Just say 'no' to REI

The Durango Herald wrote a nice little kumbaya/Pollyana/let’sjustallgetalong editorial on July 27, 2025, about the new REI in Bodo and had an article about their opening in the same issue. I wish I could share their optimism. They opined that REI “seeks to become a trusted community partner” and that we should “give them a chance.” The problem is that while we give them a chance, some of our local shops will almost certainly go out of business. They quoted some folks from Flagstaff who said that many of the shops that were there before REI are still there after several decades. The key word there is “many” – not “all,” and not even “most.”

The bottom line is that whatever your favorite local store is, it’s in danger of not surviving REI. Whether it’s a big store or a little one, you never know what any given store’s financial situation is. It’s almost a certainty that not all will make it.

The Herald made much of the fact that REI is going to give $20,000 (a pittance for REI) this fall to Montezuma Land Conservancy. Meanwhile our local shops have been supporting all kinds of events and organizations for decades. And, REI kind of has a history of initial local support and then much less later on.

When you spend a dollar at REI, roughly 43 cents stays in the local community, compared to the 68 cents that stays local when you shop at a locally owned retailer. That’s a quarter more out of every dollar spent that stays here to make our towns more vibrant … that’s not chump change.

As for the 43 “new” jobs created by the new REI (only six of which are full time), those aren’t new jobs. There are only so many jobs that can exist in this community selling outdoor gear, so after some of the existing shops go out of business (and maybe others have to lay people off), I suspect there might be a handful of new jobs in that sector, but nowhere near 43 … and at what expense to our local outdoor culture?

The Herald quoted the new manager at REI as saying that they’re committed to “lifting all boats.” That’s “nice.” The truth is that most of the dollars that’ll be spent at REI are dollars that would otherwise have been spent at one of our existing retailers. And if you’re someone who says, “Well, competition is good for everyone,” this is far from competition. REI, because of its size, is able to buy from the suppliers at prices that are massively lower than local shops. It’s a total David and Goliath scenario. But we, the folks in the Four Corners area, can be the stone in the sling shot that takes out Goliath. 

Please buy local!

Just say no to Goliath.

– Gunnar Conrad, Durango