I remember one time when I was working at the Seattle REI, this rich family came in to the store. It was July, they were visiting the area and wanted to climb St. Helens. So they started rounding up sales monkeys and trying on all this mountaineering gear. Climbing boots, ice axes, helmets, harnesses, glacier glasses, down jackets, the works.
First we tried to convince them that it was summer and the snow level was low so all they really needed was some hiking boots and sunscreen. Then we tried to convince them to rent most of the gear, but Dad demanded only the best for his family.
So they walked out of there with several thousand dollars worth of high-end gear to hike St. Helens on a nice summer Saturday.
