Atmosphere might be what MEC used to be in terms of its young, hip, and hungry edge. It's a smaller store, features mostly brand names, and perhaps has more limited choices in some areas. However, for me and my US-based credit card, it's all about the sales to selection ratio. On a recent Saturday, I went back and forth across the street comparing styles and pricing of hiking shoes and jackets. The folks here were friendly, helpful, and totally cool to comparative shopping game I was playing.