Insanity: Buying new-model shoes online

I am a big fan of local specialty stores for runners and walkers, for many reasons, but especially when you are shopping for shoes.

1. If you have never bought the right pair of shoes for you, then how could you do this efficiently over the Web? How many injuries would you incur before you figured out that you were wearing the wrong make and model? How many times would you have to send back the wrong pair and order another pair?
2. If you have never bought the right pair of shoes for you, then would you really trust someone at a “big box” store to have the expertise to fit you correctly? What are the chances that you could return a pair that did not “work out” for you?

In contrast, a specialty retailer should have bright, caring experts who love to run or walk and will bend over backward to ensure that you get the right fit.

So you should have a local specialty retailer whom you patronize.

Now suppose you know exactly the make and model of shoe that works for you but:

• your shoe is temporarily out of stock at your specialty retailer and you are unwilling to wait as long as they say compared to how quickly the online retailer can deliver the shoes to you;
• you found a really good deal online and your local specialty retailer will not come anywhere near the price, even though you reminded your local retailer how much you shop there and prefer to shop there for everything related to your running or walking needs;
• your local specialty retailer is unwilling to negotiate for a “bulk discount” for buying multiple pairs, even though your local retailer has multiple pairs of your make, model, and size in stock; or,
• you are out-of-town for several weeks or months at another, fixed location — such as at an extended-stay hotel for your job, at a relative’s home, or at a vacation home — and do not know where to find an equivalent specialty retailer in that area or have found one but are not impressed with their knowledge when compared to your hometown specialty retailer.

In any of these situations, if you need a replacement pair, then I recommend that you consider buying shoes online — but, again, only if you can get the same make, model, and size that you already know works for you.

Warning: Be sure when ordering online that the shoe model that you are ordering is exactly the same as the model that you wear today.