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
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.
ReplyDeleteHa! 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......
DeleteGood 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.
Deleteah! homeowners insurance! did not think of that!
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, the store was PACKED when I went in there! Someone is obviously drinking the Kool-Aid......
DeleteI am glad there is no REI here. There might be picketing and/or vandalism. Transplanted Yankees are notoriously cheap.
ReplyDeleteYou are very lucky. As long as you have a Target near you.
Deletedude, heck with REI for laser tag distractions. Two words for you: Tuesday Morning!!!!
ReplyDeletethey were closed! I would have been all over it, as they were right next door.
DeleteRip off
ReplyDeleteEveryone who walks
In?
So THAT is what REI stands for!
DeleteWow. 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!
ReplyDeleteYeah, 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).
DeleteThere'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.
ReplyDeleteFERRIS WHEEL???????? So when you made your one circle thru the store before leaving, was the circle on the Ferris Wheel?
DeleteI shop at Outlet stores. I got five shirts for a hundred bucks.
ReplyDeleteYou are much too smart for my blog. How did you get here?
DeleteI've never heard of REI. It's just as well. Obviously I'm not the REI type.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Me neither! I am the Starbucks and complain about why I can't lost 10 pounds type (while eating my chocolate chip scone......)
DeleteAnytime 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.
ReplyDeleteSo that has happened to you too before then?
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI get tired after 20 minutes too! So much for the bike across Europe idea......
DeleteI 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?
ReplyDeletebetty
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.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteCombo of all 3?
DeleteI've never even heard of REI. I guess that's a good thing for my wallet.
ReplyDeleteLucky.
DeleteSometimes I wonder who does shop at these places? Who can afford the $500 skirt in Oprah's magazine. Do these people actually exist?
ReplyDeleteAlso, all the people working at REI probably can't even afford to buy a sock or a sleeve. That's crazy, right?
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?
Delete