running store rant

Now to be fair, the demographic of "been running for 20+ years" rarely spends money in running stores. It's the beginners who are so freaked out thinking they need a rain repellant suit in July that keep running stores in business. They need their garmin, they need the fuel belt.

It's a strange scene, man.

Every true running store I've been to has had regular racing shorts. If your local store doesn't carry them, then they're probably just not worth supporting.

This.

No beginner jumps into short shorts right away, let alone split shorts.

i agree with the comments above. stores dont make money off of old guys, they make it off of overweight, middle-aged stay-at-home moms who are looking to "get in shape" again, and they have unlimited amounts of money to spend on just about anything as long as it looks pretty. might get three veteren male runners come in and each buy a pair of $30 shorts, or one woman comes in and buys two pairs of pretty shoes, five tops, 3 pairs of pants, 3 bras, a pink fuel belt, a foam roller, and enough bodyglide to make a slip'n'slide out of the pine street hill, spending about $500+. oh, and dont worry, in the spirit of her new "sport" (aka hobby) she will read "born to run" and will be gauranteed to come back for "some of those toe shoes" and injinji socks. she'll also realize she needs about a quarter ton of GU for her bi-weekly 3 mile jogs-walks, even though she'll claim she runs a about 30 or 40 miles a week. she'll slap on her vibrams and go out heel-striking like a champ, develop plantar fasciitis and decide to throw them away, then buy a pair of inserts, a strassburg sock, and - ohhh, what is that? OMG i LOVE this jacket! i have to buy it. its $129, but i get a 10% discount for being part of that running club. but did you go to the last session? me neither, i was too tired because i had to drop jimmy off at his friends house and then by the time i got home i realized i forgot to let the dog and he pooped on the floor so i had to clean that up and by the time i was done, i was WAYYY to tired to go for a long run around the neighborhood. they werent even going to walking breaks that day either. oh my gosh, and these headbands, ADORABLE!

$10,000 later, you get the point.

it sucks, but most running stores arent built for the serious runners. i cant even get a decent pair of track spikes at my local store. all i want is to be able to try on a pair of victorys instead of ordering them online and guessing my size.

hey dealyo,

People like you don't shop in running stores. And most stores carry splits most of the year. If a store doesn't carry splits in December, they can get them. But can you blame them? How many people are buying skis in July?

This is hilarious. I want to like running stores, but every time I've been in one, I'm amazed at all of the crap they sell and the huge price they charge for it.

Even road runner sports (where I buy most of my stuff) has "outfit suggestions" to help you make sure your shorts and shirt look good together. WTF?

This is as close to the truth as you can get. After working retail you see people like this everyday. Not to mention your post actually had me laughing out loud.

Well done, sir! I LOL'd, and I'm a tough crowd.

This is hilarious. I want to like running stores, but every time I've been in one, I'm amazed at all of the crap they sell and the huge price they charge for it.

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I recommend you look into the concept of wholesale economics.

My local store has nothing but shoes, a couple pairs of very short shorts, one type of racing singlet with the store's name on it, and gels. It's pretty nice. And they let you test run the shoes pretty much as long as you want. You can even take them home and then return them if they don't work out. I seriously doubt the place makes a profit though. The two guys who own it are loaded so it's pretty much just a place for them to have fun with.

After working in a running store this summer, I can say this description is dead on.

The store I work in has short split shorts, and it's the only one in my area that I have found that has them. Unfortunately I seemed to be the person who got the most pairs this summer though, so I see why most stores dont keep them in stock.

Hopefully I won't have to sell any of "those toe shoes" when I'm working this holiday break.

Sorry, dude. I manage a running store. It's about balance.

We have lots of splits and lots of 7" 2-in-1 shorts for chubby thights. We have full size runs of Victories, Maxcats, Adizero spikes, etc. and we have plenty of Brooks Beast. We have a solid set of road racing flats and a whole bunch of Vibram FiveFingers and every color of the Asics 2170. We have 80 people a week at our coached track workout and about 100 in our beginner couch-to-5k group. We have $250 running jackets and $50 running jackets. We have $5 basic wicking socks and $20 merino wool socks.

It's about balance. A shop that carries only splits and racers and is run as a lark by some guys with expendable cash is just as crappy a shop as one that caters only to noobies.

heres the deal yo wrote:

$10,000 later, you get the point.

This guy is right. POD.

I completely get why they are catering to the beginners. Beginners are convinced that they will die of dehyrdration and low blood sugar while running 6 miles on a trail with a water fountain every 2 miles. Therefore they require backpacks with 60oz of water, fuel belts full of gu, and compression socks. There is a huge market for these folks.

what bothers me is that i really want to support the local guys. They were around before the online stores. But they don't give us a choice.

Would you/they be willing to place special orders through the store so you can get exactly what you want?

Some places can/will do that.

I hate it when running stores don't serve egg nog at Christmas time.

And what is wrong with wearing clothing that "matches" when running? You post makes it sound like that just a totally crazy concept.

baggy pants wrote:

They were around before the online stores. But they don't give us a choice.

A good shop does. Will they be as cheap as online? Never. And that shouldn't be anyone's mentality if they want a vibrant community to live in. But a bad shop won't offer you a choice, and will cater to only one (profitable) market segment. A good shop (I like to think mine is one) will have variety.

Yesterday, I helped the fastest male runner in the state find a new pair of track spikes. He had three elite level spikes to choose from, not counting the five or six more entry-mid-level spikes that weren't at his level.

After I finished with him, the next customer I worked with was a beginning runner, 200+ pounds with knee pain. He left the store with a pair of Mizuno Alchemy (severe overpronator, flat foot, but but I wasn't going to hobble him with a pair of Brooks Addictions), a pair of XXL pants and jacket for winter running, and some wool socks.

That's variety, that's balance, and that's what every local running shop should strive for.

Now, don't get me started on the people who think a shop sucks because it doesn't carry the *exact* style of split shorts/road flats/etc. that they want. We have a dozen road racing shoes. We suck because we don't have the Nike Spider? If we carried every option that 1-2 people come in for a year, we'd be gobbled alive by racing flats. Customers got to have some balance too, yo.

I definitely don't think it's the ideal to strive for. It's just great for me. But if I was opening a running store I definitely wouldn't follow what they're doing.