To start with, this is not my favorite Charlotte REI location. I much prefer the one in Northlake area (north side of Charlotte). This store is divided into two floors. The layout is almost genius and makes for a cool look inside. There's an entrance on both floors because of the way the mall and parking lot are designed. It still makes for a sometimes frustrating shopping experience.
At the Northlake store, they have their REI garage sales outside in a cordoned off section of the parking lot. That means everything that's discounted is lying spread out right in front of you. Very easy to pick from! Here, it seems they have to put everything inside the store. It's all intermingled with the other similar items. If you are familiar with the layout here (which I'm not) then you'll probably be okay at finding what you're looking for. But for odds and ends, it's a bit of a treasure hunt.
Staff here is helpful but far and few between when compared to the Northlake store. On one visit at the Northlake store I swear 5 employees asked me if I needed help in the span of 30 minutes. I've been here for that long and never once asked if I needed help.
Yep, prices are high. If you're a regular here you already know it. And you probably are a member and get your 10% dividend every year with a bit of that cost returned to you. When things are on sale you get some serious deals - at least 20% off most of the time. I rarely buy things full price here unless I have my heart set on it.