As a native Seattleite, REI <i>was</i> a local retailer, so I can&#x27;t comment there. And I don&#x27;t know what their outreach efforts are like in the communities where they base their stores.<p>That said, IMO your experience with the staff&#x27;s education level is the exception rather than the rule. Certainly for specialty equipment you might be better off at a climbing shop where all of the employees know the gear, rather than making sure you get &quot;the climbing guy&quot; at your particular REI store. But not everyone can be an expert in everything, and they make efforts to train their employees on the gear they sell to a greater extent than most other non-specialty stores.