By this time tomorrow, I expect a photo of Kato wearing 2 pairs of Tim's heels with that caption. DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME.

ShoeDog

All I can think is, "Yo, Shoe Dawgggg!!!"

Heh. It makes me think of the shoe company one of the characters in The Big Chill owned. "Running Dog," I think.

By this time tomorrow, I expect a photo of Kato wearing 2 pairs of Tim's heels with that caption. DO NOT DISAPPOINT ME.

Oh my god, now I'm thinking of ways I could pull that off...

So now, as long as the model numbers don't change (which they do too often), I can buy them online.

Or they decide to resize their shoes. Stupid Mizunos.

I have the hardest time buying running shoes. My feet are a mess. I had NBs for a couple of years and they gave me blisters in my instep. I just kept them because it was less painful than going back to the running store and trying to find shoes that fit better. Truly. And I love the folks at the running store! It's a great little store. I just hate my feet.

I finally got a new pair of freaking $140 Asics. They seem to be okay but I haven't really done any distance on them yet. I'm reserving my judgment. (Except about my feet, which suck.)

I went to a tiny running store where the staff spent 4 and a half hours (no lie) choosing the right shoes for me. It was absolutely worth the purchase price. So now, as long as the model numbers don't change (which they do too often), I can buy them online.

While I totally get the monetary incentive to do this, as a small business owner it hurts to read things like this. That company gave you amazing customer service and it sounds like they went out of their way to earn your business as a customer, however as soon as you could, you stopped going to their store. The sad thing is, if enough customers do this the next time you need that amazing service they won't be there. If by buying them online you mean buying them from that stores online shop, then I apologize in advance.

I under-pronate severely,

Are you sure we're not related?

I'm in business myself ND and I totally get your point.

I should point out that I bought those shoes 5 years go and have not yet bought a new pair. If I could afford to patronize this particular store all the time, I would. So, instead, I sent a long, appreciative letter to their corporate office, sent a thank you note to the fellows and refer everyone I can to them. (Georgetown Running, for any who are interested) Granted, they can't eat my praise, but I make a point of it.

Bonny, like I said, I totally understand the economics of it, and usually I don't let it get to me, it just stings sometimes when I see really good small businesses struggling.

Amen.

My current burr under the saddle is the number of restaurants that are taking over the local businesses in my neighborhood. The landlords can get obscene rents from the alcohol-based businesses, so everyone except the non-residents loses. So yeah, I'm with you on that.

We are even having to fight off a Walmart in the area. I can't argue with the people who need/prefer to shop at a big box, but there is one exactly 5 miles from here. Totally accessible. Not at all needed in the center of an historic district otherwise populated by my friend's childrens' consignment shop.

I feel ya.

My big issue with shoes is the heel. I suspect that my foot is set up differently than most people's in that the amount of space before my heel bends is very small. So pretty much 85 percent of shoes available and nearly all dress shoes, the back of the heel comes up painfully high on my foot, rendering them unwearable.

Which is why I buy in person, from my awesome friend back in Kansas, because she not only knows me and my feet, but she also knows my preferences for slip ons and black and whatnot, and she brings me the exact shoe I need. Like the earth shoe, for example.

The only thing I buy online are Doc Martens, because she, being primarily a Birkenstock vendor, hates Docs with a fiery passion and mocks me for buying them. And it's true that the sizing is just a bit off for me, but I can consistently find shoes that have an appropriate heel, and they last forever. We're going on seven years with the current pair; the last one lasted a good decade, with hard condition daily wear.

Not a sneaker, though, so unhelpful to the current conversation.