated assault, and I start to wonder why now, and to what end?
Trump, as a populist, opportunist can be stampeded.
So, now’s a good time to orchestrate an apparent groundswell.
That is all.
It’s the planned coming nuclear war to reduce world population. Will be hard to re-establish control if the survivors are all armed. . . . Just kidding . . . really I am. Taking off the tin-foil hat now.
Bloomberg’s been busy.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/16/everytown-launches-post-florida-action-plan-415655
R.E.I= Return Every Item
Yep. I have 2 backpacks recently purchased from them. They are being returned tomorrow. Will find what I need elsewhere.
And this is how the 2nd amendment dies. You squeeze the retailers. You squeeze the companies that make the firearms which also produce other things. When the bottom line starts to drop they keel over. Watch how the actual mom and pop gun stores start to get protested and harassed next shooting. You then block free speech on social media and video sites so your point of view gets erased. The right cheers because it is their right to run their business how they see fit. The right says fugg it and doesn’t realize how small they are and how the left owns the means of production and communication. They look at a red map with open fields and say we own the country. When all you own is clods of uninhabited dirt.
No, that is not the outcome. You assume a straight line continuation. It doesn’t work that way any more than increasing drug use in the 1960s implied a future where half the population was stoned out of the gourd all day long. There are always reactions and counter balancing influences.
These social fences work both ways. By doing this, REI has reduced their usefulness, only marginally at first. Same as google refusing to search for “pistol”. The more they limit their field, the more people look for alternatives. At some point the loss of custom becomes noticeable enough for competitors to take advantage of. It’s infuriating, it’s slow, but that’s what happens in the real world.
In the case of Google it starts to open up niches were other companies can breath in what is otherwise completely google dominated. And those niche companies are likely to be very protective of the areas they have space to operate it. It also gives them room to get established and grow to start pulling in business from outside their protected niche.
Generally, it’s bad business for a business to align itself with an ideology or political position. You always run the risk of alienating half the population, either way.
So, now the neo-fascists are going to start forcing businesses to take political positions, either by commission or omission?
But if we boycott REI, where can we buy our Birkenstocks? Oh the humanities!
Lol, I see what you did there!
So, a bunch of popular items, their sales and margin, go somewhere else. Driving business away from your business is never a good idea.
You counter with the Chick-fil-A strategy. And for search engine blocking and facespace feeds … oddly whoever’s number 2 or 3 is always up to carry the business they drive off. Besides, a marketplace or search engine that only carries some things makes itself less useful. As long as there’s no mandate to enforce the monopoly, things adjust. (And look who funded the “net neutrality” pitch? The usual suspects wanted the gendarmes to enforce for them, down in the pipes, the same exclusions they’re implementing in their algorithms, higher in the stack. Captive enforcers are so convenient.)
Buying stuff from people more interested in pleasing someone other than you, the customer, is a poor plan. Maybe don’t do that.
REI may have a fine business selling plastic kayaks to people paddling into the sound to protest oil. I suppose we’ll all find out if that works, now…
That makes sense, because I cannot get any of this cheaper off Amazon, right?
I saw a bicycle frame pack at REI for $150, and I found a nearly identical one on Amazon for $20 including shipping. Just saying, REI is full of themselves.
Specialty markets form themselves. They do better for specialty interests — no, not necessarily that kind of “specialty”, pervs. BUT, that’s a good example of how robust specialty markets, serving specialty interests tend to be.
Taking bikes as an example, recumbent – “bent” – bikes are a low-ish volume specialty market. At REI you’ll pay as much as a cheap car for a low-end recumbent. BUT, there’s a specialty magazine / market with its own classifieds: “Bent Rider OnLine.” The manufacturers, distributors, and name-brand riders congregate there. It’s the place to list or find bikes and gear, at least throughout North America. (I’ve picked up 3 bikes, person to person, across the country, through their classifieds. Everybody made out on the deal, each time.)
There’s a reason the eBay’s & Craigslists of the world try to build out into focused “interest” markets, supported on their platforms. It turns out they’re bad at it, but they keep trying.
Me, I troll ThinkGeek all the time. Their entire offer is curation — finding, delivery, and some quality control on quirky nerd stuff. They offer “a specific kind of entertainment for particular people who like that kind of thing”, as Frank Zappa said.
Yeah, I could probably have found the titanium sporks at REI — they were developed for mountain hiking folks initially. BUT, I found them, and got them, on ThinkGeek, because that’s the place to look for things for their nerd value. What’s nerdier than a titanium spork? They were xmas presents for a bunch of nerd friends – the joke’s still good, 5 years later.
Now that I no longer live in walking distance of REI’s “flagship” store, I can’t forage in their “scratch & dent / returns” section for bargains. I don’t think event he whole time I was in Seattle I bought something retail-price at REI. I did get a couple-hundred dollar pair of Merrill boots for something like $25 at the returns section. Still have them.
So, now they’re not selling even non-gun stuff from people who make gun things. Apparantly, that’s money they don’t want. If that’s how they decide things, clearly they have too much money already.
Jackholes.
any time someone uses the phrase “common sense” you know they were coached by Bloomberg flunkies.
Right? What exactly are the “common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month”? None of those proposed infringements can prevent anything.
Murderers will murder until stoped by force. Making it “harder to get” legally some of the tools they misuse, does not prevent bad people doing bad deeds.
If some a-hole drives a Chevy into a crowd, will these idiots call for GM to issue statement about policy to prevent that in the future?
I am an REI member and have purchased a lot of stuff there.
Correction: I am NO LONGER an REI member and will purchase my products from other distributors.
Here is where you can contact REI and share your opinion:
https://rei.custhelp.com/app/contact_us#tabs-3
Here is what I typed in their “Question” field:
To contact the Co-op’s board of directors email [email protected]
Ah, much better. Thank you Ben!
REI is a exercise in business socialism. They try to justify a 25-100+% mark-up on items because of their “co-op” policy. No thanks. As other people have stated, there are plenty of online retailers that are willing to sell me the same for way less, and usually with a reasonable return policy. Only whiny man-buns expect a store to take a return on ANYTHING after 5 years except Craftsman tools (that suck now as well).
They don’t have that return policy anymore. Now they’re no better than pretty much any other retailer.
REI?!? Gee don’t they compete somewhat with Dick’s? Pathetic “we’re doing SOMETHING” BS. NOT to change REI bashing but I saw on FB where the evil Floriduh shooter had ONLY 10 round mags in his AR…any confirmation?!?
The Miami Herald published a story yesterday that said so, and that his “low end” S&W “assault weapon” jammed, which is what stopped his spree although he had over 150 rounds left.
But…but… Common sense!
Local mom n pop outdoor store has everything I need and sends firearms related custom work our way. They have a great gun dept with reloading supplies for the times I just need something now instead of ordering from our distributors. Screw REI. Only used them to get the correct size on boots to order online.
Seattle based retailer. That’s pretty much all we need to say. People here still flock to it for hiking and biking gear and treat it with an almost mystical reverence.
Me? I look at their catalog, read the reviews, and buy it on Amazon for 3/4 of the price.
It’s a broader signal of how Washington is going full Feinstein on guns. Expectation is that any day now we’ll see citizen initiatives banning most semi auto firearms and instituting mag caps and storage laws. The richest people in the nation live within a five mile radius and will pour millions into the effort which, with Seattle leading the way, will pass in a landslide.
Interesting theory, but even with the millions spent promoting the Washington background checks initiative, it barely squeaked by. Even though supposedly 90% of the public supported it.
That law has never been enforced, in fact most county sheriffs said they would not enforce it. I agree that yhe rich libs are going to likely try to get a ban initiative going when their proposed bills fail in Olympia. I think they’ll be surprised by the “No!” turnout that such an initiative will stir up.
And, even if it passed, you’d see zero compliance east of the mountains, and hardly any compliance outside the urban core of King County.
Never shopped at REI & like Dick’s will never shop at their stores!!!
Never heard of them…..but F ’em, now, anyway.
I really don’t see any obligation for the NRA or firearms manufacturers to comment on spree shootings. That’s an illegal use of their product. What does that have to do with them?
That punk at UC Santa Barbara stabbed, shot, and ran over his various victims. Where was the demand for BWM, AAA, or even Ginsu to make a statement? (Sorry, Ginsu, I don’t know what brand of knife he used; Ginsu is the only brand that I know.)
The Florida school shooter used a ride sharing app to get to the school. Where’s Uber’s statement? Didn’t their driver see the rifle case? Lyft’s silence is likewise deafening. Come to think of it, didn’t an Uber driver go on a shooting spree in Detroit last year, between picking up riders??? Uber said “We conduct background checks. What more do you want from us?” and the issue ended right there. What?
Obviously I’m employing absurdity to illustrate absurdity. Still, I’m really sick and tired, first, of people being murdered when there are effective countermeasures available and, second, being put under the spotlight and demanded to account and forfeir freedoms for other people’s illegal actions!
Geez, I have a penis, too. Will I and every other man now become the whipping boys every time some commits rape or indecent exposure?
“Will I and every other man now become the whipping boys every time some [man] commits rape or indecent exposure?”
We are already half-way there.
Indeed. The slope feels increasingly slippery every day.
Note: sorry about leaving out “man” in the post; sometimes I post with divided attention during boooring AF meetings.
Thanks for the heads-up. I used to be an enthusiastic REI customer. Membership cancelled.
REI is to the outdoors, what Reeboks are to shoes.
Trendy and Overpriced.
Depends on what you need and want.
A lot of the people who say it’s “trendy and overpriced” don’t know what they’re looking at or what it should cost. They’re the same people who think a Columbia jacket is the same thing as an Arc’Teryx jacket or can’t fathom why Arc’Teryx Alpinism Mittens are $600 or more. Same folks can’t imagine why a four season mountaineering tent is $1000+. Again, they have no idea what they’re actually looking at. No different than Rab gear.
That shit’s meant to climb Everest or K2. As such it’s way, way higher end than most people need. When you get to that level of gear it’s gonna cost you a mint. Also, it’s not trendy because practically no one outside the hardcore outdoors world knows WTF you’re wearing. “What’s with the dead bird logo?” people ask me about some of my stuff. I reply “It’s Dead Bird.” [I get a blank stare since they have NO idea about the slang for a brand they didn’t know existed until 30 seconds ago.] “If you have to ask you can’t afford it” (Which they usually can’t).
Meh. REI has always been a granola muncher store. If you’re big into camping/hiking etc they’re a good place. If not, then they’re not.
You knew or should have known what you were getting into when you joined or walked in the door.
What I was going to type. REI has made their intentions known for many years.
BTW, Amazon is no better. Bezos is easily the HPIC at this point (Head Progressive In Charge).
Boycotts are funny things. Sound great on the internet. A lot tougher in real life.
Can’t you buy a lot of this crap at Cabela’s/ Bass Pro?!? As far as I know they haven’t gone full retard…yet.
No. You can’t. Off the top of my head *glances at closet* you can’t buy climbing gear at either store, nor quality rope. You can’t buy decent technical clothing either, nor cycling gear. Decent rafting gear, quality tents, backpacks or alpinism gear from them either.
Cabela’s and Bass Pro are for fishing, hunting, boating, RVing and quads. REI is a completely different store for climbing, cycling, kayaking, rafting, mountaineering and serious backcountry camping.
Example: Cabela’s and Bass Pro sell cast iron cookware. REI sells high end Titanium cookware sets for climbing mountains. C’s and BP sell big ass canvas tents. REI sells mountaineering tents. C’s and BP sell Columbia. REI sells Arc’Teryx.
Look around. You would be surprised who sells quality climbing gear. And if you are a really serious climber, you already know what you want and can order it online without having to physically see it.
Bob, the point isn’t that you can’t get climbing gear (or anything else I mentioned) elsewhere, it’s that you can’t get it at Cabela’s or BPS.
Ultimately my point is that when walker asks if you can get most of this stuff at Cabela’s or BPS the answer to that is “No.” Cabela’s and BPS are totally different stores from REI. When I want boat or fishing gear I go to BPS. When I want hunting gear or arrows I go to Cabela’s. When I want a serious back country hiking/mountaineering tent I check out REI.
Personally, I get a lot of this kind of stuff from other places but since there’s an REI flagship store close by I’ll often go there to try on/try out certain things. For example: REI has no problem letting you set up as many tents as you would like for the purpose of comparing them. When you’re considering dropping the kind of coin it requires to get a serious mountaineering tent you don’t buy it sight unseen unless you’re stupid or crazy. So, you go in, set up like five tents, figure out which one you want and then go comparison shop prices online.
A perfect example is my mountaineering parka. It’s an Arc’Teryx that I got on a wicked sale from MooseJaw. I tried it on at REI before I bought it though because the REI was close and they had the exact same parka. Even at 80% off that thing was still pricey enough that you wanted to get the size right the first time because an exchange might mean your size was sold out.
Also, at this point I need more climbing gear like a need another hole in my head. That hole is something I might just get if my wife caught me sneaking another carabiner or cam or something into the house. God help me if she finds any new rope lying around.
If you can’t hurt REI by reciprocal boycott, you can boycott all their POS members / customers. Many will have the REI sticker, amongst others, on the back of their Subarus.
I joined in 1973. 2A advocacy wasn’t even a thing yet, Eddie Bauer sold tents and sleeping bags for Everest expeditions, and Orvis sold primarily fly fishing gear.
I am sure if someone had time to kill and wanted to make a point to REI they could research what other brands REI carries and see if they are tied to gun or ammo makers. Like Mountain Khakis and Black Diamond who’s parent company (no longer Remington) also owns Sierra Bullets. After all if they want to stop orders from one of these companies, they should stop from all of the companies that have a hand in the guns and/or ammo business. Come on REI, no half measures.
Maybe those other crusty ballzack companies did blow REI, and issue a statement?
Emailed the board. Member since the early 70’s when they were the only game in town to buy climbing gear. No more.
I saw a petition to Cabelas to stop selling “Assault Rifles” too.
Just checked, I have been an REI member for 25 years. Hmmm… Looks like I will be requesting my dividend as a check this year, and will definitely cease any more purchases.
Yeah I know they have been doing a lot of virtue signaling for quite a while now, but it was easy to just ignore it, it was mostly harmless masturbatory nonsense. It’s not like I was buying there because of their politics anyway.
But this is just different, it is actively working against one of our constitutional rights, and it is a bridge too far for me. I imagine the feeling is mutual.
Looks like sides have been drawn. Here we go….
Being a student of history, this is not good. Yes, you see it too. The country is drawing lines in the dirt, taking sides, and preparing for battle, which is what usually happens before it gets really bad. I know that our side is willing to fight this to the bitter end. We must. It is our duty as free men. The left, however, is playing with matches over a powder keg. If a CEO of a large company cannot see the danger of stripping the people of a right, then other leftist must be oblivious morons.
Done with REI now as well…
I’ve been a member of REI since 1972. This is the first day I’ve felt ashamed of that.
Welp, glad i bought all our camping stuff last year before this nonesense.
No more REI for me!
Campsaver here i come…
My email to REI:
I can hardly begin to plumb the depths of my disappointment in your recent announcement about Vista Outdoors.
“We believe that it is the job of companies that manufacture and sell guns and ammunition to work towards common sense solutions that prevent the type of violence that happened in Florida last month”
You mean like eliminating gun-free zones, prosecuting straw purchasers, and making government agencies who ignore warnings criminally liable? Because none of the so-called solutions I’ve heard from the left make any sense at all, let alone common sense, and I still haven’t heard a single proposal that would have prevented the Florida shooting.
“This morning we learned that Vista does not plan to make a public statement that outlines a clear plan of action. As a result, we have decided to place a hold on future orders of products that Vista sells through REI while we assess how Vista proceeds.”
Well I have decided to put a hold on future orders from REI while I assess how REI proceeds. This is painful on a level I can hardly describe. I have been an REI member for nearly 50 years (#XXXXXX) and have shelves and closets and drawers full of gear that I still enjoy using. I have loved dealing with REI. I love the products, the helpful staff, the generous return policy, and all my nostaglic memories of using REI gear over the years. (My Svea 123 is still in perfect working order) So why, oh why did you have to open this political can of worms and alienate the thousands of members and customers who are also firearm enthusiasts?
Please, please drop this nonsensical folly. I do not want to cancel my half century old membership.
They ain’t going to change. They didn’t poll their members before and they won’t now. They just cancelled my 15 year membership. They said they will still give me my dividend check in July. Good customer service to the end.
definitely a leftist philosophy in place at REI. they are opposed to fracking and fossil fuels.
they are also expensive
I’ve been an REI member for nearly to 50 years. I just cut up my card.
Jim, make sure to let them know. REI is a lifetime membership, but they accommodated my request to cancel mine after I sent an email. I let them know I was honoring their request to not do business with NRA members.
Jim, it was a sad goodbye for me but I’ve done the same. And I emailed the board to let them know Amazon and Big 5 will be getting my business.
REI is overpriced. You can shop cheaper on Amazon. Plus you can purchase through one of your favorite firearm industry affiliation on amazon.
Never even heard of REI until this article. Whoever they are, they can pound sand.
+1
Same here.
Hey I love REI’s store brand stuff. Especially their quick dry clothes and backpacks. Get them on super sale or the clearance rack. Man, they’re expensive at full retail. They’re sturdy and comfortable though.
But maybe I haven’t shopped there quite so often in the past year. Ever since they started featuring women (and pretty much only women) in their top level advertising, with prominent verbiage to the effect that it’s all about feminism (though they actually didn’t use that word) and that men can just put up with it or go home. Now with the anti-gun nonsense I’m even less eager to shop there.
Occasionally I find REI clothes and backpacks in good condition at the thrift store…
Check out their Instagram page. Count the dogs versus men. Count the men vs white men. Count the women. Such blatant discrimination.
Thank you for sharing this article. I have been reading TTAG articles daily for many years without commenting. This article hit home as I’m a huge fan of REI. I’ve sent them an email sharing my disappointment and consideration for continuing my CO-OP membership as they venture into the 2nd amendment debate. I also asked REI in my email why they didn’t demand a response from Vista Outdoors or from any other vendor when a forest fire was started by a fire starter similar to one they make. Forest fires are not only deadly, but also devastating. Don’t they care about the environment and what these companies are doing to limit fires that are started with their products?
Keep up the good work TTAG!
From a previously silent, faithful reader.
Thank you for informing us of this. I am a Boy Scout Troop leader and spend 1500 to 2000 at REI annually. That now ends. I’ve never liked the price and I love to see things before I buy them.
Not anymore. Big 5 it will have to be as DICKs wont get my biz either. I wonder how happy Amazon is with this as more retailers shoot themselves in the foot with this leftist BS and drives more biz to Amazon.
REI, I am done with you! Were you upset with the sheriff or deputies who refused to go in to the school and perhaps save several of those lives? Were you upset at the treatment the shooter got by his classmates that might have contributed to this? were you upset that there were over 60 warnings to law enforcement and FBI about the threats that this young man made and no one arrested him? REI, are you upset that thousands of babies are killed yearly in the name of abortion (And you choose to support Planned Parenthood so you support this). some of these babies are ripped apart and some babies are harvested for their organs. of course not, none of this bothers you.
I am through with you REI. I have a choice and I choose other places to spend my money.
I just heard about this today. I have cancelled my REI credit card and will be cancelling my REI membership as soon as I cache in my dividend from last year and will no longer shop at REI. I let my NRA membership lapse years ago but just renewed it. Want to play politics, REI? Bring it on!
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