JL Waters - Bloomington, Indiana

Mark P.

In addition to previous smaller purchases, we special-ordered a Nova Craft canoe from this establishment. From exploration, to understanding, to ordering, to delivery, Chuy Vidaurri, the JL Waters Hard Goods Manager “adopted” us, stayed in constant communication with us throughout the process, and insured that our order was exactly what we wanted. Upon delivery, he and his fellow staff offered excellent advice, and aided us and insured the canoe was expertly secured to our vehicle. We have been outdoors recreation equipment consumers for years, have had many experiences with outfitters and retailers, and cannot recommend any establishment or staff member more highly.

Oliver G.

I was in the market to buy my first pair of hiking boots and I really had no idea what I should be looking for in a quality hiking boot. The service that was provided by the associate, Jasper, was excellent. Jasper answered all of my questions with thorough detail and patience, and never once made me feel rushed or pressured when trying on the several pairs that were selected for me. Jasper helped me to feel confident when making the larger purchase, and I am exceedingly happy with the boots I purchased. I have always had a pleasant experience with the staff at JL Waters, but I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight the exceptional service that Jasper provided. 10/10

Indigo S.

Wonderful store. Fantastic customer service. Great selection and fair prices. I stop here anytime I am in town.

Kavya M.

I had an extremely disappointing experience at this store, which I shared with a friend. She posted a review, but the owner dismissed it as a disgruntled employee's doing. Let me assure you, if you want to feel judged based on your appearance, this is the place to go.

To the owner, if you doubt this incident, check your records for July 6th, around 7-8 PM, for verification. There was tall employee who came to their shift and asked us if we need any help, which My husband and I explicitly stated we were just looking, but your employee made a snarky comment. We tried to ignore it, but he continued to follow us through out the store. Kept saying like you need to buy something in his very own casual way. Eventually, we asked for a specific style and brand of shoes. He claimed not to have our size. When we asked for another style that fit, he brought the wrong size and insisted it was correct, despite our objections. Feeling the treatment we left.

In conclusion, your store provides terrible service. Consider this a polite review about the issues we faced.

Saruniu

I've shopped at this store multiple times in the past, and the staff have all been helpful and knowledgeable towards me. However, I will not be shopping here any longer based on the treatment my friend and her husband received. They went in to do some browsing for a bag and some shoes and we're initially greeted by a worker and asked if they needed any help. They responded by politely declining for assistance and communicated that they were currently just browsing. As they were moving throughout the store the worker continued to repeatedly ask if they needed help and stated they need to buy something if they're in the store when my friend and her husband had clearly seen another couple who had just browsed the store and left without purchasing anything. Feeling pressured, they asked if they could see a shoe in her husband's size, to which they discovered the shoe size wasn't even in stock. So they continued to browse at other items and again was harassed to buy something or leave. At this point, not only were they uncomfortable with this discriminatory treatment, they were frustrated because clearly they were looking to purchase something but were instead profiled and mistreated during their time there.

It would be in your best interest to train your employees not to harass customers while shopping as this not only loses the business of my friends, but credibility for your business overall. I would ask you to investigate this situation and educate your employee, who is a tall, white, blonde male with glasses about his rude behavior towards people who come into your business.

Duncan R. G.

This is the friendliest outdoor shop I have ever experienced. Great service with a smile. Mick was super knowledgeable about his camping gear, and put in more than the usual effort to explain and demonstrate products.
- Photo shows the lightweight gear I purchased (left) to fit into my backpack that I already had (right) for an extended backpacking trip around the USA.

rexdadpapa

Upon arriving I was pleasantly surprised at how much bigger the store was than I initially thought, the selection of quality gear is impressive and the prices are no doubt competitive, this IS NOT some overpriced boutique. As I said before, the selection of quality gear is excellent but above and beyond all that what impressed me most was the level of individual, one on one, service! Brandon seemed genuinely interested in not just what I wanted, but me as an individual. I could tell his end goal was to have a satisfied customer who left with exactly what I was looking for, which for me was a pair of hiking shoes. All the staff are very knowledgeable and I left with a better understanding of the gear I was looking at. I will DEFINITELY return for more in the near future! So far so good on the Altra Olympus 5 GTX I purchased! This place was a refreshing change from the usual lack of customer service elsewhere, GREAT JOB JL Waters!

Josephine H.

I went here recently to buy hiking socks. I work in the woods so I need heavy duty, durable socks. Unfortunately, the pair I chose didn’t work out great and were damaged in less than a day. I brought them back in a few days later and had no trouble returning them. They were very understanding and even helped me choose a different brand that might work out better!