User:Accordian-Orangejuice/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
REI

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
An REI store recently opened in my town and has been a major topic of discussion in my community. I was not familiar with the brand before this happened, but after going into the store and hearing about them from others, I am interested to hear about the history of the company and the initiatives they take to combat global climate change. They stand out with their unique business model, as it has given them tremendous success in creative ways.

Evaluate the article
The lead section of REI's Wikipedia page offers a concise but descriptive overview of the company and what they aim to provide to their customers. While it does feel short, there are no redundancies, and the information is stated in such a way that the later sections can easily elaborate on these points. However, one major flaw in the lead section is the last sentence, which states that "REI operates 179 retail stores in 39 states". Stores are always opening and closing, so this information needs to be updated constantly. A google search revealed that as of 2024, there are now 186 locations in 43 states, so this needs to be updated. In the talk page, The Public Affairs department at REI has requested this be changed to keep up with their internal marketing objectives. This brief but informative lead section is a great way to start the article despite possibly needing some slight updates.

While the information presented in the article is concise and accurate, there are some areas that could be elaborated upon to give the reader a more encompassing idea of the company and its ventures. They are unlike any other companies in a lot of ways, including their #OptOutside movement in which they close stores on Black Friday to encourage people to get outside. This is unique and deserves more explanation than a few sentences at the bottom of their History section. Another section that should have more information is their efforts to be climate neutral and minimize waste, as they have spent several years working to obtain these goals. They also make helping the community a main priority, which is rare for such a large company. Despite the lack of detail in some areas, the writing of this article is superb, as it gives reputable citations for every statistic provided and is delivered in an informative tone. There is not much area for biases, as this is a fact-based summary of the company, not an analysis. In terms of equity gaps, this article does a great job acknowledging every part of the company, but there is room to elaborate on their social and environmental endeavors, as they have several.

The extensive list of references is organized and easy to follow, especially with the citations being linked whenever they are cited in the article. This is crucial in a good research paper, as the reader needs to be able to find the right information and do so quickly. A disorganized reference list can take away from the paper, even if it is written very well. Also, the plentiful facts help the reader to gauge REI’s Road to success and how they project to perform in the future. The pictures provided, although small, also contribute to the reader's experience by showing multiple examples of their stores. However, there are some areas that can be improved upon. First off, the pictures could be enlarged to help them hold more significance. Second, many of the sections should be elaborated upon, especially given their unique business model. This can be done by finding reliable sources that provide additional information about certain topics, with the most common being REI’s own site. Another crucial part to strengthening this article would be to ensure that the statistics given are reliable and, more importantly, as up to date as possible. The Public Affairs department at REI has also requested changes in other areas, not just with statistics. They believe it is important to update the corporate and environmental sections frequently so readers can get the most accurate idea of their ventures. Things are always changing, and there were several numbers and facts that have not been updated in a while, which can be misleading to the reader. Overall, this article does its job well and provides a strong summary of REI, but there is always room for new information to make the review more thorough.