But REI recently notified some members via email that they are no longer allowed to make returns or exchanges because they abused the policy, 9News reports.
By the numbers: The company said the notice went to "less than 0.02% of its 24 million-plus" members, which is roughly 4,800 people.
What they're saying: "We identified a very small subset of members … who demonstrated a clear abuse of our policy," Katie Barosky, senior manager of store communications, told 9News. "While they will still be welcome to shop with us, they will no longer be welcome to make returns or exchanges."
In a statement to ABC News, an REI spokesperson said the targeted members had an average return rate of 79% and returned $2,400 in merchandise, $1,400 of which had been used first.