We respect the privacy of our customers. This official Privacy and Security Statement is designed to help you understand what information we gather and how we use it. In our ongoing effort to improve the services and features we provide to our customers, REI will continue to implement new technologies from time to time. As a result, this policy is subject to change without prior notice. We encourage you to review our privacy policy periodically.

ONLINE PRIVACY?THE INFORMATION WE GATHER

The type of information we gather online falls into five general categories:

• Aggregate Site Usage Information
• Online Order Information
• Voluntary Registered Shopper Information
• Click-Stream Data
• Subscription Preferences

AGGREGATE SITE USAGE INFORMATION

We collect and store information about the pages viewed by all of our website visitors. We then use this data in aggregate form to identify overall visitor behavior patterns. Our goal in using this information is to improve our site by making it more responsive to the needs and preferences of our users.

Our Web servers automatically collect information about each visitor who requests REI Web pages, including your computer's internet protocol (IP) address. This IP address allows us to identify your computer on the internet so that the Web content you request from us can be sent to you.

From time to time, we may provide portions of this aggregate site behavior information to vendors, consultants, potential advertisers or news agencies. We typically do this in order to demonstrate the amount of interest in our sites and/or to plan for technical infrastructure improvements.

ONLINE ORDER INFORMATION

If you choose to purchase products from any of REI's websites, we require the following information in order to fulfill your order:

• Name
• Contact phone number(s)
• Address
• E-mail address
• Credit card account information

We use this information to process your order and to make sure that it is delivered to you. Aggregated order information is also used to track and analyze overall shopping trends, which allows REI to improve product offerings and services to its members and customers.

We request an e-mail address during the order process so that we can send an e-mail confirmation message acknowledging the receipt of your order. This message contains your name, address, REI membership number (if applicable), the list of items you purchased, an order reference number, a confirmation of your shipping method, and the total amount of items requested. Please note that this confirmation e-mail does NOT contain your credit card number.

VOLUNTARY REGISTERED SHOPPER INFORMATION (REI.COM ONLY)

Shopper registration is an optional service provided on the REI.com website. You do not have to register as a shopper in order to shop online with us. However, registering allows us to speed up the shopping process for you and lets us offer you access to special features and promotions. Please note that this is not the same as an REI membership. Click here for information on REI Membership.

In order to register on REI.com, you must provide:

• First and last name?We require this information in order to differentiate your registration profile from others at REI.com. We also use it to automatically populate checkout forms to save you time and effort while shopping.
• Mailing address?We store your mailing address for you so that we can automatically populate shipping information forms during the checkout process. We also add your address to our overall customer information database, which helps us offer products and services specifically designed for you and customers like you. For example, your zip code helps us identify the REI store nearest you, so that we can tell you about specials events that are taking place there. Zip code information can also help us deliver online content that's most appropriate to your part of the country.
• E-mail address?This allows us to send you an e-mail confirming your registration on our site. It also allows us to send you a new account password by e-mail should you forget yours.
• Daytime phone number?We require a phone number in case there is a problem with your order. We will not telemarket to you, nor will we provide your telephone number to any other entity for telemarketing purposes. We may, however, call and ask you to participate in an optional REI telephone survey designed to help us improve your shopping experience and/or our product assortment.
• User Name and Password?We require a unique User ID and password combination for every registered shopper account. This information allows you secure access to your user profile and preferences. If you forget your password, we can send a new one to the e-mail address supplied in your profile, at your request.

A Note on Updating Registered Shopper Information
If you ever need to view, change, update or delete any of your registration information, simply click on the "Your Account" link at the bottom of your screen and log in to your account. Your information will then be available for editing.

CLICK-STREAM DATA (AND COOKIE TECHNOLOGY)

In order to register on?or purchase products from?REI's websites, your browser must be set to accept "cookies." A cookie is a small piece of data housed in a text file or folder on your computer's hard drive that helps us recognize you when you visit our sites. We use cookies to help us remember things such as the following: (1) the profile facts you tell us about yourself, (2) your specified areas of interest on our sites, (3) the items you've placed in your shopping basket, and/or (4) the pages you visit as you shop.

The only personal information our REI cookie can contain is information that you supply yourself. Our cookies cannot read data from other parts of your computer. If you would like more technical information about how cookies work, take a look at http://www.cookiecentral.com.

As stated above, you must enable cookies on your Web browser for REI.com to function correctly. If you are concerned about information contained in your REI.com cookie, you may delete the file(s) at the end of each browser session. View your browser's help file for more information on cookies.

Click-stream data is information that describes the page-by-page paths you take as you browse through our websites. Using cookies, we track and store this information to help us positively customize your shopping experience. We may use click-stream data in the aggregate to provide improved services to groups of shoppers who behave similarly. We may also use it on an individual basis to improve your specific shopping experience. For example, if during a visit to REI.com you read an online article about how to choose the right tent, we may during a subsequent visit present you with a how-to article on cleaning your tent or point you toward a new product related to tent repair.

SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES

When you visit REI's websites you receive an opportunity to sign up for REI's e-mail newsletter services. These newsletters (REI Gearmail, REI-Outlet Hot Values, Bargain Sleuth, etc.) will be sent to you only if you choose to place your name on our mailing list. In order to deliver these newsletters, REI may need to supply your name and e-mail address to specific service providers who distribute content for us. We also use third-party companies to authenticate and validate the information provided by our shoppers to make sure our content arrives successfully. We have legally binding agreements with these third-party service providers that prohibit them from using your information for any purpose other than what REI instructs them to do with it. Therefore, if you sign up for any of REI's e-mail newsletters, you do not need to worry about receiving unsolicited e-mails from other companies as a result of REI releasing your information.

If you decide at any time that you no longer wish to receive the e-mail newsletters you sign up for, please click here and update your preferences, or simply click the "unsubscribe" link on the Gearmail or Hot Values e-mail you receive from us.

Please note: In order to process your purchases, we may still send you a confirmation e-mail, or we may contact you by mail or telephone if we have questions about your order.

COMMUNICATIONS FROM REI AND OTHER COMPANIES

Whenever you purchase products from REI or request a catalog, we collect and store the information that you volunteer-information such as your name, e-mail address, postal address and phone number. The information you supply is added to our customer database. You may receive periodic printed or e-mail communications from us about new products and services, discounts, special promotions or upcoming events.

In some instances, we use third-party companies to help us provide products and services to you, to assist us in managing customer information, or to fulfill promotions and communicate with you. Some of these companies are given access to some or all of the information you provide to us. These companies are contractually restricted from using your information in any manner other than in helping us to provide you with the products and services available from REI.

In addition to the REI mailings above, we provide customer names and postal addresses (but not your e-mail address or phone number) to a group of companies we believe may interest you. If you do not want us to share this information with these companies, we can add your name to our "do-not-share" list. Please click here for information.

If you want to be removed from all REI marketing, choose one of the following options: visit our Contact Us page to send an e-mail; call 1-800-426-4840 (US and Canada) or 1-253-891-2500 (outside the US and Canada); or send your request by mail to REI Membership Services, Sumner, WA 98352-0001. Remember to include your name, address, membership number (if applicable) and phone number in the request.

OTHER REI PRIVACY NOTES

• Links to or From Other Sites?REI may provide links to websites outside of REI.com as an added convenience to the user. There are also affiliates that link to REI.com. Any link included does not imply or convey endorsement of the other company or organization, its site, or its products or services. REI is not responsible for the privacy, terms of use, or other policies of any other website.
• REI's Children's Policy?Except for membership data applicable to children, we do not intend to collect any personally identifiable information from children through our websites. Please do not allow children under the age of 13 to provide any personally identifiable information or participate in the bulletin board sections of REI's websites.

REI'S ONLINE SECURITY STATEMENT

We understand that many consumers are concerned about Internet security. REI employs industry-leading technologies to store sensitive information and protect it while in transit over the Internet. The following Security Statement describes the technologies we use and provides additional details about how we handle sensitive data like credit card information. We want you to be able to shop at REI with complete confidence. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable shopping with us online, we invite you to stop by a local REI store or call us and order by phone: 1-800-426-4840, Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. Pacific Time.

THE TRANSMISSION OF SENSITIVE DATA

We work hard to protect the information that you send to us while it is en route to and from our sites. To provide secure transmission, REI employs Secure Sockets Layer technology (SSL) on those pages that involve sensitive information such as credit card numbers. SSL, which is supported by a vast majority of Internet browsers available today, is the most commonly employed method of secure, encrypted communication used on the Internet.

We have also obtained Verisign? digital security certificates for all of our websites. Verisign? is an independent third party that authenticates the identity of others on the Internet. By registering with Verisign?, we provide you a method of independently authenticating that the entity you are dealing with over the Internet is actually REI.

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY INFORMATION AFTER REI RECEIVES IT?

SSL protects information en route to us. Verisign? certificate technology helps ensure that REI is the actual recipient of this information. But we don't stop there?we also work very hard to make sure the information you send us is stored and managed securely once we receive it. All data collected is stored on site and is protected by multiple levels of data and structural security. This information is only accessible to Recreational Equipment, Inc. and trusted, contracted third-party service providers.