What We Want When We Want It

One of the uglier sides to being in the running specialty field are the people who want what they want, when they want it, and they don't have a problem being ugly about it. Let me note at the start, this is not unique to my business, I see this in life more and more. You know what I'm talking about. You go into a running store, and the associate has taken the time to provide you with expertise, and then you tell him/her that you want the shoe is Emerald Green. Sadly the store doesn't have it in Emerald Green, but if it is available, they offer to order it for you. Then you huff and puff that you need it now, and threaten to go to another store, or go online. I'm sorry....what do you want that poor sales person to do? Pull it out of their butts?

Another issue is the price. Yes, yes, yes....I know we all want a good price for new shoes. I do too. I do think though it is rude, again to throw the internet in the poor sales person's face, and expect them to melt. As a reminder, companies like Zappos do a tremendous amount of volume, and they are able to do magical things because of that volume like make shipping costs disappear, or take 15% off those Asics you love so much.

Your local store is not able to do it. I know there are stores out there that do it, but I can assure you their bottom line is being severely damaged because of wilting in front of you and giving you the price you want. Please don't confuse a retail store for a flea market. It isn't.

Somehow we have become the society of instant gratification. We want, what we want, when we want it. Let me play dad for a moment. Sometimes you don't get what you want now. Sometimes you wait. Sorry to have to pull that on you, but really, be an adult, and suck up the fact that Mick Jagger was right, "You can't always get what you want."

Here is how this plays out in stores around the country. A customer is upset that a store does not have the exactly color they want(that's another issue). The store orders it for them(at no discount to them +shipping), the shoes come in, and 75% of the time, the customer decides they don't want it, and never claim it. Read that last past again - 75% of the time, the customer decides they don't want it, and never claim it. The store eats those costs. You may not care as the consumer, but business owners care.

Sadly I have no solution for this problem. All I can tell you is you don't need a pair of running shoes to magically appear. If you need to wait 7 days for your shoes....so be it. And if you need to use the internet, remember, they don't help the local economy, your neighborhood store does.

Charlie