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Where to buy your shoes (Read 765 times)

    I buy all my shoes from my local running store, but I do buy some of my apparell online. I know I can get my shoes a little cheaper online or at a store like Dicks Sporting goods, but have you ever asked one of the kids at a retail chain a question about a shoe? Blank stares. The store I buy from is actually mentioned in the article. Metro Run & Walk, except I go to the fourth store that's in Indiana.

    Dan

    dfffff


      I don't buy my running shoes. College rules.
        For me, this is a real dilemma. The shoes that I currently run on (Asics Gel Nimbus) retail at various local shops for about $179.99 ($CAD) on average. Add to that 13% in tax, both provincial and federal. My running club is sponsored by a local shop and so they offer an additional 15% discount to club members, which I appreciate. I've been able to find the same shoes online in the US for $79.99. Yes, I do have to pay for shipping, taxes and from time to time duty. In any event, the total with all of these charges comes to less than $100. I love my local store and value their advice and feedback, but at nearly a $100 a pair difference in price I simply can't do it. I'll go through at least 4 pair of shoes this year. Economically, it just doesn't make sense. I still frequent them for all my apparel and fuel needs and recommend them to friends seeking professional advice and a proper fitting. When my current shoe no longer works for me, I'll suck it up, pay them a visit and pay the full (well, discounted) pop.
          My local running store is crap...probably due to the fact that I don't live in a very "fit" part of the country, so they couldn't stay in business if their main focus was running. With that said, I would never go into their store and get fitted then go buy the shoes online. When I lived in a city with a great local running store, I let them fit me for a pair of shoes then bought them right there. I will buy additional pairs of that same shoe online or elsewhere if I find a great deal. I found them half-price at Academy once, and you just can't pass that up.
            I am desperately trying to support my local running stores Smile, but none I have visited so far carry the shoes I want in my size 7.5. Yes I have small feet, but a neutral 7.5 in medium width should not be too much to ask. They say I can special order them, but the whole point of going to a store over buying online for me is to try them on and see if I like the fit. If they are not fitting me, and just want to order the shoe and pocket the difference, I'd just as well donate the difference to some local race wether I am running it or not. One other thing is one of the stores pushed/guided me towards buying a shoe that they did have in store which turned out to be the wrong kind for me (Asics 2110) which are for mild pronaters when I dont need any additional support. They also try to push womens shoes to me, which are sometimes narrower in the heel and I am pretty much about to give up on the local guys.
              "I hate shopping, so I don't want to have to buy bigger clothes." That one made me laugh. I usually shop at the local stores for advice, accessories, and impulse purchases. The last shoes, I purchased were online. Prior to that I paid out the * for 1223s at a local store, but I had a gift certificate (which I probably mentally devalued to coupon status). Those 1223s were substantially cheaper online without any haggling.

              Vim

                If you're prompted for a username and password, you can use: username: fwdgear password: resolution (from bugmenot.com, a webpage that lists usernames and passwords by site)

                E.J.
                Greater Lowell Road Runners
                Cry havoc and let slip the dawgs of war!

                May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your SPF30, may the rains fall soft upon your sweat-wicking hat, and until you hit the finish line may The Flying Spaghetti Monster hold you in the hollow of His Noodly Appendage.

                  If any of the towns around me had a local running shoe store, I'd support it. As I think on it, the last duty station I had where there was a truly good running shoe store was FT Jackson, SC near Columbia. Currently, what I do is go to the local GP sporting goods store, find a pair I like and that fit well, then I go on-line and order them. It saves me sales tax and often times the shoes are much cheaper to begin with. Mike