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Running shoe selection. It is a specialty store and I can find shoes that fit my training level. Marathon 3 coming up! Female 42 e immense knowledge that some of the associates have and the fun time about needing out talking about shoes. Male 47 ey make me feel very welcome, they have good knowledge and recommendations, they are accommodating, and support building a local running community. Male 52 One of the salesmen coaches the running clubs speed workouts every Wednesday and is pretty much the nicest guy I know. He's a great guy, great runner, knows his facts about shoes, and a great person to suggest different running shoes for different purposes. Male 36 e fact that they have a treadmill to try out the shoes. Love that! Male 44 Events, giveaways, special discounts. Female 27 It is very close to me and I like that staff. I have gotten to know them and they are knowledgeable about running. ey are doing it more for the passion than for the profit. Male 42 Personal connections with employees. Female 40 e discount associated with being part of the race team. Male 36 ey put me on a machine to fit me to a perfect shoe. Female 35 I like how they offer community runs. Female 27 I know exactly what to expect with selection and pricing. Male 44 It's local, the associates are also excited about running. Female 40 Keeping business in the community is an important commerce decision. Male 45 Ability to try on products and test in store. Female 37 Seeing the same people that work there. ey also have fun things inside, like a treadmill to try shoes before you buy. Female 38 e salespeople, and the fact of getting my items that day. I like to see and try on in person. Female 34 I'm a member of their running club and I know almost all the employees and they know me by name so its familiar to go there. Its personal. Female 41 Expertise in choosing shoes specific to my running preferences. Female 38 Getting to try the shoes on and getting a little more connected to the running community via the store Female 36 Customer service, they take the time to fit properly and recommend different brands. Female 39 Have a larger selection of shoes ready to try on even if I need to order the preferred color way to ship to me from store. It's frustrating when they have shoes you'd like to try on but not in your size because they are sold out. At that point I might as well order online and return what I don't need. Female 36 Always have my size in stock. Female 34 Match sales from online. Female 31 Nothing, I love what they do. Female 41 If they would price match or show me similar items to the brands I like. Female 44 at they can order and have item shipped to you if they don't have it in the store. Male 38 More of a selection on running apparel. Usually they only have a few brands to choose from. Male 36 Difficult to think of any. It's near perfect. Maybe more colorways, but I know they can't stock as much as a big box retailer, so that's not a big deal to me. Male 58 eir prices are excessively high. e same shoes like Nike or New Balance are literally half the price on New Balance or Nike website. Female 47 Larger selection of running apparel (shirts, pants and shorts). Male 45 Sales/discounts (or better communication about when they're happening). I love to shop local but can't always do it because of the price. Female 35 Larger selection of lower priced running apparel. Most shorts/ shirts are in the $50-$80 range and that's not very competitive with other stores options. Male 31 I'd love an indoor track to test run potential new buys. Male 38 Less sales tactics and more good vibes. Male 34 Running shoes have gotten so expensive (not the store's fault), I would like to buy more discounted old model shoes in person at a running store (e.g. buy one or two models previous of my favorite shoe, but from the running store directly instead of online from the company). Female 27 Have more employees available to help. Female 40 e ability to receive first dibs on new products. Male 29 Atmosphere at some running stores is uncomfortable. Almost feels like I need to prove myself as a runner. Male 37 Having clothing that matches right in the same vicinity. Female 37 More selection. Even the running specific store I frequent feels targeted to extremely casual runners. I oen come in looking for a specific model that they don't offer. Male 32 I would definitely appreciate a bigger variety of styles especially targeted for more mature consumers. It seems must styles are targeted to younger slim and trim consumers. Male 57 ese stores can be a little snooty. So what if a 240lb guy walks in wanting to buy his first pair of running shoes? ey should get pumped that he worked up the courage to go in and try something new. Spend the extra time with him, answer questions, help him get confident, and don't act like he's not worth the attention because he didn't just finish an ultramarathon. (based on a true story). Male 36 DON'T LOVE) ABOUT RUNNING STORES. runstylemag.com Fall 2024 runstyle 49

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