Anyone bought shoes at a "New Balance Running Store"? (Read 854 times)

I need to get fitted for a new pair of shoes and the nearest running store is actually a New Balance store. Has anyone here bought shoes from such a store? Or should I make an effort to visit a store that sells other brands too? I took a look at the NB website and they seem to have a lot more shoe models than other brands so I'm thinking they should have something to fit whatever type of feet I have.

I bought my shoes at a NB store. The guy who helped me was awesome, I was very satisfied with both the shoes and the service.

Our NB store is owned by the same guy who owns the leading running store chain (I think with 3 locations) in the area. When I bought a pair in there last Fall all 3 employees I talked to were avid runners, including one who is a cross country runner at my college alma mater. They all seemed very knowledgeable. I really love NB stuff. Mostly because I have wide feet and I am not limited only to the models they make in wides--they are all available in wide or even extra-wide for some more popular models. I also like the company's ethics. The shoes are made in the US and they do a lot to support some great charities, like Susan G. Komen and Girls On The Run. They also have a code of conduct that all of their sellers must abide by to retain their accounts with NB. k

I went to the NB store and got a new pair of shoes. I'm doing a 7-mile run tomorrow so I'll try them out. The sales person did confirm that I need a neutral cushioning shoe which is what the previous running store sales person had fitted me for.

Which shoe did you end up with? What did you think of the service?

I got a pair of 1061's. They were $118 incl tax. I did a price search when I got home and that's pretty much what it would have cost if I tried ordering them online. The experience was much nicer than the last time I went to a speciality running store. I don't know if it's because it was mid week, but there was only one other customer and it just seemed as though the sales person wasn't in a hurry and he answered and discussed all my questions. I had my last 2 pairs of running shoes with me and he looked at the tread wear and we discussed the number of miles I had run on each. The previous running store I went to, it was on a weekened and the store itself was pretty busy. While the salesperson in there didn't rush me, I just got the feeling that I was taking too much of their time. That may have just been my percetpion based on seeing customers walking around with no sales people to help them. Both sales persons in both stores said I have neutral feet and needed a neutral cushonioning shoe, but the NB sales person spent more time discussing and explaining it. Of course, he may just have been a "better" sales person :-) The key would really be how my feet feel over the next week or so while running in the new shoes.