I went in for three things - first you pay to park... water bottles, nope sold out... how about camp food... nope sold out... how about a Life Straw, they had plenty of those at almost 80% higher price than a store a few blocks away. I have been shopping with MEC for decades. Sad to see how the store has become a complete fail.

MEC Ottawa is very similar to the first floor of the Sails Ottawa. Stylish outdoor clothing with most outdoor essential. The price varies quite a bit; very expensive but there is always some sales available. They do not sale fishing and hunting gear.

I had a terrible experience with my recent purchase at MEC last Sunday. I had purchased a tracksuit on my way out I noticed an advertisement for a $50 gift card with the purchase of a sale item over $150. I decided to go back into the store and purchase a pair of shoes I had seen earlier to get the promotion offered. The shoes came up on the cash register higher than advertised. The cost was advertised for $254, I was told to pay $280 and to buy 99cent hand sanitizer to get the promotion offered as the boots were not included. When I challenged this I was given no option for reconciliation and wasted my time and I hope no other hard-working consumers experience this treatment. I will attach a photo which shows the price they were not willing to honour and advertising for clearance that would lead anyone to believe it was included in the promotion.

Good place to get all you hiking and other wild tourist gear. They have a sound loyalty program and flawless returns. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful.

Overpriced. Was better before the takeover. Great items and quality, for sure. But, the prices do not match what people can generally afford. Some items you could easily get elsewhere for less than half. Not sure why the upcharge exists here, especially when they gouge you with paid parking too.

I cannot say enough how great the post online order service I received from Phil at the Ottawa location was today. Phil was able to understand my questions/frustrations and promised to follow up in provided timelines. He kept his word, and gave me all available details on our order and delivery. His customer service is amazing and I hope anyone who gets the opportunity to talk to Phil has the same great experience I had. Additional kudos for the MEC Moncton store for providing what they could for assistance as well. Well done MEC! We are no longer frustrated and will continue to look to MEC for our outdoor needs.

MEC is a well laid out store, with very helpful staff. There is always a very good selection of brands from value-priced to higher end. The clearance section of clothing is also quite extensive, and the good prices are found throughout the store. Always a go-to for gear to tackle all kinds of outdoor adventures!

Just wanted to say thank you to Kevin in Member Services- his customer service was outstanding! He was friendly, helpful, and went above and beyond to make our shopping a positive experience! With gratitude, the paramedic and his wife who bought the Yeti’s :)

Great store and location. Easy to find everything with the convenient and clean layout. Awesome deals always. Phenomenal quality of ALL the products. Love the variety available. I can find what I need and more every single time.

A tent I ordered was Ready for Pick-Up, but somehow got completely lost at the store; multiple staff went searching for it in every possible place, for almost an hour--they even tried to order a new one, but they were sold out--until finally, they said to wait and see if it accidentally got sent back to the warehouse. Tamor (?) was so helpful and patient, and the manager made sure I was thanked for my understanding, too. Thankfully, the tent did turn up the next day! Excellent customer service, despite it all :)

My online and in store shopping experience has been always such a pleasure. Knowledgeable staff and a plethora of articles which range from cyclist enthusiasts, outdoorsman and the in between. The reviews from fellow members help navigating new purchases and a question and answer section. I thoroughly enjoyed my trek to the Algonquin park with technical and innovative gear.

Went and couldn’t find staff to help get a ruck sack but this guy stocking the floor, older and Scottish/Irish had us set up and really made it fun to shop for something like a bag. Kept us entertained while going through methodically the pros and cons of the packs with no stress and no pressure. Bought what he suggested as a top two pick, he was knowledgeable … once I found staff to help.

Poor customer service. Most of the younger staff actively avoid customers and don't even bother greeting or asking if anyone needs help. When I asked for assistance, they sighed and were so unfriendly I felt so unwelcome. The lady at the cash however was very friendly and nice.

The security guard at the front door/exit is so off putting that I won't be back. I don't begrudge him in any way as he is just doing his job and well, and I understand that theft is becoming an increasing problem, but why does MEC have to have a little thugged out dude casing everbody as they come an go.

Thanks to Jonathan for installing fenders on my commuter bike today! I had taken them off because they rattled but then decided to put them back on. I called MEC and asked for the bike dept. I spoke to Jonathan who told me I could bring my bike in and have the fenders put on in a couple of hours. Jonathan put them on and explained why they rattled before, how he fixed that, and tightened the head set on my bike too because he noticed it was loose. Gave my bike the 'drop test' in the store, rode it home, and not one rattle! Awesome service! Thanks again!

Went to MEC to buy some hiking shoes. The salesperson working at the shoe station, Anthony, was very informative and served me with a positive attitude. Although it was busy, he remained calm and helpful with all of the customers. Highly recommend!

One of my favorite places of all time. Very helpful and knowledgeable staff. A great selection of quality products. What's not to love?!?!

Excellent service by Allan, who gave me advice on cycling gear! I could see that he loved his job, and that is well seen in his customer service. Patient, good listener of customer's needs, and smiling employee. This makes you want to go back to the MEC Ottawa shop. 😀 Thank you Allan!

Been a member ever since it opened ..even though you don’t need to show your a member now since it was purchased but an American company. Love there products and helpful staff..I still have my original fleece bought twenty years ago at least…did I say great products . Also like they have cool stuff for kids who love the outdoors. Their cycling section has everything you need.. Pricing overall is good

Great customer service! I stopped there while cycling cross Canada! They helped me to change my panniers and making sure my bike is in a good shape! One star lower than 5 since the MEC pannier's quality is realllyyyy bad!

Great store with a huge selection of clothing. Camping gear is a bit less varied than that of Sail, and prices are a bit higher (probably due to being in Westboro). Bought some very nice clothes. They have a good selection of freeze dried vegan and vegetarian food too. Would shop here again to prepare for backpacking.

They are not the cheapest, or the more expensive, but I always come back to this place because they probably have what I need. Recently out of stock on a lot of stuff, they try hard to find a suitable alternative

I was shopping late in the season for winter boots, but most stores didn't have much inventory in my size, so I went to MEC for the first time. They had a lot of quality boots to choose from and I was super impressed with the knowledgeable staff. I left with a great pair of Bogs, and will be back again.

Good location, lots of bike parking, the store is clean and the products are arranged in a logical way. The layout is a bit unsettling, since it's basically a circle, and a lot of the sections look very similar to each other, especially upstairs (clothing), but overall not a problem or anything. Staff were nice and checkout was quick and easy.

Went in looking for hiking shoes and was greatly helped to find the perfect pair. My wife was not looking for shoes but ended up finding a great hiking pair for herself. We were helped my knowledgeable staff who went into the backroom multiple times as they boxed in sizes which differ by brand. While they have paid parking area we had 90 min parking on the street and easily used all of it as had great shopping experience

Good quality items and service. Salesman at the shoe section took his time to get proper fitting shoes. I started wearing them to break them in, but they're comfortable enough to use daily. I bought a day pack on sale online + hydration pack. Still looking for one for backcountry camping. I bought a rain jacket on sale, socks, dry pack and they're definitely better quality than other places. Backpacking is an expensive hobby. Beware, it can get addicting, and it's bad for your wallet. ;) Also, I recommend parking about 5-10 min walk away, near the old Suzy Q's location, since it can get pretty dangerous when drivers are rushing in and out of Westboro and the parking lots there.

Bought myself a new pair of running shoes at MEC today. I debated buying them online, but found the pair I was looking to buy here. Price was comparable and it saved me the shipping. The selection of products, product knowledge and service always makes shopping here enjoyable. <3 MEC

Good selection of articles. Helpful staff. Most important: better prices than Amazon! At least for what I was looking for.

Ordered a kayak from the phone in online store. said there was availability and all was well. The next day I called the store to confirm something that I would need to get with it and was told it wasn't even there. Clearly the store inventory to the Online Customer service need to update faster or its a case a store can sell items even though there called for by an online order. Sure glad I called before I drove 5 hours to get it!

I have been a MEC fan for years. But it's not the same anymore. I wanted MEC brand clothing (which I've bought plenty of in the past) but there was much less on offer than in the past. Many other camping & paddling items out of stock. Ended up heading to Bushtukah & Trailhead to get what I needed. Maybe more stock available online, so look online and order early before your trip?

Went shoe shopping today. A lot of variety. Friendly staff more than willing to help out. Shout out to Melanie. Back door opened is not for the public as you need to be counted in as part the % allowed at a time inside the store. Not to keen on paying $1.00 with a credit card for parking, but it is better than trying to park in the street. Came out with an awesome pair of shoes!!

It's MEC... But it's not... But the staff was still very helpful... Just some empty shelves, missing products. But they can hopefully start to make money without losing the whole MEC experience. Parking cost $1 an hour but it has a couple L2 Charging stations that are free if you have the charge point app or card to activate it. So for a buck, grab some trons and take a look around an old favorite as they rebuild to something... Sustainable.

Big shout out to the guys at MEC. They scoured their shop and managed to find me a part that was going to be nearly impossible to find in stock, saved a bike trip, and earned my eternal respect. MEC, the part was a 104bcd 36t 2x chainring, so you can identify the awesome employees who went above and beyond for your store without me putting their names on the internet.

Nice store but the sales/pricing is messed up. Went there yesterday looking for a light jacket for my daughter. An employee was putting a sale notice on some of these showing a decent discount. We grabbed it and went to check out. Cashier charging the original full price. The cashier called a floor worker to price check and they said the sale is actually "tomorrow". We left without it. Came home and ordered it online a few hours at the discounted price. Good products but the shopping experience sucks.