{"id":159235,"date":"2020-05-12T00:01:05","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T07:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=159235"},"modified":"2022-07-26T21:00:35","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T04:00:35","slug":"eric-artz-reopening-our-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/eric-artz-reopening-our-stores","title":{"rendered":"Eric Artz: Reopening Our Stores\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note on June 4, 2020:\u00a0<\/strong>Check our store locator<\/a> to see the current status of your local REI.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

To our co-op community,<\/p>\n

I\u2019m writing to share some\u00a0good\u00a0news. After two months of temporary closures, this week we will\u00a0begin\u00a0reopening\u00a0our stores\u2014just in time to celebrate our 82nd<\/sup>\u00a0anniversary.<\/p>\n

In some places, \u201copening\u201d\u00a0will mean\u00a0curbside service\u00a0for orders placed online. In others,\u00a0our doors will open\u00a0for\u00a0a limited number of\u00a0customers. In every case,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0be\u00a0taking precautions\u00a0for\u00a0the health and safety of our employees, customers and communities.\u00a0We\u2019ll have\u00a0health and safety\u00a0procedures\u00a0<\/a>in place\u00a0for\u00a0our\u00a0store teams,\u00a0and\u00a0clear\u00a0guidance for\u00a0you\u00a0on how to shop\u00a0or do curbside pick-up.\u00a0We\u2019ll also be closely following guidance from\u00a0national, state\u00a0and\u00a0local authorities to make sure we\u2019re\u00a0operating in\u00a0compliance\u00a0with\u00a0any restrictions in\u00a0your\u00a0area.<\/p>\n

We have made significant progress in\u00a0all\u00a0of\u00a0these areas over the last\u00a0month,\u00a0and we are ready to begin expanding services in\u00a0many\u00a0of our stores. Our hope and expectation\u00a0is\u00a0that\u00a0more than\u00a0half of our stores will be\u00a0<\/strong>open for\u00a0curbside\u00a0pick-up<\/a>\u00a0in time for our Anniversary Sale, May\u00a015\u2013May\u00a025,\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0small\u00a0number of\u00a0stores will\u00a0be open for in-store services as well.<\/p>\n

You can find more details about your local store\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re doing our part to make the curbside\u00a0and in-store\u00a0experience as safe as possible for everyone, and\u00a0we need your help. When you come into our stores,\u00a0our employees will be wearing\u00a0face coverings, and\u00a0we\u2019re going to\u00a0ask\u00a0that\u00a0you\u00a0wear\u00a0one too.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s a simple thing that we can all do right now to take care of one another and,\u00a0if you forget yours, we\u2019ll have disposable\u00a0face coverings\u00a0available.<\/p>\n

For anyone who can\u2019t make it to a store, we\u2019ll keep doing our best to get you\u00a0all\u00a0the gear, expertise and inspiration you need through our digital channels. We\u2019re offering\u00a0all\u00a0the great deals you\u2019d expect during Anniversary Sale at REI.com<\/a>. In the coming weeks, we\u2019re also rolling out virtual events and gatherings for members,\u00a0zero-contact\u00a0shop services for bicycle maintenance at our stores, a virtual outfitting program and an improved\u00a0returns process.<\/p>\n

Few things make us happier than serving our customers in our stores.\u00a0The journey is far from over, but we are making progress, and we\u2019re grateful for your support and understanding\u00a0right now. To everyone who has reached out with a word of encouragement\u00a0or\u00a0has\u00a0helped support\u00a0local nonprofits through\u00a0our\u00a0Outdoor Emergency Fund<\/a>,\u00a0thank you.<\/p>\n

There is a spirit of togetherness that has defined your co-op for 82 years, and as we celebrate our anniversary, I\u2019m reminded that right now it\u2019s more important than ever. Be well\u00a0and take care.<\/p>\n

My best,<\/p>\n

Eric Artz<\/p>\n

President and CEO, REI Co-op<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note on June 4, 2020:\u00a0Check our store locator to see the current status of your local REI. To our co-op community, I\u2019m writing to share some\u00a0good\u00a0news. After two months of temporary closures, this week we will\u00a0begin\u00a0reopening\u00a0our stores\u2014just in time to celebrate our 82nd\u00a0anniversary. In some places, \u201copening\u201d\u00a0will mean\u00a0curbside service\u00a0for orders placed online. In others,\u00a0our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":159255,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[1999,727,682],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-159235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-covid-19","tag-latest-posts","tag-rei-news"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/eric-artz-reopening-our-stores","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Eric Artz: Reopening Our Stores\u00a0","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/eric-artz-reopening-our-stores","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/eric-artz-reopening-our-stores"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/05\/VAGNINI_181016_2593-new.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/05\/VAGNINI_181016_2593-new.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["covid-19","latest posts","rei news"],"dateCreated":"2020-05-12T07:01:05Z","datePublished":"2020-05-12T07:01:05Z","dateModified":"2022-07-27T04:00:35Z"},"rendered":"