REI

Rental Equipment Incorporated. Return Every Item. Whatever you choose to call it, REI's awesome return policy for members along with the lifetime guarantees on gear are a few of the many reasons I frequently shop there. (Although you will get blacklisted if you try to repeatedly try to return things that you never actually bought at REI or if you return the same pair of Chacos every month for five month.... I suppose everyone has their limits.)

First of all, REI actually made Forbes's list of top places to work in 2011, ranking in at #9 for the 50-75% employee gear discount, Challenge Grants for up to $300 for employees who want to get out and do something interesting, like kayak around X large island or bike across Y state. And apparently if you work for REI for 15 years, you get a 4 week paid sabbatical (fifteen years is a long time, but still, pretty sweet).

Image http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/snapshots/9.html

I went to REI today, and was impressed by how quickly they handled my returns and how knowledgeable the sales people were, quick to give me good advice on the best pair of rain pants and which is the most durable type of camp chair. And no, they don't just push the REI brand, which I appreciate.
Also as for being environmentally mindful, all of REI's brand name gear comes with a suggestion for being green on the tag, and I noticed several of their base layers were made with recycled polyester. Also REI carries other outdoor brands that use either recycled or organic materials such as Patagonia and Prana.
I choose to buy a lot of my gear at REI even though I know I could probably get it cheaper if I just pro dealed it because of how helpful they are with finding good gear, accepting returns, caring about the environmental impact of their products, and keeping their employees well-cared for and happy.