I'm a member and I certainly don't regret it. I also only shop a few times a year, I paid the $20 dollar lifetime fee to be a member about 4 years ago and I've earned over $150 in dividends. I primarily choose to shop at REI for their 1 year return policy, that buys a lot of piece of mind when you buy a different type of shoe, a backpack that you want to test out, or maybe a sleeping pad that looks comfortable in the store but may not be comfortable in the wild.