I do believe you will find across the country hits/misses with REI. Some are run more as a local business with others appearing to be the straight corporate line. You do have to shop around with your LBS. Some shops will give you the complete/total attention with others ignoring you waiting for the thousand dollar bike sale.

The shop I manage rewards their employees by encouraging positive costomer service. We receive 1% of the sale if the transaction has a specific amount of items on it. This offers the employees the opportunity to explain the benefits/safety factor of the accessories - helmets, lights, bottle cage, etc. This also encourages the employees to really get to know their customers - where do they ride, how often, what are their goals.