Wal Mart running clothes

you guys crack me up. you're always whining about how the running footwear and apparel industry don't listen to you and don't support you enough. they should sponsor this guy or that guy and give free stuff to everyone with a pulse. yet you're on here advocating walmart brand athletic gear.

its no wonder they don't give a damn what you guys think! the reason they only make products for the running masses is because they're the ones that buy it. if you put some thought into supporting the industry you seem to care so much about, it might consider doing more to support you back.

Super Agree! Everyone on this board can go to hell- walmart people....give me a break- Do you realize what you are driving this world to- Cheaper, crappier and not made in the US - wow working all of us right out a job sweet!

lol wrote:

you guys crack me up. you're always whining about how the running footwear and apparel industry don't listen to you and don't support you enough. they should sponsor this guy or that guy and give free stuff to everyone with a pulse. yet you're on here advocating walmart brand athletic gear.

its no wonder they don't give a damn what you guys think! the reason they only make products for the running masses is because they're the ones that buy it. if you put some thought into supporting the industry you seem to care so much about, it might consider doing more to support you back.

"Spoken like a true male with no fashion taste..."

FYI, I'm female and I used to model while I was in college. I know first hand the enormous mark-up on the "name" articles of clothing (not just running gear). Don't feed their profits if you don't have to!

I don't think a guy would use the post handle of "Lookin good."

I have a job in which I receive many local/regional running magazines that include pictures of local/regional hotshot and average runners. These publications include advertising from local/regional specialty running stores and the advertising for the races some of these same stores sponsor.

Not once have I seen, looking through dozens of these titles monthly, a paid ad from Wal-Mart.

The issue isn't whether you and I can afford to patronize the specialty running stores. The issue is that the smaller retailers are helping our sport at the community level, not Wal-Mart. If the specialty stores go out of business because we don't shop at them, more than one of these mags would go out of business and we'd have fewer races to run for sure.

We can't afford NOT to patronize the specialty running stores.

So, folks, do you want to save a few bucks now or lose priceless running opportunities a few months or years from now?

sure you can go to those places and save a ton of money.

i do agree with you that it is not necessary to drop a ton of money on gear--my favorite shoes are almost always the less expensive models that lack the bells and whistles. BUT...all the big boxes spend no effort on the local running community: group runs, races, training programs, community info, etc.

imho, i would rather spend a few extra dollars at a store where the faces are familiar, the help is more knowledgeable and wiser, and the focus is on the running community.

Noz4nuz wrote:

Not once have I seen, looking through dozens of these titles monthly, a paid ad from Wal-Mart.

Exactly. Wal*Mart keeps its overhead low by, among other things, spending very little on advertising.

Most athletic equipment advertising is very insulting. The underlying assumption is that I'm stupid enough that, because they pay Tiger/LeBron/Paula, etc., a few million dollars, this will somehow convince me that I should buy their products so I can bask in their reflected glory.

Giancarlo,

I agree, that's why I choose to pay extra for running shoes a few times a year at my local running store. However, there are times where I'll buy 2-3 deeply discounted pairs online, because I can't afford not to.

That's the same with the clothes. If running stores had a nice layered clothing in the 15-25 range, I'd buy the stuff there, but they don't. Everything is at least $40, and sometimes near or north of $100

It's all about the Benjamins baby.

Bdubs wrote:

I picked up a Starter Fleece running jacket for $11 and a windbreaker/pants combo for $12. While I don't need (or want) to match, it's getting really cold, and this stuff seems pretty good.

Any other experiences?

is this Ben Williams??

if it is, then no. its not getting cold here. we live in the same state, as a matter of fact i live right down I-35 from your house. it got up to like 60 today dude.

Here's a great item

Another great place for cheap shoes is BIG 5. I never pay full retail for running shoes and BIG 5 often has great sales. Just today I bought a pair of Saucony shoes today, even though I don't need them at the moment. Regular price was $79.99 and got them on a 3 days sale for just $39.99. They have great sales on Asics too.

Hell go to the Salvation army while you are at it. Get an entire running wardrobe with shoes for under $25.

You Walmart haters are pathetic. I simply shop Walmart because they offer the lowest prices. It's that easy. Specialty stores, if you want my business lower the dang prices. Can't make it if you do, tough, then you failed as a business. Walmart kicked your butt.

He's right. To the poster who asked if we care that we might lose future race opportunities around town -- we obviously do not. We do not care that we are losing American jobs. We do not care that we are increasing the deficit in relation to a country that plans to become #1 globally. We do not care about the environment.

Look -- you aren't telling us anything we don't already know. The fact of the matter is, convience and penny-pinching is our number priority. This is America and immediate gratification is our option. Wal*Mart simply offers an OPTION -- much the same way a strip mall of specialty stores does -- and America has overwhelmingly voted (with their dollars) to give Wal*Mart the buying power to force suppliers to get us products for the least expensive prices possible on our market. This isn't a matter of principle, it's a matter of reality. Honestly, it's the first time in years I think I've seen American's unite behind a cause (even if it will ultimately be bad for us as whole).

Killed a man wrote:

Honestly, it's the first time in years I think I've seen American's unite behind a cause (even if it will ultimately be bad for us as whole).

What's the cause you're united behind with others, illiteracy?

Actually, Wal Mart doesn't eliminate US jobs. By outsourcing the production of goods (textiles especially) They're produced in a "round about way."

While there are certainly examples of communities suffering because of low wage workers elsewhere, we're all better off in the long run, even those working for pennies a day.

Econ 201 my friens. It's real, so deal with it.

To whoever thought they new who I am, the temperature was 22 degrees today dude!

knew, before the grammar police arrive.

I got a pair of compression/biker shorts from there for $10. They're awesome!

I hear that they are going to sponsor a team. "Expect More, Pay Less"

Truer words were never spoken "as you sew, so shall you reap".