I've been a HUGE REI fan for years and have handed them quite a bit of cash for my various outdoor obsessions. I spent a small fortune on sport climbing gear at the San Diego store from about 1996 to 2001.
That said, strangely enough, this location's inventory only meets my needs about half the time.
I've twice gone by in the past year or two for some Camelbak products and discovered what I'd consider odd gaps in the available selection. Given that this is Arizona, are so many more people interested in non-insulated metal bottles that can't easily fit ice cubes than insulated bottles with large mouths? Even today I went by and their hiking-style (vs. bicycling-specific) hydration packs stock (Camelbak or otherwise) was lacking.
I decided to peruse their trail running shoes and, again, just seemed like the choices are limited (or perhaps very specific to the majority of their shoppers?)
The customer service I've experienced has been good but I just don't know if I'll bother to visit this store anymore. I've been to the smaller Tempe location a couple times when I've happened to be in the area, but it's too far away for me to make it a REI-only trip... =(