REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) is giving people another great reason to be a member. Free standard shipping is now available exclusively to members for their purchases of $75 or more through REI.com, REI-OUTLET.com and phone direct sales orders.
The new free shipping benefit provides a convenience for member purchases to be shipped to homes, offices or other locations in the United States. To take advantage of the free shipping benefit, customers need to provide their membership number when placing orders. A useful member number look-up feature has been added to REI.com to make it easy to apply the new free shipping benefit. Exclusions apply, such as large or oversized items, and are outlined at http://www.rei.com/membership.
In addition to free shipping for members, REI continues to offer free retail store pick up to all customers for online orders of any amount. These orders can be sent to any of the company’s 110 retail locations in 27 states at no cost. The co-op’s retail store pick up option has been available since 2003.
While anyone may shop at REI, members pay a one-time $20 lifetime fee and receive a share in the company’s profits through an annual member refund based on their purchases. Based on the co-op’s 2009 financial results, patronage refunds were distributed to 3.9 million active members in mid-March totaling more than $80 million.
New Online Community Launched
Recently, the co-op created a place on REI.com for members and others to share their passion for the outdoors through an online community. The site was launched with a select number of features, including blogs, photo contests, polls, and questions and answers on a range of outdoor topics. Site users are invited to participate in the community, share suggestions and tips for getting outdoors and regularly check back as content and features are updated.
About REI
REI is a national outdoor retail co-op dedicated to inspiring, educating and outfitting its members and the community for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship. Founded in 1938 by a group of Pacific Northwest mountaineers seeking quality equipment, REI is committed to promoting environmental stewardship and increasing access to outdoor recreation through volunteerism, gear donations and financial contributions.