Parking Garage at REI

This is a very awkwardly laid out garage the only place to park a mid size truck without hitting anything is at the very bottom.
On the weekends when REI has their huge sales this garage should have free parking (they used to, but this last weekend they did not.) If REI validated my parking I wouldn’t be in such a rush and would spend more money in their store. REI misses out on making a lot more money for us over a few bucks in parking fees.
Also on busy weekends this garage is very hard to get in or out of. We have waited in line for over 15 minutes to get out and in that time have gone over our free hour and had to pay. BOO!

Poor customer service ! Will never shop or park here again

Not loving the fact that they say the parking is free for only the first hour. I understand that the following hours after the first are only a dollar more… but hey, I’m just trying to spend my money at REI, which is already pretty spendy. They shouldn’tt be tacking on other shenanigan prices to make my shopping experience even more spendy.
Also, on another note, We arrived at some time in the afternoon around the 40 min mark, we left an hour and 5 minutes later so at the 45 mark, and yes, we were charged for that «additional hour.»
Not a fan of this parking garage and if my bf or I could avoid it, we would.

It’s free for the first hour. But getting into the lot and out of it is a pain, be prepared to sit in the street waiting to get in while neither side of the street moves because of the traffic issues getting in and out.

The only reason that this doesn’t get one star is because its free for the first 55 minutes. I would say that it is free for the first hour, but the attendant handed me a ticket when I pulled in at 4:55 that said I got there at 4:50.
Oh well, I waited in line driving through the one lane of traffic, squeezed my little car into an even littler spot, crawled out a window, and then went shopping. I’m happy I didn’t have to pay to park, but this isn’t anywhere close to ideal.

Dear REI:
Ever time the lever arm raises in the entrance to this garage, you are about to alienate another customer. Parking should not cost anything to shop in your store. Your prices more than pay for the «cost» of having this garage. And by making everyone sit in their car, sometimes for the better part of an hour, just to get OUT of this garage is enough to put everyone off. This garage pretty much sucks. All the time.
Sorry.
(why am I apologizing???)

Oh, boy… hold your breath! Because you’re basically taking the plunge when parking in this lot. I swear there are twice as many pillars as there are parking spaces in this place. It’s ridiculous.
As you enter, you think back to that moment over the summer when you almost bought a Mini Cooper and now feel regret. You… might…not…make…it…in…
But once inside, you soon realize it doesn’t matter because the entire lot is a mess. Should you go right and up or straight and then right to the hidden levels that nobody knows about because they aren’t labeled well? I could beat this dead horse all day, folks.
Here’s the upside: A hour of free parking!
So borrow your neighbor’s Vespa, grab your Seattle shopping bag, and find a spot at REI’s parking garage.

First of all, I should start by saying that I appreciate the attached parking to REI’s flagship location. That being said, there are a lot of problems with this garage. There are numerous pillars, which make navigating the tight aisles very challenging unless you are driving a tiny subcompact (think Smart car). Likewise, the parking stalls are much too narrow.
The garage seems dark and cavelike – better lighting would help. There is no clearly marked pedestrian crosswalk/​safety zone, which is desperately needed. Lastly, parking here should be free so long as you can show a valid shopping receipt as proof that you are a legitimate customer.
REI, your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to seriously consider how to mitigate the problems your customers have identified for you!
Unilocal 365 Challenge #180

Worst in Town — park on the street. If there was a MINUS Star I would have assigned it a MINUS 5

Horrible, just plain horrible… and I have a compact car.

As a pedestrian– I feel like I’m going to die.
As a car– I feel like I’m going to kill others and/​or damage things.
BUT IT’S FREEEEEEE (for an hour). FREEEEE??? In South Lake Union where parking is an increasing nightmare. Yes folks, free.

This scary horrible lace made me begin parking far away and ultimately to not shop there. aho!

This parking garage has done more to make me pray to a higher power than going to a private Catholic university. My fat backside likes walking here from the U District more than having to deal with the parking lot.

So this is a 2 parter.
1. Why do you have to pay to park? At the very least validate parking if you purchase something and if you stay more that 2 hours then the validation is tiered by purchase amount. For every $ 100 in purchase you get a free hour. If I can going to buy a bike I want to spend time with it deciding and testing.
2. One of the worst designed garages ever very tight spots and pillars everywhere at parking spots. looking at all the paint scrapes on the pillars I imagine a lot of people don’t plan on returning to the garage anytime soon. I love the downtown REI but this garage is a main reason why I go to other REI’s in the city.

I don’t know why everyone’s complaining about this garage– it’s the perfect place to perfect your driving skills. Navigating narrow corridors, braking quickly for darting pedestrians, and squeezing into parking stalls without holding up the line of cars behind you will surely hone one’s patience, agility, hand eye coordination, and increase your appreciation that the actual place you’re going to is an outdoor enthusiast’s Toys ‘R Us.

Okay, here’s the lowdown.
If you stay less than an hour it is usually free.
Easy access to the store from anywhere in the garage.
Drive all the way up to the top floor for the best parking.
Don’t block traffic waiting for someone to unlock their car! There are tons of spots further up that everyone behind you is trying to get to!!!
Use your brain and be polite!
If you have a hard time parking your vehicle, no matter what its’ size, stay away. The stalls are fine, its’ you that’s the problem.
This is a great parking garage with great access.
The only drawback is the idiots that can’t figure out how a parking garage works!

There is so much parking on the streets and in pay lots adjacent to REI that it’s actually faster to park and walk a few blocks than trying to get out of the REI garage.
Don’t park here unless you have to!

Yes, it’s dark and can be busy but sometimes you can leave 15 mins after the one hour free period and they won’t make you pay. Plus I like staying dry. Not the best parking lot in Seattle but not the worst. (I think the under-​the-​freeway parking is the worst — for the Convention Center)

I don’t know what happened when they designed the garage for REI’s flagship store. The store is open, well lit and easy to navigate. The garage is cramped, dark, and only barely leaves enough room for a reasonably-​sized car, let alone the massive suburban assault vehicles people try to park in there, spilling over into two or even three parking spots.
Even when it was completely free it was a hassle, but since they’ve implemented paid parking after the first hour, it’s next to impossible getting in and out of the garage while people queue up to pick up their ticket or pay on the way out. Add to this that REI doesn’t validate beyond the free period, and it makes an already abysmal experience that much worse.
The only positive is that because it is connected to the building, it makes it easier if you have a small tribe to ferry between car and store or to get larger purchases back to your car. Even then, when we recently bought a hitch mount bike rack there we still felt it was more convenient to haul the awkward, bulky, 50lb box two blocks down the street by hand rather than deal with the garage.
Do yourself a favor and find meter parking on a nearby street. You’ll get in and out of the store much faster by avoiding the car lineup to enter the garage, and the few bucks you pay lets you browse without worrying whether trying on a couple more jackets is going to result in a parking charge that gets higher the longer you shop.

Well, I think the parking is very convenient. the spots are a little small, yes, but nothing a little patience and driving skill can’t alleviate. Free parking in that neighborhood for 90 minutes is a real bonus!