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| - I love this store. I have for a very very long time...so long in fact, that when the senior staff at MEC hear my membership number, they raise an eyebrow and remark how long I've been a member.
I've spent a lot of money at the store. A LOT OF MONEY. So much so, that my $5 membership fee??? Pffffft....what $5 membership fee? I've accumulated so many additional shares from the co-operative profit redistribution model, that MEC has given me back MANY hundreds of dollars to buy back my excess shares. I've essentially received free tents from MEC just from buying. Spending money at MEC is like love...you have to give some out to get some back.
Yes...if only my RRSP gave back the same return that I've received on my $5 membership fee...that and twice annual mailings of a great catalogue that makes the best bathroom reading outside of ...ummm...other literature.
They've moved over the years, to selling more higher end brands than in-house product, though they still have their own MEC branded gear. Taking on the Patagonia line amongst other things was a big move to compete with the "other stores"...and one that makes sense given Patagonia's environmental "ethos" (excusing of course, their very high markup to compensate for "green" and "ethical" practices).
This is a welcome addition as MEC's R&D department, while able to produce excellent value in high tech gear, also often does a lot of funny stuff in the cut of their clothes (weird tapering of jackets, ineffective belt design on 30 years of Rad Pant production...now defunct unfortunately, and other oddities)...but the universal reply is, that you are willing to forgive a lot in the design because of the price they are able to offer for that gear (e.g. an MEC Synergy 2 Gore ProShell hardshell jacket at $360 compares to Mountain Hardwear's Optimo ProShell at $500 USD).
If it's outdoor gear, you can find it here. What kind of gear?
This is the important question.
MEC is not cheap. Their prices are not cheap. HOWEVER, their product is also not cheap. They sell GOOD gear, not cheap gear...at fair prices. Can you find equivalent product at better prices on sale elsewhere? Absolutely. MEC doesn't do "sales", but they do discount product for clearance...so you can sometimes get lucky.
Their housebrand tents are a great value. Housebranded jackets a great deal.
And their backpacks. Oh...the backpacks. I've seen them all over the world, and they are a hilarious conversation point in the middle of nowhere, seeing that little green mountain on a backpack. You would be hard pressed to find a Canadian born adult who hasn't had an MEC backpack at least some portion of their schooling years.
And the bikes? Again, Canadian Tire is cheaper...in terms of price and quality. Their bikes can be considered expensive, but they are aiming for a mid-range quality product, and for the most part, I think they've achieved that target, providing a solid, well performing bike line at competitive prices to the larger bike brand names.
Mail order? Again ...easy, with free shipping to the MEC store of your choice...which allows for finding product in sizes not available locally, brought in for free.
The climbing wall? Fun and free on the weekends. You can't do laps, or throw it down like you can in a gym...but hey...it's free and fun for the older kids.
For this, the $5 LIFETIME membership fee is unbeatable.
Your phone number may change, your health card number may change...but your MEC number stays forever.
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