PLEASE DISCUSS. I was labeled a Return Policy Abuser at a running shoe store because I had 4 or 5 returns.

Scorpion, i have to say, i think you have stumbled onto a once in a lifetime goldmine.

I mean, people here really do not like what you've done at all. I might even say that people here don't like you at all, but maybe that's not quite fair. What is fair to say, however, is that the level of vitriol is unprecedented. I am, frankly, amazed.

Clearly, you have touched a nerve. Now you need to run with it.

Try this on. We start an online blog on you-tube. We can start there and wait for the television offers to roll in. Don't accept anything until Netflix pitches something - that's important - write it down.

The premise is that you will go in to buy a pair of shoes at a nice little mom-and-pop running store but you never intend to keep them. You intend to use them everyday on a treadmill for as many miles as you can run for until the very last day when you can return them, be that 2 weeks, one month, whatever is their policy. Then you bring them back and say they just didn't work out.

Okay?

But we don't stop there. Oh, no, no, no!

We also join a gym each week with trial memberships and run on their treadmill every day - during peak hours - until the trial membership runs out. Then we move on to the next gym with their trial membership!

See where i'm headed with this?

Then we get another pair of shoes, which we don't intend to keep, either.... And run on the new gym's treadmill as long and as much as we can, without intending to pay a thing.

And to keep things spicy, we pick up a few accessories to keep things interesting. You know, say some energy gels that happen to claim "satisfaction guaranteed", or some weight loss bars that claim "results or your money back!", etc. And guess where we're headed with them? You guessed it, we go for the full refund, claiming they didn't work or satisfy, or whatever it takes to prove that they have just encountered the world's biggest bottom-feeder ever born.

Scorpion, i honestly think this idea has traction. And based on the reaction you've already stirred up, are we wrong in presuming it's going to be a grand scam, i mean slam.

What do you think?

Sorry do you have do you have any evidence to support the idea that majority of people of reasonable? Go away child.

Dril wrote:

Sorry do you have do you have any evidence to support the idea that majority of people of reasonable? Go away child.

Ah the fact that stores remain profitable?? If everyone did what you claim they wouldn’t make money you fuking imbecile.

Here's the Zante v2 in size 10:

Is that not what you're looking for?

Also salming has some shoes that seem to be like what you're describing:

You need to spend more time trying on different models of shoes though. At a running store, you should spend enough time to find something you can run in, then if after a few runs (5-10 miles can be too little to tell if a shoe will work and its broken in, if its not feeling perfect its time to suck it up.

That's not the shoe. It's the Zante version 2 breathe. Similar model ,but different in material, weight and foam ( same foam, just different stiffness). I owned 13 pairs, and the crazy thing is I would give them to the running shoe store once I was done with them, so that they could be recycled.

I'm going to look into salming, I saw them before, so that might be an option. However, some of their shoes have a torsion fork to give the shoe more of pop. Shanks of any kind whether inside the midsole or attached to the sole causes sharp lumbar pinching, so I stay away from them.

For the record, I have never carried a serious running injury. thanks for the feedback.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Ggdaqeycsar wrote:

Returning 5 pairs of shoes is a lot dude. You're gonna be hard pressed to find many people who do the same. That store would've flagged anybody who made that number of returns regardless of who they were

I would think something like that would be understood by a running shoe company. I know several runners who have issues with running shoes and have to send them back until they find the right one.

I just don't understand why returning running shoes in BRAND NEW CONDITION would be a problem when the runner has to test them out...

You don't really know if a shoe is going to work or not until you put it on the road for some miles. Running around in a store for a few minutes is one thing, but running on the road or treadmill for 10 miles is another.

If you used them to run no more than even one mile on a treadmill, for all practical purposes that shoe is no longer NEW, it is used. May look new, but they are not. Same happens with a car. You drive it out of the lot it becomes used and devaluates.

malmo wrote:

You don't know squat about "back in the day", son. Back in the day mean you bought leather shoes that cracked and got hard after they got wet. You took them home and that was it. You bought it, you own it. Your shoes didn't break in, but your feet did. Ninety percent of the time you got blisters -- that's only the start of your breaking in period. The blisters cracked and made your shoes bloody. You put bandaids and athletic tape on your toes and heels until they firmed up with a hard callus. This isn't a tale of "walking uphill both ways to school." This is how back in the day really was.

Quit taking advantage of lax return policies.

Agree. I remember when a new pair of shoes always meant blisters until they finally molded to the shape of your feet.

HRE wrote:

Dril wrote:

Weird somehow zappos, runningwarehouse and even the online nike store manage to remain profitable after upholding policies to sell worn shoes. Sounds like these struggling small businesses may be struggling for a reason. Time to close the store and spend your time doing something useful! THANK YOU!

It's not weird that Zappos, etc. can take returns and small shops struggle to do it. They do the sort of volume business that allows that. Smaller shops do not.

However, Zappos etc do not swallow the cost, they pass it on to all their other customers. The amount per pair sold may be small due to the volume of business but it is there nonetheless. Ultimately you and I are paying for the prima donnas who feel it is fine to exploit the service to the limit and return five shoes for every one they buy. I would be curious to know how much is added to the cost of each shoe to cover restocking.

I don't think you understand what "BRAND NEW" means. You ran 10 miles in them, dude. Even 400m would make them not brand new. I would probably do the same thing if I owned the store.

you are wrong my dude.

5 returns is a lot. just pick a fn shoe and stop crying

are you even trying to break them in? ten miles on a treadmill is nothing! when I buy shoes it takes a week or so for them to feel right

stores have it bad enough with people going in and trying shoes and then leaving and buying them online. you are definitely abusing the policy

Techniques:

1.) Spelling or grammatical errors

2.) Touching on a hot button issue (race)

3.) Lack of Hubris (bragging about running sub 18 1.5 years from now, claiming good running form with scoliosis)

4.) Attack on a beloved institution (local running shops)

5.) Misinformation ('brand new shoes' run in for 10 miles...Tarahumara wear tires for shoes because they're better at shock absorption and not because they have no other options/are resourceful)

6.) Blatantly wrong

Response:

1.) 90 replies in like 20 hours

2.) Attacks on character, judgement, and mental health

3.) At least one person defending the asinine premise

4.) Minimal troll ratings...apparent acceptance as genuine

Rating:

A begrudging 9/10. You got people riled up, but not to true vitriolic levels yet.

Dril wrote:

HRE wrote:

These sorts of things usually assume that customers aren't going to exploit the policy consistently.

Why? What fantasy world do you live in?

The one where people who go to all you can eat buffets understand that they might go back for thirds but aren't going to settle in for an early lunch and stay there munching until closing time. The one where specialty shops can offer free returns and know that most of their customers understand that they mean a very occasional return. If merchants couldn't count on the vast majority of their customers being reasonable about such things they couldn't offer them.

They probably think you are buying the shoe, trying them out for a week, then returning them and buying them online. Returning 5 shoes would make anyone highly suspicious that this is what you are doing. Just put yourself in the mindset of a small business owner who is trying to stay in business, and not be taken advantage of.

Kudos on not jumping straight to the assumption that you are being discriminated against for your race. I'm glad you are trying to be reasonable, and asking for honest feedback. Despite what narrative the media like to push, racial discrimination is INCREADIBLY unlikely because it is against the law and would instantly put the store out of business if they were caught. Once again, put yourself in the mindset of a guy/girl who's running a small business and is just trying to keep the doors open. The last thing you would want to do is open yourself up to lawsuits and fines just because you don't want to loose a few buck on some returned shoes. The only color most people care about is $green$.

I also agree with the feedback that you need to figure your knee and back issue...it's not just the shoes.

Good luck.

Consider the fact that it is an unsustainable business practice to keep on receiving used product. Any product that has been worn and ran in for any amount of distance is considered used. It is like getting dinner at a restaurant and returning it after a few bites because you do not like the taste. It is fine the first or second time. After the next couple of times? It gets old. Especially to the business offering you great customer service by even allowing you to return a product that is used. The running community is very generous in terms of return policy. Try that at any other normal department store. You'll get rejected easy. Don't take that for granted.

Also, it's possible that even though the shoes you returned have only 10 miles on them, the store might only be able to resale them on the discount rack. That's usually about a $40 discount on the shoe price. If you've done this 5 times, you've cost the store about $200in sales. If you've only bought and kept 2 shoes, where the store might make at most a $50 profit per shoe. The store is actually in the hole to you for about $100. Let that sink.

Troll Hunter wrote:

Techniques:

1.) Spelling or grammatical errors

2.) Touching on a hot button issue (race)

3.) Lack of Hubris (bragging about running sub 18 1.5 years from now, claiming good running form with scoliosis)

4.) Attack on a beloved institution (local running shops)

5.) Misinformation ('brand new shoes' run in for 10 miles...Tarahumara wear tires for shoes because they're better at shock absorption and not because they have no other options/are resourceful)

6.) Blatantly wrong

Response:

1.) 90 replies in like 20 hours

2.) Attacks on character, judgement, and mental health

3.) At least one person defending the asinine premise

4.) Minimal troll ratings...apparent acceptance as genuine

Rating:

A begrudging 9/10. You got people riled up, but not to true vitriolic levels yet.

lmao I love this

Troll Hunter wrote:

Techniques:

1.) Spelling or grammatical errors

2.) Touching on a hot button issue (race)

3.) Lack of Hubris (bragging about running sub 18 1.5 years from now, claiming good running form with scoliosis)

4.) Attack on a beloved institution (local running shops)

5.) Misinformation ('brand new shoes' run in for 10 miles...Tarahumara wear tires for shoes because they're better at shock absorption and not because they have no other options/are resourceful)

6.) Blatantly wrong

Response:

1.) 90 replies in like 20 hours

2.) Attacks on character, judgement, and mental health

3.) At least one person defending the asinine premise

4.) Minimal troll ratings...apparent acceptance as genuine

Rating:

A begrudging 9/10. You got people riled up, but not to true vitriolic levels yet.

SR thrives on this and is there is often a some kind of victimization underlying his threads . Plus he must have a lot of time on his hands...

On the matter, the return policy should be like it was in the old days when you bought at the shoe-store. You walk in them in front of the guy then take it or leave it. Now you can walk with them at home. Running 10miles in them and bounce them back is shameful and a basically a rip-off to the next guy who'll buy them...

Scorpion_runner wrote:

Texerine wrote:

I sympathize, Scorpion. Maybe you should try Running Warehouse, which has a very liberal return policy. If you find shoes that work for you, you can always go back to your local store for the next pair.

Yes, I already shop with them and I have brought several items. Most things I have kept. They run a great business.

But I do like to give business to stores in my city or town.

I'll never buy running shoes from the Running Warehouse. Your responses were very helpful for my decision.

Often times, running stores won't re-sell worn shoes. Brands will comp the store for the return, as long as a reason for return is listed. I'd think with as many shoes as you've tried, you would've found something you liked and stuck with it. Why try a new shoe every time?