REI Sells Crap to its Customers

I am a member of REI, proudly so. I appreciate the store’s return policy (which I’ve never actually taken advantage of) and I feel it puts its customers near the top of its actualization pyramid.

Unfortunately, I’m appalled that the company is selling hologram bracelets

Power Balance, the most notorious of the hologram manufacturers, has been forced in the courts to admit that there is no evidence that these bracelets have any effect whatsoever. As a part of that determination, the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission ordered the company to provide a refund to anyone who asked for it. Several studies show no effect. To my knowledge, no one else is doing any work with this because hologram bracelets are crap! Crock! Woo! Entirely nonsensical balderdash! They’re not even very attractive.

REI, I’m ashamed of you. Please remove this crap from your shelves, or at least relabel it to say, “Bracelet” without any of the other woo descriptions that I’m quoting from your website:

Embedded holograms may help reduce stress, jet lag, swelling and motion sickness; may also increase balance, strength, flexibility and endurance

  • Embedded wearable holographic technology that may enhance energy flow along the body’s meridian channels to reduce discomfort and improve athletic performance
  • Wristband is made from nontoxic, medical-grade silicone and includes 2 embedded holograms

REI, if you truly need to sell this crap to maintain your bottom line, I’d appreciate it if you filed for bankruptcy now and save the rest of the country the trouble. You’re teaching people to believe in unsupported pseudoscience and I don’t think that’s part of your mission.

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