Not as large as usual, but still triple digits. How much was yours?

Measly $35  

I spent more last year, but not at REI. If they don't carry the lightest weight stuff, I have to buy it elsewhere.

$2.60! Hope it's better for this year.

My goal every year is to have a $0 dividend check at REI. Meaning everything I buy there is at a sale price. Unfortunately, this year my dividend was $16.06.

And like Steve, I bought most of my stuff elsewhere not because the other retailers had lighter stuff, the other retailers had better prices.

$24.00 - my lowest dividend in 5 years.

Must be the economy.

This will be the last year I'll have any REI dividend to speak off. While most of the items I buy from them are via REI-Outlet, we did use the REI Visa card as our primary card until their vendor, US Bank, failed to maintain its online capacity in a responsible manner. After several months of total ineptitude on US Bank's part, we pulled the plug on that account and cancelled it.

I'll miss the REI dividend that purchases via that Visa card provided. However, I've been getting a bit disgusted with REI of late anyway. Who needs 75 different LED headlamp choices? Or 35 different hiking boots? Or 20 different rain shells? That's an excessive number of selections, and it drives the item costs up.

I visited my first MEC recently. It's what REI used to be. Let's hope they don't follow the same path.

And - back on track - a pair of MH softshell pants are on the way thanks to the dividend. My old EMS ones are getting a bit weary.

Kevin, I've got the REI Visa card, but don't use it much. I use a Wells Fargo Visa because, instead of a dividend, they post a $25 principal payment to my house loan every time I charge $2500.

What happened with US Bank and their on-line access?

35 different hiking boots, and I STILL have to get mine elsewhere because I have a super-wide foot.

Just over $300, mostly because the REI Visa is my only credit card, . Used the 20% discount, and a pair of Marmot precip full-zip pants is on the way,

Steve -

Their website simply wouldn't work on a regular basis. I recall one month my wife tried over consecutive days to make a payment, once trying 17 times, all to no avail. It would take 2 or 3 days for their tech support to reply to emails, and then they were non-nonsensical. With so many choices re: plastic available, there's little incentive to wait for an IT Dept to get their server farm fixed.

They also raised their rates ... got the letter "you've been the perfect customer, but ... the rates are going up". And REI was no help, so ... good-bye.

Kevin

$127.00 and some change...

My lowest, too, but I have everything REI has to offer!

My wife got a whopping $0.00 cuz she bought those sale items ending in a "3" or "9"

But, hey, that 20% will come in handy, too!

REI member since 1961. (I'm almost as old as Bob R!) This year with 2 REI Visa cards (1 joint ownership and 1 for my wife by herself),we have received nearly $300 in dividends. We too find it hard to find anything we need anymore but use the dividends for things we normally wouldn't buy. Just got a pair of Vasque Mindbender Trail-Running Shoes with the 20% coupon (page 14 of dividend catalog) & can state that they are comfortable and very light weight.

I swear by Vasque and have missed their Catalyst Goretex boots which are not made anymore. I have purchased about 8-9
pairs over the years and hope the Mindbender is a good sub, although not Goretex & are low cut.

Unlike Kevin R, we have never had a problem with US Bank and use on line viewing to check our account daily.
Hope this doesn't jinx us and we start having trouble now.

I am a new REI member -- only since 1971. I have also had no trouble with US Bank, which is good because that credit card is responsible for almost all of my dividend this year.

$127, all on purchases. No REI Visa here, or much of anything else - I buy everything on my AX Rewards to build airline miles for these hiking jaunts out west. No joke, I pay my real estate taxes each year through AX; all my utilities are charged to it automatically each month as well. Until I paid the house off a few years ago, I was paying my mortgage through AX. That kind of diligence typically got me 5 or so round trip flights per year.

As for 2010 REI, I see a big year. I need to outfit my wife and daughter with newer and lighter stuff for our Whitney trip in July. And I can't have them getting new stuff and me just using the same ol' same ol' . . .

My div was 68.oo .......lame two years ago it was 430.00 those days are gone.

The only thing I have bought at REI in the past year is a nalgene bottle and I paid for it with last years dividend.Not gonna get a dividend this year.

> I was paying my mortgage through AX

What? You can make mortgage payments using a credit card???

Yep, if you talk really sweet and pay in full each month. And carry their Rewards card since 1982. I didn't get the full dollar-for-mile/point benefit that I did for other "normal" purchases, but roughly a mile/point for every 3 dollars on that puppy. Unfortunately that extra bump on my points each month is gone now, but I have the satisfaction of being a homeowner. The other bummer is that we really can't itemize on tax returns anymore since we have no home mortgage interest deduction. Without the mortgage on the AX card, I've been down to about 3 round-trip flights earned per year instead of the 5-6 I used to earn. Essentially, one family vacation per year.

If you really need another credit card or want to replace what you have in your wallet, get the REI credit card and that adds money to your yearly total. Dividends plus credit card usage for me was $145 this year.

A number of you are mentioning better places and prices than REI to make outdoor equipment purchases. Adv. 16 moved out of Costa Mesa. What else is there in the Orange County area?

I believe A-16 in Costa Mesa is just known as Patagonia. I used to live in the South Pointe Apartments across the street. Went to many a Kurt Wedberg Whitney Clinics there. Yes, how convenient was that!

Having used to live in Irvine and Costa Mesa, there just not many sporting goods stores other than Sport Chalet, Big 5, etc.

Then there is the Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga. Go and get there EARLY!

More sporting good stores in the OC area.

I believe there is/used to be a sporting good store in South Coast Plaza, but I wouldn't go there.

Arne, aren't there still a number of A16 stores in So Cal? You would just need to drive farther to find one.

For myself, I use the Internet to order stuff that REI doesn't carry.