Paid memberships are a tricky game. You know, the ones whereby paying a one-time, annual, or monthly fee you open up the possibility for potential savings or other benefits.
I’ve justified the purchase of three paid memberships from retailers. I’ll tell you who else at the end of the post, but first, why I justified getting the REI Membership for myself. I’d love to hear which paid memberships you have justified putting up the expense for and why.
In the last few years, backpacking has become one of my favorite hobbies. I wrote a series of backpacking posts (you can find at the end of this article).
Anyhow, I bought all of my initial gear about 4 years ago. Recently, I’ve gotten obsessed with going ‘ultra-light’ with my backpacking gear. There are a lot of benefits to going ultra-light, namely, you can walk farther, faster, longer, and it’s a whole lot less painful. Quite simply, it’s a much more enjoyable experience.
Well, those who make the gear in the industry know that there are a whole lot of people who feel the same way as I do who are willing to pay a premium for ultra-light gear. Ultra-light backpacking gear is a relatively recent popular niche (although a lot of people have been quietly practicing it for years). Therefore, the best ultra-light products also tend to be the newest products. Technology in the niche has been changing rapidly. And, unfortunately, less material weight does not equate to a lower price.
Those who have done their homework when purchasing backpacking gear have probably ended up at one of two websites at one point or another. The first is Sierra Trading Post, who offers a lot of closeout/overstocked items at 35 to 70% off retail. The other,REI.com, specializes in selection, customer service, and their own name brand. There is also REI-Outlet, which offers steep discounts on overstock and closeouts.
REI definitely has some unique things that make them an outstanding retailer:
- Return Policy: They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You can basically return anything you bought from them at any time. And they don’t give you a time limit on the return. When dealing with pricey precision gear, this is a HUGE benefit.
- Selection: Their selection is outstanding. They are the Amazon of outdoor gear. You name it, they likely have it. And if they don’t have it in the store, you can order it online. Don’t like it? Take it back to the store.
- Community: They have strong community efforts and make an effort to provide a wide variety of eco-friendly products.
- Customer Service: They have strong customer service and their employees are passionate and happy. REI was recently voted as one of the top 20 employers by Forbes. In the interactions with their employees in stores, they seem very knowledgeable and happy to be there. I’ve also chatted in twice, was helped immediately, and received good answers right away.
For a $20 lifetime membership, you get:
- 10% of your purchases back in the form of an annual dividend.
- Free shipping on orders over $75. They offer free shipping to everyone to retail stores, but you have to go pick it up. Members get free shipping to their house for $75 and over orders.
- Member only sales and offers (right now you can get 20% off one item as a member – more on that later).
- Discounts on gear rental and shop services.
Honestly, for me, it’s all about the 10% dividend.
I’ve been looking to get a lighter 2-person backpacking tent. Backpacker Magazine recently chose the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 Tent as their 2010 Editor Choice tent of the year. It’s easy to see why. The thing is sturdy, waterproof, fits two people, yet weighs a mere 2 lbs., 2 ounces! That’s less than half the weight of my previous tent (an ultra-light backpacker’s dream). The rub? It’s $350. And it’s $350 everywhere (nobody discounts it).
However, right now REI has a special membership sale that goes through April 18th, where you can get 20% off of one full price item. It’s simple math. 20% off of a $350 item equals a $70 savings. That’s a 350% return on my $20 membership. Anything I order above and beyond this will be additional savings for me.
Paid retail memberships can work out for you if you know what you want first, and then discover that a paid membership would pay itself off if you stick to what you originally went for in the first place. The other two memberships that I alluded to earlier are with Costco and a local brewery (membership offers half off beer). In both cases, it should be fairly easy to pay off my membership investment and I stick to the essentials versus justifying spending extra just because I get a discount.
- Do you have an REI membership? Has it been worth the money?
- What other retail memberships do you have? Why? Have they been worth the money?
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