I don’t see any use case for this retailer outside of doing scummy shit.
this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2025
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I literally can't even imagine what REI thinks they need AI for
REI is no longer a co-op and has caught Big Business Brain and is now on the Quest To Make More Money, which ironically (or perhaps not, given the types of clientele they've historically attracted) is in the process of tanking them. Fuck 'em. I quit shopping there years ago, when this happened.
Christ... I had no idea about that.
Did they actually stop being a co-op?
Functionally, yes. I mean, they probably stopped being a true co-op going on for a decade ago or more. But they finally neutered their membership rewards program so much that any vestige of an allusion to any manner of cooperative structure is now totally gone. You can't cash out your rewards anymore, they're only usable as company scrip now, and they expire.
Wow. I got like a lifetime membership ages ago, I didn't know about that, thank you for filling me in a bit. That fuckin sucks shit.
Someone mentioned recruiting but honestly I'd assume review analysis/highlights. Thats generally what I see retailers do with it
At least amazon seperates it into categories and lets you see some of the reviews in question in case that attribute is especially important to you. I'd much rather that than just being told whether it's a good product- a system with clearly no conflicts of interest that will never be used for harm, obviously.