I'm a card-carrying proud REI member, I support not only this but almost everything they stand for, and often times find myself happily paying more to shop ther

I'm a card-carrying proud REI member, I support not only this but almost everything they stand for, and often times find myself happily paying more to shop there because I love the brand so much. But... This is a fantastic PR play, which strategically could help earnings overall. Not saying a good PR play can't be mutually beneficial for employees and the company, but if they weren't trying to get attention for it, they could have just sent out a boring memo company-wide instead of setting up a big campaign (I still think a memo would get attention, but that's besides the point). This isn't me being cynical, I think REI does some fantastic things as a company and for the greater good of preserving the outdoors as well as encouraging people to explore, but it could certainly be a brilliant part of their marketing strategy to grow business and customer loyalty.