They are having a 50% off sale starting the 9th. I called and got a pair of Sidi Bullets for $60 waiting for me behind the counter.

TY for the info....how does one gain advance knowledge to such information?

Being a member, they send information on sales, a week before they start. Good luck.

They started a clearance sale right before Xmas but their now appears to be a lot more stuff in their outlet section. Thanks for the heads up.

If you're looking for cold-weather gear, remember to check their non-cycling areas for base layers, tights, gloves, etc....

I know I sound like an REI shill, but - it's a great store. Prices are moderately high, but if you are a member you get a 8 to 9% rebate back each year; their sales and clearance sales have good deals. I think I've purchased the bulk of my riding gear from them over the past couple of years just by watching the sales...

Also, their returns policies are great. I recently returned two suitcases that I purchased from them in 2002, full refunds....

You don't even have to be a member (although you might as well--$15 LIFETIME membership and dividends of about 10% each year). https://www.rei.com/email/miniforms/q...quickReiFooterYour coupon information:
15% Off One Full-Price Item.
EXCLUSIONS:

Offer valid 30 days from date of issue.
Offer valid for new Gearmail® subscribers only; email addresses are subject to validation by REI.
Coupon (or coupon code) must be presented at time of purchase.
Offer valid at REI.com, 1-800-426-4840 and REI stores.
Offer not valid at REI-OUTLET.com items, REI Adventures or REI Outdoor School.
Offer not valid for sale or clearance items (prices ending in $._3 or $._9).
Offer not valid on special orders, package discounts, prior purchases, REI gift cards or E-gift cards, passes and tickets, gift boxes, memberships, shop services, rentals.
Offer not valid on bicycles.
Offer not valid on hard-shell boats.
Offer not valid on The North Face, Burton, Oakley or BOB products.
Offer not valid on skis, boots or bindings; snowboards, boots or bindings.
Offer not valid on any item with GPS technology, two-way radios, phones, personal locator beacons.
Offer is limited to stock on hand and backorderable items, is nontransferable and is not redeemable for cash.
Merchandise purchased with this offer is not eligible for the REI member refund.
Offer may not be combined with any other discount or offer. Limit one coupon per customer.
To order by phone, call 1-800-426-4840 Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. Pacific Time.
Cashier instruction: Apply 15% line discount to the highest full-price item. Please refer to exclusions.

I went tonight and picked up 4-5 Pearl Izumi socks (on sale), a pair of glove liners (not on sale), several new flavors of Clif Bars (some on sale, some not) and a set of bike-related Christmas tree ornaments (50% off)!

Even better, I just charged it against my refund balance!

P.S. Grew up near Seattle (were REI started) and have been a member since I was a teenager.

I miss the funky old store on capitol hill . . .

kenja,

I do too. I remember sitting on the sidewalk as a teenager in the wee hours of the night waiting for REI to open its doors for their annual sale! The line was three blocks longs around their building.

I've been a member since the seventies and they never send me anything. Maybe they lost track of me.

I'll second that shill..
If I need something, I go to REI first.
Even further rebates if you get an REI Visa card.
Satisfaction policy is un-matched and has come in handy many times.

I REI, too. Their returned gear sales are the best.

On the downside, REI redesigned the web site with a ton of Flash (or something). It now is excruciating trying to browse if there is any traffic at all. I gave up this morning.

Edit: I tried to email them the above message, resulting in:
We're Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Our sites are currently not available but we're scrambling to get them back online.
We apologize for the inconvenience and encourage you to check back soon.

I've been a member of REI since the late 70's. I shop there occasionally but never found most any of their sales to be that spectacular. But their service and return policy is outstanding.

What, this is the 50+ forum, and you guys don't remember their downtown store on Pike??

The "used" gear sale....$5 for a pair of North Face zip offs, $15 for titanium trekking poles, $4 for a pair of Lowa Tempest Lo's...

I passed up really good deals on tents and backpacks because I didn't need them.

People now spend the night at the Arcadia store waiting for the store to open the day of...(not me )

I picked some stuff up from the Super Clearance sale. Really nice stuff at very good prices.

I got the Sidi shoes,long sleeve jersey, 3 blouse's for my wife, sweat cap, like a scull cap and 2 sets of Cool Stop brake pads. I also bought a Take A Look mirror that wasn't on sale and 2 boxes of Christmas cards that were, all for $150.