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August 2025 by Bob Guila
REI has lost its way and lost its mind. I went to buy a cooler. They have millions of Yetis all over the store. A whole section. And end cap. But sorry I don’t want to spend $250 - $500 on a cooler. Who does that? Meanwhile the are out of all the cheaper options because as the sales associate said “everyone bought all the cheaper ones”. Fire the out of touch CEO. you can’t make money with Payola from Yeti. Return to a people’s co op, not an out of touch CEO fantasy land
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June 2025 by Dale Rasmussen
Such a fun place to shop. So many cool things to look at and imagine using. Staff was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, measuring and fitting a new backpack.
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July 2024 by Maggie Kennedy
WOW! They are amazing. Meg who was working in the shoes department was the kindest, most attentive and helpful retail employee ever! And the checkout person - so sad I can't remember her name - was so informed, great vibes and helped me order some shoes they didn't have in stock. I was there on Monday.. it's Wednesday and the shoes are arriving to my home TODAY! Wish I could give more stars, can't wait to return back to this REI now that it's the closest to where I live.
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July 2024 by Mary M
I can't say enough about how knowledgeable and professional and personable Jules is with backpack assistance. She really knows backpacks, as well as everything else backpacking related. She takes the time to check the fitting, recommending different products, really taking a personal interest in the success of the customer's hiking experience. At least that's what she did with me. And while I was with her another customer came up and made the exact same compliments to her. I think she's the BEST thing REI Santa Barbara has going for it. I'm so grateful for her helpfulness and expertise. Thank you Jules!!!
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June 2024 by Santiago Olivella
You want to buy everything, great staff always ready to solve any doubts
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May 2024 by Ken Tobias
Good REI. Some have started limiting their inventory (Oxnard). This one seems to have a better selection.
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May 2024 by Dylan Stolfus
This review is specifically for the bike shop at this REI.
Since I bought a new bike with REI, I got free tune-ups with any of their shops for a year. Unfortunately, it's a pain to get in here, since only walk-ins are accepted. Worse, every time I leave I feel like my bike performs more poorly than it did before. I've come in asking for a standard derailleur adjustment, been pushed on new gear (chains, cassettes) far before the typical replacement window, and haven't felt the payoff at all. I love so much of what REI does, but haven't had a reliable or consistent experience with their bike services. Serious respect to the friendly people I've talked to here, but I just can't recommend the service.
If you're in the area, I totally recommend stopping by bici centro to go get some hands-on experience with bike maintenance.
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May 2024 by Augustus
It is always a pleasure to visit those stores. And there is no time I leave empty-handed.
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April 2024 by Stellan Cook
Clean store and friendly staff
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February 2024 by Jessica Ericksen
I normally love REI, especially the one close to my home. As a significantly physically disabled autistic woman the outdoors are both wonderful and challenging and I have always felt supported when going into REI. In fact, it’s one of the few stores I will go into alone.The Santa Barbara REI was awful in this regard. Apparently they made the decision to remove their carts. This is a big problem for someone like myself who is limited to carrying around five pounds and was expecting carts because every single REI I have ever been in has had small carts or at least rolling baskets. The last time I was in this REI they had carts. At first I thought that the carts were just all in use but it took getting to the back of the store and talking to a store employee to find out they didn’t have any carts.Wait! They do have carts. But it took quite a bit of hemming and hawing on their part for me to find out they actually do keep some in the back. Eventually an employee did bring me one but it was made to feel like this was a special favor. This first employee did listen when I explained why this was problematic and to her credit was quite nice and willing to be educated about how this was a barrier to my accessing the store but it was really upsetting to not have this taken seriously at first. By this point I had been trying to carry some items in the bag I had brought which is still causing me pain. I appreciate the engagement of this woman I’m glad we could have a productive conversation.When I checked out, the cashier had been informed of my cart request ahead of time and kept trying to justify not having carts, why it wasn’t a big deal, telling me most stores don’t have carts anymore, and how they keep them in the back in case someone needs one BUT that they hide this fact so people won’t know they can ask for them. He kept going on about how they have baskets. I can not carry a basket in a useful capacity. I explained this in a calm manner. I don’t expect floor employees to fix policy issues but to have the issue downplayed repeatedly was hurtful and embarrassing. I’ve worked retail in the past and I know it can suck but it doesn’t take much to say “I never thought about/experienced/knew about (insert store created barrier), I’m really sorry our store has caused a problem and I will let my manager know”.I would also point out that many of their clothing displays were very close together and the cart was not able to easily navigate some of the areas. That means that if I had chosen to take my wheelchair or walker inside I would not have been able to easily independently navigate.This isn’t a review of REI but rather REI in Santa Barbara and the decisions made by management at the store both to make it inaccessible and to put no effort into even a bare minimum of training for staff. I have had lovely experiences at my local REI every time. The people there have been wonderfully supportive and helpful (which usually just means asking if I need a hand lifting something or helping me think through whether a piece of gear can meet my needs but it makes such a huge difference to be treated like that). There are a lot of accessibility barriers in the outdoors that I have to navigate. I don’t appreciate the Santa Barbara REI creating new ones.The explanation I finally received was that some carts had been stolen and that is why they didn’t want anyone to know they still had carts. I had suggested that a solution it would be helpful to put a sign up saying that if you need a cart as a disability accommodation to ask an employee but was reminded they don’t want people to know they have carts on hand for customers who need them. There are so many solutions here that don’t involve making the store inaccessible for people like me. They can put poles on the carts like many stores do. If I see a cart with a pole when I walk in the store, I immediately know I will have to call my partner to come meet me at the door to pick up merchandise but I can still walk around the store and shop by myself. Or locking cart wheels.
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January 2024 by Ana V. Thompson
Very nice store!The team was very good helping my son find a good climbing shoes.And great selection of many outdoor items.
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December 2023 by Ana Thompson
Very nice store!The team was very good helping my son find a good climbing shoes.And great selection of many outdoor items.
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December 2023 by Ossian Stefan Olsen
Terrific shop with a huge selection of all things recreational. The ethos behind REI is also appealing, will be back.
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December 2023 by Dowe Kaufman
Great location, fully stocked gear.
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November 2023 by Carell Jantzen
In todays mail-11/13 I received this coupon that expired 4 days ago on 11/9
