Went To NH’s First REI For A Door Prize, Walked Out A Member

TBH, I was only going because my girlfriend wanted a grand opening door prize. However, I was the one who walked out with a ton of stuff. 

Ever walk in a store and think "this is nice, and maybe I'll pick up ONE THING?" Or, you're only going in for "item A", but walk out with "items A, B, C, and even D." Yeah, that happened this weekend. 

Last week, we reported REI opened their first New Hampshire location. If you showed up early enough, you could snag a gift card and water bottle. Okay, I can't say that was the entire reason the trek was made, but it was heavily suggested we get there early, "if we're going anyway." Gotcha.

So, we walked in a little late for the door prizes (thanks Fryeburg Fair/construction traffic) but found the place to be pretty great. In fact, I stocked up on a ton of cycling items. They have their own shop, and will be doing rentals. You could tell the staff were into their jobs, knowledgeable about the area, the business itself, and what their location had to offer North Conway. Through listening and learning how they're investing in the area, becoming a member was a no-brainer. In fact, they didn't even have to ask.

One of the benefits of being a member is shopping at their annual "garage sale," full of discounted returned items and etc. Hopefully, traffic is moving better by then. Oh, and they threw in two water bottles when I asked if we missed the door prizes. 

Camping, hiking, cycling, and a lot of things under the outdoor umbrella, lots of people poured into REI for their grand opening.