Originally Posted by
southpier
I view REI as I do West Marine. they pay kids & schoolteachers who know everything, and things go down hill from there.
You don't know anything about REI and simply spout uninformed opinion far from the truth.
Anyone hired (in any area) goes through training before working with customers. Most bike shop personnel are sent to an independent mechanic's school and each store's bike department has one or two highly trained and highly experienced mechanics. The OP bought his bike by mail order so store personnel didn't touch it, it came boxed from the factory.