I recently discovered that if REI carries one item from a manufacturer, you can special order other items from that same manufacturer. What surprised me even more was to find out that normal REI return policy still applies, as does your dividend. I double-checked to ensure no misunderstanding about being able to return a special order.
I presume that my discovery generalizes, and that it is not something unusual about what I was interested in. The way they talked, it seemed like a general policy. I discovered it because I am interested in a canoe model they do not list in their catalog. The sales guy suggested I special order it. I responded that I was reluctant to special order a canoe without first being able to touch it and (preferably) paddle it. That's when I got my real surprise — I could special order it, try it out, and if I did not like it I could return it — even though it is a special order.
Another note that may interest some — coupon applicability — in the current sale, the 20% coupon explicitly rules out special orders. I checked, and other relevant coupons *are* usable for special orders.
–MV
