SCAM

SM

  The Society for Consumer Advocates and Mavens

News You Can Use!

HOW TO BUY GOOD RUNNING SHOES

Expensive $100 shoes may be no better than lower cost running shoes. Complex cushioning technology is not inherently or automatically superior to simpler shoe constructions.

Shoe manufacturers may also significantly change or revamp a shoe's construction WITHOUT changing the shoe's name! Changing the structure of a shoe but keeping the same basic name of the shoe allows the manufacturer to "cash-in" using the name of a popular selling model even though the shoe's construction may have been changed significantly! Feel free to ask the shoe salesperson if your favorite shoe's construction design has been redesigned recently even if you think you are buying exactly the same model shoe that you have worn in the past. Consequently, be open to try new brands and shoe models. In fact, unfamiliar brands and models have been known to become "preferred" by running shoe critics once they are tried out! So-called "top rated" shoes do not always please all the critics who critique them or try them out!

Do not count on " breaking-in" a running shoe, it should fit, feel flexible and comfortable right out of the box!

When you go to buy running shoes take a pair of your well-worn shoes with you so the salesperson can assess your wear pattern which can help you get a better overall fit. Also, consider shopping later in the day when your feet may tend to be larger! Regardless, do not hesitate to try on different shoe sizes as shoe sizes may vary between different manufacturers or shoe lots during the manufacturing process of the same manufacturer. Additionally, your dress-shoe size may not be your running shoe size either.

Ask about a running shoe's return policy. Ask if you can take the shoes for a test ride on a treadmill at home or elsewhere and return them if they are unsatisfactory and none the worse for the brief indoor wear.

SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE: CONSUMER REPORTS MAGAZINE MAY 2002

Back