It was a bit later than I would have liked when we arrived, with less than an hour until closing. You would think that would make the employees less than friendly, but you would be wrong. They were quite friendly and helpful. There was no feeling of being rushed.
We started out in the men's shoes.** Perhaps the most daunting thing about the Outlet store is the number of options. There are sooooo many shoes. We wandered around, with Mark trying on the occasional pair.*** We tried to be good customers and put items back where we found them, especially since it was getting close to closing.
Shoes as far as the eye can see....
When Mark finally found a pair of shoes he liked, we wandered over to the lady's section. Now, we get made fun of for this periodically but we tend to match. We usually wear the same colors. Of course, this meant that I was primarily looking for shoes that were the same style as Mark's choice. I will settle for same colors when necessary. I was unable to find the same style in women's, so I started just focusing on colors and styles I liked.
More shoes!
I have a problem when I buy shoes. It's incredibly difficult for me to find shoes that fit. Nike shoes tend to be cut small. Where I normally wear size 10.5, I can go up to an 11 in Nike brand shoes. I do appreciate that quite a few styles had my normal size. There was a shoe on clearance that I really liked that was not available in size 11, which is what I actually needed.
They provide little socks for you to try on the shoes.
They're not those little nylon hose things!
No expense is spared!
While trying on various shoes, I mentioned to Mark how it would rub at my heel. I've had that problem for quite some time, but I never thought much of it. An incredibly nice and helpful employee heard me and explained that it is because I have narrow heels. It was really great to hear a reason behind that annoyance. She even suggested specific shoes that fit a narrow heel better, as she has the same problem. She wins the award for awesome employee!
Employee of the Year!
I finally found a pair I liked. Due to the color, Mark was prompted to switch his choice to the shoes he really liked but hesitated to buy due to price. He had been on his phone looking for better deals on these more expensive shoes, the ones that just so happened to match mine. He found them for six dollars less online. Once you factor in shipping, it's really not that much of a difference. We learned that the prices at the Outlet aren't really all that much more than what you can get the shoes for elsewhere.
I always figured the Nike Outlet would be really over-priced and stocked by snooty people.**** I'm happy to have discovered that I was 100% wrong. Our purchases weren't cheap, but they were totally worth it. Mark wore his shoes to the gym the other day to break them in; when we were done, he informed me that they were good to go. They were that good right off the bat. If you need sneakers, the Nike Outlet is a great place to start.
*I was told that up north we usually say sneakers, so I made sure to use that rather than tennis shoes.
**You would think I would be the one that would take forever picking out shoes; you would be wrong.
***In one shoe, he had to try them on three times. Apparently, he doesn't know what size he wears. Go figure.
****I feel pretty much all outlet stores are staffed by snooty people. I have no basis for this belief.
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