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

The store is a sales push abuser, and shouldn't be allowed to sell any more shoes.

I'm not saying this to get reaction, but I honestly may have only returned shoes once in 21 years of running...and even that one I can't remember, so it's possibly 0.

Yeah it's tough to find a good running shoe. Guess what? You A) try it in store. B) suck it up and buy another pair. C) rotate them gently into your training if they're new, starting with 1 run a week, then 2, etc.

You are tight beyond belief. If you wrote a book, you could teach George Costanza the art of raising the game in tightness. It's also crazy how completely oblivious cheapskates are to their ways, and how disconnected to the rest of the society they are.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

One more thing. I can run non stop in a pair of crocks with no issues, seriously. Crocks are all rubber, and most shoes that have mostly rubber soles are like heaven to me.

Another example, the Clark Dessert Boots, which uses the same crepe rubber sole that the german soldiers used on their boots during world war 2. Same thing goes for the wallabees.

I can run in those shoes for miles and miles with no issue.

is midsole foam really needed, and does it hurt the body more than it helps the body?

Then run in crocks, save yourself a ton of money. You do you.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

One more thing. I can run non stop in a pair of crocks with no issues, seriously. Crocks are all rubber, and most shoes that have mostly rubber soles are like heaven to me.

Nearly all running shoes are made with some type of synthetic rubber EVA. There are different levels of hardness and it is depends on the amount of cells, the size of the cells and the specific formulation of materiasl.

Crocs are made out of a foam resin called croslite, which is made out of a polymer called ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). Ethylene-vinyl acetate is a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. Vinyl acetate makes up anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of the copolymer, and the remainder is made up of the ethylene.

This polymer is an elastomeric material (one that is elastic) in its flexibility and softness. Yet, it can be processed like a thermoplastic (a plastic that can be melted into a liquid). EVA is glossy, has a good stress-crack resistance, has a high resistance to UV radiation, and little or no odor to it.

EVA is used as padding in many kinds of shoes, including hockey skates, ski boots, and tennis shoes. Hot stick glues, which are used for arts and crafts activities, are also made of EVA. This is what Crocs use in their signature shoes.

EVA is also sometimes more popularly called “expanded rubber” or “foam rubber.”

Crocs bought the company Foam Creations and their manufacturing operations, which secured the exclusive rights to the proprietary foam resin, known as croslite.

The croslite works to the wearer’s best benefit because it forms to the wearer’s feet and, therefore, offers the best support to individual’s unique feet shape. This gives the wearer reported medical benefits, according to many podiatrists.

Scorpion_runner wrote:

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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.

The problem is, once you run 10 miles in them, they are no longer in BRAND NEW CONDITION. Yes, you abused the return policy IMO.

HRE wrote:

... I know of people who have been asked not to return to an all you can eat buffet.

Hell yeah. The real heroes.

fatbody wrote:

HRE wrote:

... I know of people who have been asked not to return to an all you can eat buffet.

Hell yeah. The real heroes.

One of them was well under 30:00 for 10,000 meters.

HRE wrote:

fatbody wrote:

Hell yeah. The real heroes.

One of them was well under 30:00 for 10,000 meters.

A true champion and you are lucky to know him. I've never been asked not to return to a buffet despite trying really hard. I almost blacked out in the parking lot of a Golden Corral last month and had to brace myself against my car for support. And I'm almost 200 lbs and my 10k is on the wrong side of 40!

the real reason wrote:

The store probably thinks you are buying shoes from them so you get them right away and then buying them for less online and returning those.

That is exactly what this Schyster is doing.

FWIW I have returned several pairs of shoes through the years (though I’ve kept FAR more than returned). I have narrow feet, which limits my options, & I never know if a non-narrow shoe (not many brands have narrow options & those that do don’t in all shoes) will fit without trying it. I also can attest to the issue of shoe models being replaced or the latest version being dramatically different than the prior iterations.

All that said, I pay extra for VIP with roadrunner and return there. They have a VERY generous return policy and I have never had any issues. I also spend a fair bit of money there and have done so for over a decade.

For my local store, they need the shoes to be “new.” To me that means I run, maximum, a mile on a treadmill in them. I’ll warm up in an old shoe and then stop and change out shoes.

I generally do the same test with Roadrunner shoes, though I did once try out a pair of winter running shoes in the snow & return them after they mangled my toes & had no traction.

Thus, returning shoes is reasonable. I think if you do so with your local store then you need to limit your running in them. It goes against your goal of supporting a local store if you crease/wear them in and then return them.

How long must this thread go on? How many people must #metoo it and cite the low percentage of shoes they have returned? It's quite common for retailers to not offer returns on used goods. Running stores for some reason do. If returned shoes are so unprofitable and such a hardship to shoe stores then they shouldn't offer free returns on used shoes. Otherwise they are promoting a policy of returns when selling shoes and then arbitrarily rescinding that policy after the sale has been made. It's a simple bait and switch.