This is why you should NEVER BUY RUNNING SHOES ONLINE

[@SotaMaehara]

Hey everyone ! Addressing the multiple comments saying they receive sub-par service when they go into their local running stores Just thought I’d give my general response in one pinned comment - I most definitely agree, there are many stores that sell running shoes in Sydney and there’s only 7 ish out of the 100+ which have staff that are both knowledgeable and passionate - It helps to read reviews on Google before going in, but I understand this doesn’t always paint the full picture - It also helps to call the store in advance and ask a few basic questions. You can easily tell from a short phone conversation what the vibe is like. I would always recommend calling before travelling far to get a shoe fit - On top of this, I’m making these videos so that you guys are more equipped with knowledge. Now that I don’t work at a running specialty store, I can easily go into any store (regardless of how knowledgeable the staff is or not), and take a bit of autonomy, ask to try out specific shoes in a certain size, and check the fit myself - The main point of this video is again, to equip you with knowledge so you are more informed moving forward. There’s more videos coming soon! Thanks for your support as always!

[@retrospectologyrunner]

That guy was a god tier shoe fitter. Usually shoe stores dont have such great employees they just trying to make a sale a make generic recommondations. Great video you hit all the check points. Thanks very useful.

[@SotaMaehara]

Sam is an absolute legend 🤝

[@jogoncrago]

Great vid- I think running retail is a tricky job, you can definitely get a few workers who do the bare minimum but theres a lot of room for real engagement and creativity to find a good shoe solution for the customer. Good to see that explained so people know the standard they should expect in store 👌

[@SotaMaehara]

Appreciate it legend

[@tomyang714]

"As you run, your feet will swell, so you may need more space in the toebox." Thanks, never thought of that. Maybe this is why some influencers are getting toe problem when they test the Adidas Adios Pro 4 in a long run. You guys did a great job teaching the importent nuance of fit and tackled the most common mistakes, loved that.

[@sistermel]

Aw, I made it into the video 😊

[@SotaMaehara]

What an honour

[@RobertPaulson87]

I’m one of those people who have two different sized feet, probably half a size difference. This video helped me with a sizing dilemma I had with a new pair of trainers that I just got. Thank you!

[@SotaMaehara]

No problem!

[@parrotbrand2782]

I agree. I bought so many running shoes online. If I made the effort to see you guys, I would have won the Boston Marathon and gotten the gold in the Paris Olympics... What a pity...

[@SotaMaehara]

What is this comment trying to achieve?

[@xavier5720]

20:06 I made the cut! lol

[@MLHunt]

I agree that going into a good running store with knowledgeable staff is the best way to get a shoe that works for you. But there are a couple of problems I run into with some frequency: (1) lack of staff training, particularly during times when a lot of the staff are part-timers who aren't themselves dedicated runners and/or haven't really learned their craft; (2) lack of selection - there are SO MANY shoes now that very few stores have a good sampling in their stocks of what's available in the market.

[@SotaMaehara]

Hey! Not sure where you live, but as a customer in your situation, I would check reviews of places and even call the store first so you can get a general idea of what the staff in store are like You can immediately tell when someone knows what they are talking about. Calling before going in and just asking a few simple questions will help you decide whether to travel to the store or not

[@SotaMaehara]

In regards to stock, the entire world is running into stock issues at the moment and it’s not really an issue with certain stores We’d need to speak to an actual stock expert to work out why, I have heard a few theories but don’t want to speculate without the actual facts

[@ryankan1]

The problem is 99% of the staff will jsut give you the cookie cutter answer/ advice

[@SotaMaehara]

Half of the responsibility is for the customer to inform the staff the relevant details so that they have more information to give specific advice A similar analogy is that I sometimes get KZbin comments saying something like "what sort of mileage do I need to do to run a 20 minute 5k?" and that gives me no background of major relevant details and information I would need to give the most personalised advice I understand that not every retail staff is great, but always keep in mind that it is a two way street. If you give them the right info, they will give better advice. And if not, it's obviously a "them" problem This reply isn't to have a dig at you, but I thought it would be useful for anyone reading to know

[@its1027]

@@SotaMaehara I agree with Ryan more here. From my decades of buying running shoes, more often than not, I find running store staff to be more close minded and rigid about their footwear beliefs, even if I try to explain to them what I want. For example, I wanted to help a friend get a new pair of shoes so she could start running and the person working there disregarded much of her desires that she and I told him beforehand, and I had to intervene on her behalf. Who knows what would have happened if I wasn't there? And believe me, if the running store experience was better, I'd be their biggest advocate. But after being repeatedly given bad advice, not having my concerns listened to, and being upsold useless junk, what conclusion am I supposed to take from my experiences?

[@SotaMaehara]

Understood, however what store are we referring to? I acknowledge you've had a bad experience, and I am sorry to hear about it My only recommendation moving forward is to check their reviews and also work out by seeing through their marketing to see if they really seem like true running specialty stores

[@SotaMaehara]

@@its1027I’ve not addressed this comment in a pinned comment

[@Aron-t6m]

Yes the will sell and make profit

[@camgrice]

Hot take on Superblast 2 and Novablast 5

[@SotaMaehara]

Superblast 2 just feels worse than the Superblast 1, did a video a year ago where I ran 16:10 in the 5k i the second half of a long run but I can guarantee even at the same shape I can't do that on the SB2 - it felt like a daily trainer ngl

[@ATREU850]

I’ve bought over 15 pairs of running shoes this year and never had a single problem what so ever…..going in store is lame 99% of the time they dont even run or have any knowledge about the shoes outside of videos they watch in store

[@SotaMaehara]

I’ve now addressed this comment in a pinned comment on this video

[@dawncyclist]

I hope i got you as my coach

[@MegaShonix]

I try shoes on instore and if they have my size and is on a deal. I’ll buy them but otherwise if I see the same shoe online on a lower price, I’ll buy it online 😅😅

[@RobertPaulson87]

That’s just a shit move

[@SotaMaehara]

Depends, if they obviously did bad service, fair enough, but I know some people think of the extra pricing as the payment for service I personally hate buying online in any scenario so I just go for shoes that are on sale in store

[@RustyNinja100]

Nah I buy used running shoes on ebay. Gotta save that $$