REI is selling their new HQ

[jtbadge]

Y'all are dangerously close to stumbling on the virtue of UBI, here.

[unterhausen]

We talked to some people about a possible consulting job and it struck me they were all WFH when one of them said "if you go down there" -- meaning the plant. I was stressing a little bit about the work because of potentially having to go do some experiments at their plant, but I feel a lot better about it if it's empty.

[Routewerks]

wrong spot, sorry

[peanutgallery]

If anyone in the world is deserving of getting hung with a bunch of former Florsheim shoe locations, it's Jeff Bezos And maybe Al Bundy

Though I know little about logistics, pretty sure a ragged out JC Penney location has little to offer anyone, especially Amazon

Originally Posted by ORMojo

And did you see the article about Amazon being in talks with the largest mall owner with the goal of turning empty former Sears and Penneys locations into distribution centers...

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by raygunner

Apart from the perception that REI is selling their new HQ because experience with remote work...how does REI compare in the realm of e-commerce?

I always enjoyed going into their stores and check out the goods, especially the beautiful brand new store they just completed in Chicago.

But I haven't set foot in my local REI since earlier in the year but I have no plans to walk into one.

I need groceries so I'll go to the grocery store but there's nothing I really need from my REI store that I can't buy online and have shipped to me. But you know, I usually find what I want for less than REI offers.

Is the WSJ article a harbinger of bad news for REI?

I've always like the REI eCommerce...they ship for free to a store, and I have one about 2 mins from my house.
Pick up there, try on, doesn't fit, exchange right there....one stop.
The location also has a Trader Joe's in it, so that is convenient too.....

No thanks...'stores', even ones that try to enforce the 'rules' are not a great place to be, yet...IMHO...

[AngryScientist]

i like REI a lot, and i hope they can find a way to reorganize themselves a bit to cope with the current situation and remain viable.

i travel a lot, and i like knowing that the REI stores located in major cities will have a reliable stock of decent gear if i forget something or want to go on an unplanned adventure. i also like that they have the local hiking guidebooks and national park maps and guides in the stores so you can pick up a plan when on the road. i've also gotten some great local recommendations for stuff to do from the staff, who i have generally found to be helpful and enthusiastic about their jobs and the outdoors.

maybe i'm being naive, but it also appears to me that REI tries to do the right thing with regard to their employees and treat them well while maintaining a good business.

that said, the stores are what make REI special and good. the problem when everyone shops for everything online is it's too easy to find the lowest price and free shipping on everything, and for a lot of people, it's hard to justify buying a saddle for example from REI for 150 dollars when it can be bought from amazon for 89.

anyway, hopefully this will all be over soon enough, and we'll all be back to shopping at stores, but there is little doubt a real recession is looming, and the fate of big corporate offices is likely not one that will survive,.

interesting times.

[Red Tornado]

I get the work at home thing for many jobs out there. My only problem is this: home is where I go to GET AWAY FROM WORK.

It's my safe haven where I can forget about meetings, why machines aren't running, why tooling that's worked great for 10 years suddenly won't make a part to print, why I have to turn in yet another form of justification for a capital appropriation request.... you get the idea. I can put that place out of my mind, enjoy time with my wife, do landscaping/fixer upper jobs according to MY schedule, etc. I don't even bring my laptop home. I also think I would have problems becoming distracted from my job to do things around the house.

I guess I have to respect those who can successfully work from home, I don't believe I could or would want to. Thankfully, since I;m a tool/manufacturing engineer I probably won't have to worry about that.

[unterhausen]

There was a recent study that said people are working longer at home than they were at the office. I can see it, my wife will work all day on the phone and on zoom and then have meetings with her coworkers for fun after work.

I'm not sure I would be as effective WFH as in person, but I guess i could adapt. Lab work is stalled though, so no opportunity to find out.

[bking]

I wonder how this will affect liability in the workplace, workman's comp etc? Lot's of things to be uncovered still as we move to the next phases of world wide pandemic. Fascinating to watch, frightening for many.
And as to output, I like many of the comments above that true output will only be seen after we've done this for a while. New things are often exciting and we go at them with some energy and purpose. We'll have to see how these kind of workplace changes wear on us. Interesting stuff for sure.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by bking

I wonder how this will affect liability in the workplace, workman's comp etc?

Worker's comp insurance for people who have the types of jobs that can be done at home are already very low cost, right?

[Jaybee]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

Worker's comp insurance for people who have the types of jobs that can be done at home are already very low cost, right?

Certainly not as high as things like construction, but I bet we see a rash (size tbd) of complaints about things like carpel tunnel, sore backs, etc. Most WFH people don't really have a good ergo setup.

[mistermo]

Originally Posted by Red Tornado

I get the work at home thing for many jobs out there. My only problem is this: home is where I go to GET AWAY FROM WORK.

It's my safe haven where I can forget about meetings, why machines aren't running, why tooling that's worked great for 10 years suddenly won't make a part to print, why I have to turn in yet another form of justification for a capital appropriation request.... you get the idea. I can put that place out of my mind, enjoy time with my wife, do landscaping/fixer upper jobs according to MY schedule, etc. I don't even bring my laptop home. I also think I would have problems becoming distracted from my job to do things around the house.

I guess I have to respect those who can successfully work from home, I don't believe I could or would want to. Thankfully, since I;m a tool/manufacturing engineer I probably won't have to worry about that.

Agreed 100%! I could go on a rant about this, and will try to temper my comments.

We've cultivated a society where we're online perpetually. The intrusion of technology has blurred the lines between work times and non-work times. Any mental health expert will tell you that rate of depression has increased. Any spiritual practice will tell you that happiness comes from being 'in the moment'. Technology, and the blurring of boundaries between work and non-work, prevent us from being in the moment and, in my view, is a leading cause of depression. Working from home, only furthers the blurring of these lines and will have repercussions too.

Our company is working remotely and in accounting/finance, it's not hard to work remotely. However, I still come into the completely vacant office, to better keep boundaries in place. I think it's healthier, for me anyway.

[William]

Originally Posted by mistermo

Agreed 100%! I could go on a rant about this, and will try to temper my comments.

We've cultivated a society where we're online perpetually. The intrusion of technology has blurred the lines between work times and non-work times. Any mental health expert will tell you that rate of depression has increased. Any spiritual practice will tell you that happiness comes from being 'in the moment'. Technology, and the blurring of boundaries between work and non-work, prevent us from being in the moment and, in my view, is a leading cause of depression. Working from home, only furthers the blurring of these lines and will have repercussions too...

.

Early on in the lockdown Mrs William found that working from home blurs those boundaries too much. When work is stressful it's hard for her to unwind since it's happening in the home. The enviroment for work and relaxation is one and the same. Much easier to leave it at the office when you can come home to a totally different environment. At this point she can choose to go to her office or stay home which makes it much easier to deal with. She likes the choice, but prefers being at her office to really get things done and make the break when she comes home.






W.