Eastern Mountain Sports

I’ve had mixed experiences at this store.
The prices are good for a big-​box retailer — they’re on the lower end of the band, and their 15−20% student discount is especially nice. However, unless you get really lucky on sales they do not match the prices on online outlets like Sierra Mountain Club. So the reason to go to this store is for the expertise of their sales staff.
My experience with their customer service has been mixed. I would say ²⁄₃ of my interactions with their associates have been great — helpful staff that listen to my needs and suggest products that fulfill those needs. 1/​3, however, have been very poor experiences. As other reviewers have mentioned, some of their staff are very condescending; when asked questions, they reply «I don’t know» and make no move to ask around or make suggestions; and often they don’t explain the deals they have well meaning you have to continually check, which is mentally tough when they are condescending at you.
Overall, I would characterize this store as a mix of 4-​star and 2-​star experiences, with a 2:1 ratio in favor of 4-​star experiences. So I have assigned 3 stars, but really it should be read as 3.33 stars.

If I could give zero stars, I would. I have been a loyal and regular customer of EMS for more than 20 years. I have purchase everything from kayaks to ski equipment to climbing gear from this company in both MA and CO. Since I started working in Harvard Square in early 2012, this store has been my primary resource for winter ski gear, hiking gear, and lunch time unplanned purchases when I’ve had a spare moment. It is by far the shop I patronize most in the square for merchandise next to City Sports.
Yesterday I went in specifically for new bike shoes at lunch and had an idea what I wanted. The salesperson in that section pretty much pointed me to the boxes lined up against the wall and said «they are all out here.» I asked him if he could help me find sizes since he would be more familiar with the stock — I asked for a 39 in the shoes I was holding. He replied they didn’t have them and walked off. Well, they did actually — they were in one of the top boxes — he clearly just didn’t want to be bothered.
After waiting on myself I decided on a pair that was on sale, but not in a box. The tag did not reflect the sale price so I brought another pair up to the register to show they were on sale. I picked up some clips for the bottom of the shoes also. The tag on the shoes was $ 99 before sale and @$ 76 on sale. The tag on the clips was $ 20.
When I reached the register the man seemed confused about the two pair of same shoes. I explained why I had brought the extra pair to the register and HE EXPLAINED THAT THE SALE PRICE WOULD RING UP AND THAT I DIDNT NEED TO BRING UP THE BOX OF THE OTHER SHOES. This is an important point. The shoes rang up for their $ 70+ and he made a point of saying «see — they rang up for [the sale price]…» Ok — so then he scanned the clips. They rang up as $ 17 something (almost $ 18) and I was psyched because I had not realized they too were on sale. I swiped my card — as I swiped it, he CHANGED MY TOTAL AND ADJUSTED THE CLIPS BACK TO $ 20. Now — for those following along at home — HE JUST TOLD ME THAT IT DIDNT MATTER WHAT THE TAG SAID — if they were on sale, the register would know. So I asked him why he would adjust it up — to which he replied «I have to go by what’s on the tag.» WHAT? So I said «um, you just contradicted yourself.» To which he replied in the most condescending tone, loudly, «No I didn’t» — now, granted, I have a few years of Logic as an undergrad and loads of grad school classes also focusing on logical argument to rely upon — but I think a kindergartner who started school THIS WEEK could see the flaws in the logic he applied here! If this isn’t a classic example of contradicting yourself — what is!!! And, his attitude? It compounded the issue exponentially.
So– good job EMS — you lost a very loyal customer with lots of sporting interests and disposable income over $ 2. Do you know how many dollars of marketing you have to spend to replace one steady customer like me? What about the loss of the people I work with who also probably won’t shop there again, since it is usually me who drags them in at lunch?
As for me — I just moved to a new home and there is an REI right down the road. They were happy to help me find even better shoes — and I’m happy to give them the remainder of my outdoor business, which, is substantial, from this point forward. I won’t step foot in any EMS store again — there are way too many physical and online stores that can have my business.

Throughout my five years in Boston, I keep trying out different local bike shops … and then I keep coming back to EMS’s Brattle Square location.
At first, I was skeptical about coming to a big chain company rather than supporting a local business, but EMS’s bike shop’s level of service is more sincere, more individualized than the other small shops I’ve tried in the area (I know, weird, right?).
My experience this past week has caused me to write this review. I came to them for help them after trying a local bike shop for a precision tune-​up (there wasn’t anything wrong with it, just a general ‘check-​up’). When I retrieved my trusty 6-​year-​old Specialized road bike from said shop, it felt like a completely different bike — in a bad way: terrible shift transitions, grinding, uneven brake tension, the whole shebang.
When the local bike shop was unable to remedy the situation, I went to EMS and asked for a diagnosis (turns out the local shop had changed the cassette, without asking, to a completely different width of cassette, subsequently failing to calibrate the rest of the components/​cables). EMS was able to not only able to figure out what happened, but they re-​calibrated things for me, as a courtesy (ie, what I did not pay in cash I will pay in loyalty to this shop. Forevermore.).

15% student discount and biggest selection of outdoor equipment in Harvard Square.

I lived in Cambridge and Somerville for over 3 years and the Harvard Sq EMS was my go-​to for bike repairs. I also travel pretty often and have the bike shop guys box up and ship my bikes with confidence. They take the time to actually put pads on all parts of my bike and it has always shown up quickly and scratch free (shipped out bikes 5x now). Now whenever I’m flying back to Boston I go through EMS to ship, recieve, and build up my bike. I’ve also done a handle bar swap out (and switching of shifters/​brakes/​etc) and they were quick on the turn-​around and well priced. Good service and friendly workers. Also, super quick at fixing flat tires from the endless Boston potholes! One of the bike guys is also a musician so I usually end up walking out of there with a few new bands to look up each time as well. :)

I shop here for basics hiking and biking things. I love the EMS guarantee. I’ve been to the bike shop a few times and have been impressed with the guys knowledge and service. It’s nice to be able to talk to a guy about parts and different bike models that knows what he’s talking about (the pros and cons). It’s rare that you get people that really are interested in what they do and want to pass it along to others.

I ride an old Trek road bike that I converted to a single speed a few years ago. Over the summer I broke a spoke in Harvard Square, and stopped in to EMS to see what they could do to help me. The department was, needless to say, swamped. They had one mechanic on duty and he seemed to be trying his best to handle everyone in an orderly fashion. When it got to be my turn, he was patient in explaining what the repair on a wheel would entail cost-​wise and how long it would take them to get it back to me. On top of that, he encouraged me to get my wheels trued and instead of condescending to me, he took the time to explain what was wrong with my wheels and why he was recommending the service. I had the repair done and will certainly be returning.
Why the four stars, you ask? Because I feel as though the company in general was not doing a great job to support a busy part of the store. The mechanic was on his own, dealing with multiple customers (many of whom were trying to interrupt our interaction and were extremely impatient). I’m not sure if his coworker was on break or not, but when I went back to get my bike it was the same type of situation. The rest of the store seems overrun with eager, helpful people (do I need two people to help me pick out yoga pants?)… shouldn’t the bike department get the same treatment?

The location and friendliness of the majority of this place gets 5 stars. I came here once with a flat and the guy in the bike shop was nice enough to repair it while I waited. As he was doing it, I expressed that I was new to bikes but trying to learn as best I could in order to become self-​sufficient. He took the time to explain the pros and cons of repair kits and was enormously respectful and helpful.
I went back a few weeks later with a few minor repair needs and a couple of questions. I was unfortunately greeted by a different guy. I proceeded to express my needs. The guy immediately came out of the gate with a condescending and disrespectful tone. He walked around my bike and pointed out all things things that I allowed to be wrong with it and when I told him I am simply trying to learn, he said «you’re better off bringing it here so we can just take care of it» in the rudest way imaginable. I’m intelligent in many ways (and if I wasn’t, it shouldn’t matter!) and probably know more about fixing a car than this guy with his Warby Parker glasses, plaid shirt and bad attitude.
I returned again tonight to pick up a tube quickly and was confused by the brands they had. I was forced to ask this same jerk and yet AGAIN was answered rudely and in a rushed manner, like he doesn’t have time for ladies that don’t know as much as he does about bikes.
Everyone else there is fantastic. That one bike guy makes me not want to go in there, which is a shame.

I’m the outdoorsy type in so much that I enjoy sitting outside. With wine. Preferably white. But on occasion I’m dragged into the wilderness for one of those things called a «hike» or dropped into a canoe to commune with the buzzing, slimy things of the lake. I don’t mind this so much if I can look cute while I sweat and get eaten alive by various tiny winged beasties. It is because of this that I am a huge fan of the printed EMS cotton shirts for women. They have darling, earthy little designs on them and they’re light and SUPER comfy. They just fit me really well. I think they’re like $ 25 each.
My boyfriend can tell you about how much he loves their camping gear, the hiking boots, the durable fleeces, the kayak equipment blah blah blah. Whatever. His entire closet is just EMS clothes. EMS needs to sponsor him before he ends up living in that fancy tent he bought from them.
This particular EMS in Harvard square is fairly big. The employees are eager to help. I think there was some issue with the cashier not being able to access my boyfriend’s membership card or some such thing. I was too busy looking at the nifty solar cell phone charger to care.

I dropped by with a flat tire and the guys in the bike department were very helpful. They changed my flat and recommended I replace my front tire. Knowing nothing about bikes I agreed and they changed it for me on the spot.
I’d definitely choose them over any snarly bike shop in the area.
Thanks again guys!

Do not bring your bike here!
In 2011, the bike tech there told me a bike of mine was unfixable and he wouldn’t work on it; I took it elsewhere, paid $ 40 for a few tweaks, rode it without incident for a year and a half. Now it’s 2013, it’s the same guy, he seems a little less stubborn, so I ask him to put new brakes on another bike I bought, as well as fix lateral wobble in the pedals and make sure the thing’s not gonna collapse on the street as I ride it.
Next day, he claims to have fixed the brakes and tightened everything «as tight as it could go.» I paid around $ 45 for parts and labor, and carried on with life. Next day, the pedals still wobble, the back brake doesn’t work well, and the left-​side pedal falls off in the street while I’m riding it. I take the thing to Quad Bikes, they point out that the pedals have been left-​right reversed, which is why they wobble. They also notice that the back brake caliper is extremely loosely attached; in fact, the brake pads don’t even make full contact with the rim.
SO: paid EMS $ 45 for a bike tech to fail to notice the pedals were reversed, despite my specifically asking him to address the pedal wobble, and for a «brake replacement» that resulted in the exact same problem that I initially had. Moral of the story: when EMS tech bro tell you he has «tightened everything as tight as it will go,» he actually means either «I did not tighten a single thing on your bike because I am bad at my job,» or possibly «I actually LOOSENED everything on your bike because I am a sociopath.»

…today made me realize that sometimes doing business at Corporate Retailers is more convenient, more efficient, and less headache!
I just acquired a used Cannondale MTB and I am a novice to anything bicycle related…
I went to a small «mom & pop» bike shop and got nothing but an arrogant condescending tone to my questions regarding the acquisition.
The front brake needed adjusting and the charge would be $ 25 at this local retailer.
I decided to take the Bike down the street on Brattle and get a second opinion.
Bike Tech Peter — told me everything about the bike, adjusted the brake for free, and was helpful and spoke to me in an easy to understand non– condescending tone.
I was in and out in 15min and treated as a consumer should be treated.
Some of these small Bike shops seem to be overly arrogant and elitist when it comes to their trade.
Getting a brake adjusted for Free vs. $ 25 is an added bonus.

Pro’s:
Great customer service
Reasonable prices
Wide variety and decent selection
Great location
Con’s:
Outdated Returns System –Receipt required and does not link to your membership card
They have a sub-​standard return policy that can’t compete with REI

I don’t know why it took me so long to get to this EMS. The customer service is consistently friendly and helpful, the selection is broad, and there’s always something I didn’t know I needed until I saw it.
Others have mentioned the student and bicycle benefits discounts — both an incentive to buy from here.
Two specific experiences to highlight:
1. I was there with my wife and four month old baby, and our son turned into a hungry monster (if you have ever had a baby you’ll know they aren’t always predictable…). We asked if it was ok to nurse him in the store, and the staff member couldn’t have been nicer about it. He offered the bathroom (it isn’t immediately visible, but there is one in the back room that you can ask to use), but we thought the reading nook would be better. No problem — we tucked ourselves away in the comfy seats, he happily ate, and I flipped through some books I’ll likely return and purchase.
2. After a good experience chatting with the bike techs, I opted to forego my previous LBS and bring my other baby, my daily commuter bike, to EMS for an in depth tune up. The turnaround time was one day in the height of summer, which I think is quick. And the bike runs like a dream. It was clear they spent time with it, the tech walked me through the service, and it became clear that he had spent a bit more time on it than the labor cost would suggest…
In sum, I have a feeling I’ll spend a little less time at REI, which I still love, but is further away. Friendly staff + competent service + the gear I need = happy customer!

I’ve been to the Harvard Square Eastern Mountain Sports several times and it has always been quite the pleasure.
I first went here in the summer of 2011 for a new bicycle. Here’s a pity story for you: I got a bike from Cambridge Antiques (great place) but after the breaks broke on me in the middle of Coolidge Corner, I decided it was time for a new bike. I got a brand new one from a place in Allston earlier in the summer. That day (without riding it) I locked it up, as I usually locked up my bike, and ran some errands (1 hour, maximum). I came back to no bike (but a cut through chain). I was ticked, as you can imagine.
So I go into EMS with that sad story (but optimism) and the guys working there helped me out so much. I got a ton of information about Masi bikes (I’ve never heard of them before) and if a road bike was right for me. I ended up purchasing it, not knowing about the amazing deal they give folks with a college ID. I was a super pleased customer.
Since then, I went back for little odds and ends (some new tubes, a new Nalgene water bottle) and the staff there is super friendly. The guy at the check out (he has a great mustache) is very friendly and fun to talk to. The folks at the bicycle repair area will stop what they are doing to help you out — which I think is amazing. The supervisors will always come by to ask if you need help (and not in that obnoxious retail way.
The physical space is pretty large and packs a bunch of junk! It’s always clean and pleasant to walk into (I’ve never described a place as being «pleasant» before, hm).
Anyways, if you want a great bargain, come to EMS. Don’t worry about going to City Sports down the street, not worth it.

EMS is the East Coast’s answer to REI (for my fellow Midwesterners out there). Fantastic selection of clothing, shoes, and equipment for hiking, camping, and generally being outside. Even if you’re a city kid whose only time spent outside is walking to the T, you’ll find the gear you need to survive Boston: down jackets, mittens and gloves that are actually warm, a backpack that doesn’t fall apart.
Love their store brand products! I’ve gotten wonderful fleeces and a stylish raincoat under the EMS label.
If you’re a frequent traveler, don’t miss the travel section here. It has tons of handy things like oral rehydration therapy packets (for «Montezuma’s revenge» on your next Latin American vacation), and portable bednets and bugspray «wet wipes» (in small, conveniently portable and nonspillable packets) for your trip to a malaria-​prone area.
Look out for sales. I’ve gotten clearance items for prices that were a steal: $ 7 for a yoga-​themed earring/​necklace set… Odd item to be buying there, which I guess is why it didn’t sell, but still. I got super-​fancy, snowflake-​pattern wool mittens with a polarfleece lining for $ 12 on clearance too. Also, there are often sales for returning customers: today’s purchase earns you points/​a coupon toward your next purchase within a set time period such as 30 days.

This review is about their customer service/​return policy. I bought a pair of Smartwool socks for $ 17 there a few weeks ago for a trip I was taking. It ended up being unseasonably warm so I didn’t need them. I couldn’t find my receipt but I had my credit card statement with the transaction, which matched exactly the price on the tags (still attached). EMS refused to refund the money to my credit card, instead offering me store credit.
I don’t understand this policy; 1) If I had proof that I purchased the item there then what is the problem, and 2) what would I do with a $ 17 credit? Bottom line: there are too many other outdoor equipment/​apparel stores in the area (with better parking) than to give this place any more money. I won’t return.

I had a great experience doing my holiday shopping here. The employees were friendly and helpful. They showed me the last pair of boating gloves they had in stock and then helped me order the right version online (from their in-​store kiosk) when they didn’t have exactly what I needed.
The day after I placed my order, I went online to confirm that I asked for the right thing and saw that the price had gone down by 20% — I wrote to the company and asked them to discount the purchase I had made just hours earlier (since I thought it would have been nice if it had been noted that there was a sale about to happen) and they did it with no problem. I really appreciate being able to support local businesses while not compromising on options or style, and this EMS lets me do exactly that.

Great use of space and logical layout, not to mention a ridiculously convenient location. The selection is a bit more limited than you’ll see at other EMSs (at least that was my impression compared to NH, happy to be corrected). But definitely tilted toward the student crowd, so you can find anything you need to brave the winter should you arrive in Cambridge and find yourself under-​fleeced.
Student discount: 20% on EMS gear and 15% on national brands. Make sure you show your ID!

This place has everything. I enjoyed the friendliness and helpful attitude of the staff. Literally across the street from the Kennedy School in an upstairs location that winds like a U around the central elevator/​stair core of the edifice.
For bicycle repairs, the staff will come downstairs to help you. Not many places do that.