I've had two such experiences at REI that have made me questions their hiring practices. One, when asking for a book about waterholes canyon the sales person assumed I knew nothing about climbing or canyoneering then proceeded to say something long the lines of that it is people like me who are worsening the permit situation on the Grand Canyon. The second situation was when purchasing a bike for a 6 year old who can ride without training wheels. Asked to put them on anyways because the bike was big for him. The clerk argued with me about not putting them on and then was heard saying "what is this shit" while walking away.
Other than these two negative experiences I have found that a bunch of ill experienced chads with lots of clinic experience run the show here.