The building that REI occupies in SoHo has some of the nicest penthouses on top. It's also a gorgeous building that costs a pretty penny. REI, like a lot of others in that area, use the store as a billboard to keep it top of mind. They won't last much longer there, and their employees efforts would be better spent looking for work elsewhere.
Do you know the difference between a member coop and a worker coop?
REI is technically a member coop, so members (shoppers) are privileged to some of their profits. Members are also entitled to a vote for the board - but as far as I’ve ever seen this is a sham (two people running for two positions… can’t lose)
But a member agreement has very little to do with how workers are treated.
A “worker coop” might be what you’re thinking of - where all the employees collectively own the business and have some say in how the business is run. (Though how much say varies depending on the coop).
REI is not a worker owned coop. And whatever “member owned” coop benefits they have are basically a sham in my opinion. It’s basically a loyalty fee - like a Sam’s club membership except you only have to pay it once - meaning that your membership at REI is probably less valuable than your membership at Sam’s club.
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REI is technically a member coop, so members (shoppers) are privileged to some of their profits. Members are also entitled to a vote for the board - but as far as I’ve ever seen this is a sham (two people running for two positions… can’t lose)
But a member agreement has very little to do with how workers are treated.
A “worker coop” might be what you’re thinking of - where all the employees collectively own the business and have some say in how the business is run. (Though how much say varies depending on the coop).
REI is not a worker owned coop. And whatever “member owned” coop benefits they have are basically a sham in my opinion. It’s basically a loyalty fee - like a Sam’s club membership except you only have to pay it once - meaning that your membership at REI is probably less valuable than your membership at Sam’s club.