Do you buy shoes online, or do you support bricks and mordor business?

Yes, the brick stores of Mordor are much preferred to online shopping. I get a kick out of making the Orcs go back and get me half sizes to try on.

I support the local stores if it's just a few dollars or if they will match prices. Last week I purchased a pair of shoes from Holibird for $90 and they were $100-$120 in the stores. Sorry had to go with Holibird.

im an azzhole wrote:

Yes, the brick stores of Mordor are much preferred to online shopping. I get a kick out of making the Orcs go back and get me half sizes to try on.

Oh, I'll bet you'll make a Tolkien online purchase now and again.

Mordor? Really?

I will but at a brick and mortar so long as the price is fair, which it often is, and they have the desired size/color. Which they often don't.

Go to a shoe store, spend an hour with an expert getting you the right shoes, then order them online. If the store doesn't have wifi then wait until you get home.

I typically buy from local running specialty stores. I am also a member of a local running club, which comes with discounts to the local running stores.

The discount gets the pricing pretty close to online.

Steve Q wrote:

Buying online is convenient and cheap, but I still pay the extra few bucks to buy at an actual store. I figure that a bricks and mordor business has a stake in the community and my money will help local running. Do you all buy online, or do you spend a few extra bucks to support your local shop?

10/10. Nice work.

WalMart

I would love to buy from a local store, but unfortunately the owner is a douche. They open up a store and cry small business but their managers are from out of town, and they only promote events put on by out of towners.

I'd buy local if there was a place worth going to. Instead I drive 2.5 hours North to a place I trust.

Sauron wrote:

I would love to buy from a local store, but unfortunately the owner is a douche. They open up a store and cry small business but their managers are from out of town, and they only promote events put on by out of towners.

I'd buy local if there was a place worth going to. Instead I drive 2.5 hours North to a place I trust.

I understand your mindset completely. I used to live in the town where the local running shop was awesome. They employed some of the top local high schoolers and their managers were all in the local running scene as well. It was a place where you wouldn't just go to buy shoes, but would go knowing that you might end up spending 2-3 hours there talking about the sport. Everyone was personable and friendly and knowledgeable. Those couple hours of leisure, enjoying the sport with others, and being part of the local running community were well worth the extra $15-$30 dollars depending on the pair of shoes. That's the way a shop should be run, in my opinion. You need to give the community a reason to come in, and these guys did.

Now I live in a town where the local shop is basically the complete opposite. The first time I went in, they tried to upsell me. Went in and told them I was looking for Pegasus and they asked me if I wanted to try on some more expensive Nike, I forget which one. I said no I've been running in Pegasus for years and love the shoe, but they still tried to convince me to try on the more expensive pair. Beyond that, the prices seemed a little outrageous to me, higher than the old store I went to. The manager came across as a really callous person. I got the sense that the store was not invested in the community, so I stopped going there after 3 trips. I wanted to give them a chance but they didn't earn a 4th trip from me.

I live about 40 miles from the nearest concrete and glass store so I shop more online. I would support the "local" store more if I lived near one. Actually, the nearest brick and more doors store (they have at least 6 in the front) is a Dick's sporting goods. I have bought shoes there when I was past due for a new pair. Now if I buy from Dick's, it's usually a year old model on-line for a much lower price than the current model.

My local stores would give me a discount for being on the XC team, and then continued for a good number of years after. A few teammates/ex teammates worked there it was a good setup.

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But now I prefer spikes made with Valyrian steel rather than ones made in Mordor. They only use the cheap stuff there. I can only get Valyrian steel online.

One does not simply walk into a brick and mordor running store. Its black gates are guarded by more than just running nerds. There is evil there that does 20 mpw, and the Great Hobby Jogger is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with overpriced tech shirts and compression socks and fuel belts, the very air you breathe is a icy-hot fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly.

Positive Contribution wrote:

One does not simply walk into a brick and mordor running store. Its black gates are guarded by more than just running nerds. There is evil there that does 20 mpw, and the Great Hobby Jogger is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with overpriced tech shirts and compression socks and fuel belts, the very air you breathe is a icy-hot fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly.

Came here to post this, got beat to it.

My precious. MY PRECIOUS!

Positive Contribution wrote:

One does not simply walk into a brick and mordor running store. Its black gates are guarded by more than just running nerds. There is evil there that does 20 mpw, and the Great Hobby Jogger is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with overpriced tech shirts and compression socks and fuel belts, the very air you breathe is a icy-hot fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly.

post of the year.

hoka hoka one one one one one wrote:

Now if I buy from Dick's.....

My wife loves Dick's, she is always talking about Dick's and how much she loves them.