So I'm thinking of applying for a part-time job at a running shoe store. Just for a little money while I finish school.
The issue is that letsrun has turned me into a mild minimalist.
So should I suck it up and sell Kayanos to everyone who walks through the door, or spread the gospel until I get fired?
It should not be wether you agree or disagree with a "maximalist" philosophy that drives your decisions to fit people with certain shoes. your beliefs in minimalism are not wrong, but you must approach the situation from a unbiased opinion. For instance not every runner is looking for the minimalist approach which requires adaptation. Most of the people we fit in our stores are more interested in getting into a shoe that allows them to run 5 miles 4 times a week with out having to adjust or alter there training lifestyle. If you are to put someone into a shoe with out explaining them the philosophy and instructing them on the adjustment to their training are you really helping them? I don't find many people I fit to be that enthused in having to hold themselves back to adjust to this or that. At the same time I do how ever believe in a strengthing program for those who are serious about going that route. The idea is the shoe you fit must not only suit the needs of the biomechanical in-efficiency, but the presonality and training style of the idividual. In either case if customers are instructed properly with a overall customer satisfaction, low return of shoes you fit, and lack of customers complaining that your training plan/fitting(assuming it is appropiate for the individual) injured them then why would you worry about getting fired?
Many years ago i discovered the wonderfulness of the minimalist approach to running. The science behind the idea makes perfect sense and more importantly i always felt perfectly comfortable while running. No pain, No injuries, and improved performance. The one thing you must realize though, is that while some high-mileage, competitive althelets have the appropriate body mechanics and running form and build to pull off minimalists shoes, this isn't the case for everyone. You might bright the idea around to customers as a suggestion and then give your own experiences as an example.
Please define the minimalist approach and then explain what a mild version of that would be... no I'm not a troll.
trackhead is the #1 minimalist in the world and he's constantly injured. Coincidence?
I can't believe the amount of bs being tossed about on such a subject.
Your body's natural ability to absorb and distribute the stress and pounding of running is best done "naturally", meaning barefoot or with as little shoe between your barefoot and the road or running surface. The higher your heel is from the ground, the more damage you're doing to your body because the extra thickness in the heel of most running shoes prohibits this natural motion. The minimalist approach i'm talking about would refer to running in a shoe that would best re-create barefoot running. To exagerate my point, it would be like trying to run in a pair of six-inch heels.
i don't know if what you say is true about trackhead but i do know that a sample of 1 is not and should not decide an argumenti can point to pantman, that guy runs crazy amount of miles in flimsy flats and doesn't appear to have any problems... and from what he says he has done this wearing a few extra pounds at times
gbs wrote:
trackhead is the #1 minimalist in the world and he's constantly injured. Coincidence?
gbs wrote:
trackhead is the #1 minimalist in the world and he's constantly injured. Coincidence?
Runners in the 70's were always injured, weren't they.
Yeah, Pre, Bill Rodgers and Steve Scott, hardly ever raced- they were always hobbled.
elton john wrote:
gbs wrote:trackhead is the #1 minimalist in the world and he's constantly injured. Coincidence?
Runners in the 70's were always injured, weren't they.
gumby wrote:
So I'm thinking of applying for a part-time job at a running shoe store. Just for a little money while I finish school.
The issue is that letsrun has turned me into a mild minimalist.
So should I suck it up and sell Kayanos to everyone who walks through the door, or spread the gospel until I get fired?
If you think that the primary customer at a running store is a "real runner" you might be in for a surprise. Every time I go it is me and several 40ish year old women who walk in malls. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but that is not too far off.
The majority of people that I know who run do it for fun and to keep a couple pounds off. To many people running has nothing to do with racing. The fitness crowd is the main customer.
I do not mean to insult fitness runners, I simply wish to point out that people run for many different reasons and the reasons people on letsrun do it may be on the far end of the spectrum. If you don't respect the reasons others run, then you will not like the job.
My 2 pennies.
It's not your place to tell people what to wear, your job is to sell shoes for the owner. if you don't like it open your own store
Spelling and grammer wrote:
gumby wrote:So I'm thinking of applying for a part-time job at a running shoe store. Just for a little money while I finish school.
The issue is that letsrun has turned me into a mild minimalist.
So should I suck it up and sell Kayanos to everyone who walks through the door, or spread the gospel until I get fired?
If you think that the primary customer at a running store is a "real runner" you might be in for a surprise. Every time I go it is me and several 40ish year old women who walk in malls. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but that is not too far off.
The majority of people that I know who run do it for fun and to keep a couple pounds off. To many people running has nothing to do with racing. The fitness crowd is the main customer.
I do not mean to insult fitness runners, I simply wish to point out that people run for many different reasons and the reasons people on letsrun do it may be on the far end of the spectrum. If you don't respect the reasons others run, then you will not like the job.
My 2 pennies.
Dead on. If a running store tried to cater only to hard core competitive runners, they'd go broke in a month. There just aren't enough of them in any one geographic area to support a successful retail business. To pay the rent, stores have to serve the fitness joggers and walkers, gallowalkers, and pengiuns we all love to bash.
I train minimalist and work at a running shoe store. I came to a quick agreement with the owner (during my interview for the job) that she's happy to have me discuss minimalist footwear with someone who brings it up first, but for everyone else to fit them for standard running shoes. What everyone else has said is right: your job is to sell shoes for the owner, and most runners who come in just want something to get them through their 10-20 miles a week of jogging with no great changes. Every month or so, someone will come in who wants to know about minimalist shoes or is already training minimalist. That will give me a good 15-30 minutes to chat and have fun talking about shoes to put them in. Other than that, I sell the standard 2120s and Adrenalines to happy customers.
As long as you have a boss who's cool, working in a running shoe store is great. I have a somewhat flexible schedule, and I get, I would estimate, $500-700 a year in free gear from company reps, not to mention phenomenal employee purchase deals shoes and clothing. Hell, I just got a pair of Eldoret IIs from Nike for $45.
Ahh... ok, I got it now. Thanks for the detailed reply.
lmb wrote:
It's not your place to tell people what to wear, your job is to sell shoes for the owner. if you don't like it open your own store
This post should end the thread.