"A" vs. "B" shoes?
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Tikal Dog posted 2 years ago.
This sounds like BS to me!
The logic answer for me would be that a specialized running store has to invest more money into preparing their sales force to be able to answer specific questions and helping with a personalized solution for each customer.
At least i would think..........
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BrianMc posted 2 years ago.
I agree with Tikal. They also spend the time to make sure you get the right shoe for you, and instead of just picking a 'pretty colour'. To me that is worth the extra $20. If you don't use these sort of services, you eventually lose them.
Brian
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kylie posted 2 years ago.
So far I've found that the shoes are often the same price... but maybe I just don't look at shoes in non-running places often enough. As for that reason? Gotta be BS else the company would probably tell about it to try to have A and B MSRPs for their shoes, encouraging people to get the more $$ ones.
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bpcooper14 posted 2 years ago.
I agree with everyone else. I have been running for almost 20 yrs. at first in high school i went to a specialty store to get fit for shoes. Now that I'm older and know what to look for and what I need for my own feet, I am comfortable going anywhere that I can find shoes. Since I live in the middle of no where, its over an hour drive just to get to a specialty running store. I have to suck it up and make do with what is around. Just pay attention and ask questions why they are fitting you with what shoe, etc. and you can probably end up making an informed decision. Every once in a while I will take a drive in to Columbus to hit up the specialty store just to make sure i'm doing things the right way.
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TBRAVO posted 2 years ago.
A versus B shoes sounds pretty fishy to me, maybe he should try another running shoe store. I would image that if you could find the exact same shoe at a high-end running store and at say Famous Footwear, it would be cheaper at Famous Footwear because they deal in volume. From my experience I have seen that mall shoe stores usually only sell the lower end running shoes (or last year’s model) that a specialty running store wouldn’t touch. I have had excellent results using Roadrunner Sports. http://www.roadrunnersports.com/cgi-bin/rrs/rrs/rrHome.jsp
Anybody can read a spec sheet that they get from the mfg on a given shoe.
Like others have said, a trained salesperson that can match the right shoe with your particular needs is essential. Then once you find the perfect shoe, buy it online and save some $$$.
- T
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beads1985 posted 2 years ago.
There might be a little bit of truth to what they are saying.
I went to a Sports Authority a few months ago to get some powergels(cheapest around $. 89)
I happened to go by the running shoe section and I took a look at the Asics(which I wear)
At first sight some of the models looked familiar.
When I to a closer look they had unfamiliar names.
They looked like others I had seen at the Running Haven.
I spoke to the shoe guy at Sports Authority and he said that larger chain stores but more shoes so they get large runs of shoes and they end up being cheaper since they buy in bulk.
The shoe companies work deals with them and they get the same shoe with a different name but the same specs.
I don't know if it is BS but it sounds like the 'A' and 'B' deal. The sales guy at SA claimed they would be the same quality.
Maybe an idea to contact the manufacturer.
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rjkowski posted 2 years ago.
I suspected that the "A" vs "B" theory is a line too. I thought maybe there was someone out there who might have access to some super-secret insider info that would start a conspiracy theory. I guess not!!
I understand the service and knowledge at a specialy running store is a LOT better than you'd get at a mall or large chain store. But why not just say that is why the prices are a bit more instead of lying? I'll talk to my friend and pass on that the majority opinion is that she got a line of BS.
Thanks for the feedback!
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bpcooper14 posted 2 years ago.
The only time i have heard of anything being referred to as a "B" line would be a factory outlet store where you are getting the factory seconds. I lived in Maine for 3 yrs and there was a New Balance Outlet store 15 minutes from me. Usually it was a blemish or something in the color or the stitching that made it unfit to sell as a first shoe in the stores. There was nothing structurally wrong with them otherwise, just maybe the NB was a little off center. maybe that was what they were referring to when speaking of an A vs. B
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Triguy98 posted 2 years ago.
I'll have to agree with TBravo's reasoning. I've never seen the higher end Asics or Mizunos at a Footlocker. Usually just Nikes. The Running Center in my town sells the shoes at MSRP, sane price as Sports Authority or whatever.
The shoes I used early last season, Asics 1040s are no longer made. Yet, sports authority still carries em. I go to the Running Center and pick up the most current model of the 1040s for the same price.
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brittda posted 2 years ago.
I have never heard of A vs B myself. I do know that some of those shops ie: Foot Locker etc dont usually carry the higher end runners though. The Assics I wear can never be found there (wear the Kyano) They tend to carry the mid-range cost shoes. That may be it????
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beads1985 posted 2 years ago.
Could be. Probably need to contact the manufacturer to find out.....Maybe?
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rob88 posted 2 years ago.
Twenty years ago when I worked at a tennis specialty shop I noticed the same thing with our tennis shoes vs what was available in some of the large chains. I asked the manufacturers rep and he told me to take a careful look at the models in our store vs the chains - they were NOT the same model. We carried middle of the road to high end, the large stores carried the low end to middle of the road. In the few cases where we did have the same model (our low end, their high end) they were cheaper. If you are seeing the exact same model, I doubt there is a an A vs B shoe. I suspect, however, you are not seeing the same models in the chains and in the specialty stores.
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merlinextraligh posted 2 years ago.
It's called price discrimination, and it's not necessarily illegal (no one really wants an indepth analysis of the Robinson Patman Act here), or even immoral. The different stores (i.e. Sports Authority, and the high end running store) represent 2 different markets. Each market has a demand curve with a different elasticity. To maximize revenue, the Manufacturer prices its product differently in the 2 different markets. In order to differentiate its product in the 2 different markets, maufacturers make subtle differneces in the product (name, color, graphic desings etc.) If your in the high end market, with better service, you pay one price. If you're in the lower end market you pay another.
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beads1985 posted 2 years ago.
So,
A large chain store which has high volume sales could get a better price and sell at a lower price because they sell more.
A small local running store with lower volume pays a higher price and sells at a higher price.
The manufacturer makes slight changes so the product appear different even though the specs are the same.
A little bit shady, but good to know.
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RV posted 2 years ago.
So, are all the models then listed on the manufactures website?
Or just the high-end ones???
How do you know which is which - or I guess that should be which ones are the same...
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
A friend of mine was at a running store looking to buy some new running shoes. While talking to the sales clerk, they got into a discussion of why shoes at mall type stores (like a Famous Footwear or Athlete's foot) are cheaper than if you were to buy the same pair at a running specific store. The clerk said that shoes at some large chain stores are "B"shoes of a lower quality, whereas shoes at most running stores are "A" shoes that are of higher quality.
Has anybody ever heard of this before? I was always under the impression that it doesn't matter where one purchases a pair of shoes.