Chrisp72

This is more for the Canadian members of this group but it might affect everyone who comes to Canada. As much as I like to support the local bike shop I've spent many an hour looking through the offerings of MEC through catalogs, stores and online. I'm not sure how many of you know that sometime last year MEC was sold to private firm and from what I can see isn't what it used to be. It used to be a good place to get quality gear for a good price and the cost of membership was justified with member perks and dividend cheques at the end of the fiscal year. Now its changed and I fear its lost its way. How do people feel about shopping there and are many people still supporting the place?

R_Rick

MEC hasn't been what it used to be for 15+ years - nothing to do with the new ownership.

For me, their slide started when they started to focus on fancy stores, more clothing (often over priced, limited in-store selection) and less gear. Pricing used to be better than every store around - not so much today.

Chrisp72

For me the lack of it being a Co op was the final straw. I tried to get back my membership money but they won't refund. I don't think I'll be shopping there now but like you haven't done major shopping there for years. I was thinking of joining REI just to be a member but then I remembered I live in Canada and haven't been down to the States for years...

I guess I'm saddened by MEC switching to another generic store.

R_Rick

At one point there was a mechanism for them to refund the share but I suspect this was before the sale.

In Halifax, we have a small shop that used to be a great place for hiking and climbing gear (as well as other outdoor activities). They were bought a couple years ago and have now turned into a high end outdoor clothing shop with little to no gear.

Bearhawker

They got woke and went broke.

They pretty much fell off my radar when they started dropping brands for being associated, for instance, with *anything* to do with, let's just say outdoor pursuits that could put food on the table.

Never mind one of their founders was a hunter. Mountain sheep I think?

I don't wear fancy, overpriced, clothes as a general rule and they never had anything other than socks that fit me anyway. Like cycling, not everyone is a tall, slender, "athletic" build. My thighs are bigger around than my legs are long. lol

Their gear section is rapidly dwindling online (no idea on the stores and there are none anywhere near me) to the point I suspect they will just be a patagucci jacket store soon

R_Rick

I do quite a bit of hiking and camping - in store they have some camping gear that is useful but much of it is, imo, targeted to the glamping demographic (portable coffee grinders and espresso presses; $100 insulated mugs, etc).

I've tried to find a pair of hiking pants in store - apparently men don't have waists larger than 32".

Last time I was in they were selling Cannondale bikes for about $100 more than the LBS.

staehpj1

Sad.

REI, here in the US has suffered a bit in the move to being a bit too focused on a market that really isn't focused on outdoor activities, but they still do both markets pretty well. I fear there is a danger the gear will become a prop for the clothing sales like the surfboards in surf shops that sell board shorts and crap to kids that have never seen the ocean. It hasn't gone all the way that way yet and they still do a decent job stocking gear.

I have overheard a conversation between a couple twenty somethings that went something like...
Question: " REI? What is that?"
Answer: "A clothing store."

staehpj1

I hate that term. It absolutely makes my skin crawl to see it.

skookum

Its just a store, I don't get the emotional attachment to it. It sells stuff that you can get easily in other places, but especially online.
Its original mission was to sell out door equipment especially climbing gear to Canadians for a reasonable price, at a time when that kind of equipment was hard to find and expensive in Canada.
It was modelled on REI, and indeed REI helped them get started.It wasn't always great, I remember a period in the Calgary store when they were always out of stock and the staff weren't too interested in serving the customer, more interested in planning their next adventure.
They built too many physical stores when retailing was being upended by amazon, their business practises were poor, and sometimes I think they forgot their purpose. There were supposed to be three stores in Calgary by now, but the south store closed last year and the new one near COP never opened, despite much fanfare for two or three years.
I was in there a couple of weeks ago, it looked okay as far as stock goes, most of the outdoor stores are looking a bit depleted in these weird times.
A reasonable article in the Glob and Muck last month about how the new management is faring.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/busi...ers-bid-for-a/

Bearhawker

It would please me to no end if their new US owners took them in a new direction to include more outdoor pursuits - like hunting and fishing.



I would gladly wear MEC-branded camo gear.

But in the meantime I just shop online there when they have what I am looking for - for a better price than anywhere else. which is seldomly.

Maybe now that they aren't a Co-Op they will have sales? hmmm

I doubt it.

skidder

I'd say they have descended into that abyss, focusing on activities and items that'll increase profits. Back in the 1980s they focused heavily on climbing/mountaineering/backpacking, and carried items for a few other active sports depending on where a store was located (Canoes, skis, etc). I could walk into one of the two here in the Los Angeles are and find what I needed for any climbing adventure. Granted, they do still sell some gear for active sports, but these days that equipment does seem to be just props for the clothing sold to SUV and Subaru owners looking for high-end car camping gear. I do go there to buy bicycle tires, but not much else.

staehpj1

My perspective is the US stores, but I figure that it is okay that REI doesn't embrace hunting and fishing.

I figure we have Bass Pro, Cabela's, and Academy for that. They don't embrace backpacking, bike touring, XC skiing. or rock climbing. They may have a little overlap into those areas, but not much. I wouldn't mind a little overlap both directions, but for the most part prefer that both concentrate on their specialty. Some of the gear obviously crosses the line regardless.

A store that takes it all in would have a pretty massive line of products and it would be difficult to be that diverse and still provide the level of specialization to many areas that I'd want. Still I'd rather see an attempt at that than a fancy clothing store with some gear. I fear that REI could be headed toward becoming like the latter if they aren't careful to avoid it.

I am guessing the situation is similar in Canada.

staehpj1

Well I can't say my experience has been that negative. It looks to me that their online items have started to include a better selection of UL stuff than they used to and basically are still a good source of stuff if not usually the cheapest. I tend to shop sales, or their 20% off deal, or use my REI credit card to get a bit annual REI dividend, so I don't pay full price for much unless it is with my dividend.

The last time I was in the store the help was still pretty helpful and they still had a good selection of bike and backpacking stuff. That said I moved away from being near a store six years ago and haven't been in their store in that time. So it may have changed.

skookum

They would always have clearances of leftover items at the end of the season, but it was pretty hit and miss.
They had a discount of 25% -I think- for ACMG and members of other guiding and professional organizations. Staff got first dibs on returned items at a big discount.
Some would get their friends to buy an item they wanted then return it.
Their online ordering recently pre pandemic was pretty good, I would get things shipped to the store for pickup, which is 15 minutes away from me. Their prices at one time were always the cheapest, now its like any other place, there are the occaisonal deals, but that is it.
The problem is that they forced a lot of the smaller guys out of the market, that and the trend to e-commerce doesn't leave a lot of alternatives if you want a physical store where you can try things on.

Chrisp72

I can still remember looking at Silca pumps in the MEC catalog when I was younger. I recently searched the MEC online catalog for cassettes for my Shimano 7 speed Caravan. They at one point were good with stocking them but now they're not listed at all... I'm a bit of a retro grouch for now but with the difficulties in acquiring older bike parts that may change. I though REI would be a good store to buy from but they're so far away from me in Canada. I'll keep looking at their online offerings and see what they have but it looks like a visit there will be far off, especially with the state of Ontario with Covid 19...

In Canada there was an outdoor chain called SAIL but they experienced some difficulties during the pandemic. I haven't been to them for a while but they don't have a cycling section. I was looking at their camping equipment and things like camping fuel which was cheaper than Canadian Tire's price. Not sure what the retail landscape is going to look like when things get back to the new normal but I suspect I'll be doing a lot of shopping from online retailers like Amazon, which I'm against doing for the most part. Not sure what other avenues will be left...

Happy Feet

I have been a long time MEC member (since the 80's) and even sold climbing gear out of a different climbing shop (Extreme) in the basement of the Calgary MEC. I used to really like it. Back then (my experience at least) was that the sales staff had no pressure to make sales and would act as advisors, giving pretty honest feedback on product. They usually participated in the activities too, which was nice.

One time I cashed my membership in and collected the dividend which, for me, was hundreds of dollars. That funded a climbing trip and then I bought a new membership for $5.

They used to have good gear at a decent price but as others have noted, they took a turn towards expensive brands that I was mostly not interested in. Still, I liked shopping there occasionally for the products I did want and enjoyed the vibe. I guess I felt part of the community. Back in the day a lot of their products lasted a long time. You could usually buy affordable base equipment knowing the quality was good. It's still good, I suppose, but way more expensive than before.

Not so much now. I was there recently. Staff was still friendly but selection is terrible. They have really lost their way as an outdoor store. Bikes have always been expensive but some parts were good. Usually the quality was good and they had a decent return policy. As said, selection is terrible now.

Someone mentioned Cabelas. Meh. One could make similar complaints about their sales model. Big store, large layout, rows and rows of the same product lines. Selection is super limited. They could display half the inventory and have a much smaller store.

Now MEC is just another store. I comparison shop a lot to look for the best parts/price with no inherent loyalty.

indyfabz

Same here. There are 3 REI stores I can drive to in about 20-25 min. One of them I can even bike to. Still carry a lot of camping gear. The sleeping bag, tent, mattress, bowl, cup and stove I currently tour with were all purchased there. All were but the stove were purchased within the last 5 years. And I have their credit card. Usually have over $200 to spend every year. One thing the company has going for it in the Philly/S. Jersey area is that there are not of retailers in the market. In fact, I can't thin of any others. Some people who are new to activities like to be able to see, touch and try products before buying them. When I bought my latest bag I compared different sizes. I also tried the mattress in store. And they will set up any tent they have in stock for you.

I also drive a Subaru.

bondaroo

First became a member in the late 80s. Used to love the place. Over time it started stocking more and clothing, less gear. Looks like a hipper Sport Chek. The women's cycling clothing tops out at "tiny". Last time I went (5 years ago?) I bought some fenders and a bell, they didn't have pedals in stock I wanted and no one was terribly interested in helping me figure things out.

staehpj1

I miss that since I moved to Tallahassee. We are supposed to be getting and REI though.

indyfabz

One of them opened only about 2 years ago. It's not that far from the other location near me. I've never been, but I hear it's a good deal larger. The original one in that area can get very crowded, especially during sales.

skookum

In my experience staff has always been hit and miss at MEC.There was a period in the late eighties in Calgary where they thought they were their own little cool kids club and had no interest in dealing with the hoi polloi. Even recently some have been very good and others less so.
There was a period about ten years ago, before they started selling their own bicycles, where you could get really good in expensive after market bike parts. Things like chain wheels.
All those things disappeared when they went in to bikes big time.
I never felt any real loyalty to the store because I never felt they had any loyalty to me as a customer. I was just somebody interrupting their socializing or questioning their superior knowledge.
I hope their new management is succcesful, because we need a diversity of places to buy from

Happy Feet

Well, that wasn't my experience but I understand the sentiment. One of my major complaints is bike store staff that can't interrupted their socializing to deal with... customers.

I was very much a solo climber then, now a solo biker, so I've never been part of a clique. But I was pretty into the scene so may have not noticed.

A good experience 2 years ago was looking for fender flaps (the rubber things at the end of the fender to catch spray). The bike staff looked around, no go, but then went back to the service department and brought out a broken set of fenders. They had just swapped them out for a customer and he gave them to me, no charge, so I could take the flaps off.

skookum

Bike store staff are notorious for that. There was a high end bike store in Calgary which was the only place you could get Brooks saddles. Usually they had to order them. If you happened to talk to the owner, he was great, friendly, would call you when the order arrived. If he wasn't there the staff were horrible. If you didnt have a $10 000 carbon fibre Calfee, they werent interested in dealing with you. What kind of moron would want a Brooks saddle anyway?

In the immediate pre pandemic times, there was an awesome guy at the MEC store, who was easy to describe to people because he always wore a kilt. He was very knowledgeable and helpful.
Don't know if he is still there.

mstateglfr 

rei isnt trying to be the price leader, that's for sure.
They also aren't trying to stay limited to a very niche activity. Climbing is about as niche as it gets and if they focused only on that as well as the minimalist among us, they wouldn't have much foot traffic or clicks.

They are an outdoor activities store and when you try to feed such a diverse market, you need to keep some things more general. Thst means they may not have a specific piece of very rarely asked for climbing gear and instead use thst floor space to sell well used things like gloves, socks, hats, or whatever else.

Their camping gear is extensive for my area so I appreciate that.
I'm not sure why rei being a lifestyle store is a bad thing. Promoting active lifestyles is good...right?