Secret Shopper: EMS

This is part two of a multi-part series on Shoe Shopping. Ratings are out of 5 stars with 5 being the highest possible rating.
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Eastern Mountain Sports - Peabody, MA
Cleanliness: 5
Customer Service: 5
Shoe Knowledge: 3
Shoe Selection: 3
Running Knowledge: 3
Total: 3.8
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I work at an EMS location so I felt it necessary to take my investigation to another store. So I headed down to Peabody, Ma since I don't know anyone who works at the store. Upon walking in to the store I was pleased to see a clean and well presented store, much like many of the other EMS' given the slow time of year. I was greeted upon entering the store and then asked if I needed any help finding something. I pointed towards the shoe wall and headed over.

Upon entering into the Shoe Department, I was greeted by a "Shoe Guru," which is basically EMS' version of a trained shoe salesperson. I told them that I am a trail runner looking for a new pair of shoes. The select at EMS is great. They carry Salomon, Brooks, Vasque, Adidas, Montrail, The North Face and 5.10. A quick glance at the wall and I see updated versions of shows I've worn previously by Salomon, TNF, Montrail and currently Brooks. So right away I was intrigued to see what I was going to walk away with.

The shoe guru asked if I wanted to try anything on and I told him I had a wide food and was unsure of what was gonna fit the best. He then sized my foot for me and we discovered that I am closer to a 9 then an 8.5. I then asked him to tell me a bit about the shoes on the wall and what he thinks would be best for long distance races on rocky trails. The North Face came off the wall first and he started explaining the Snake Plate in the shoe as a mean of protection against the rocks. I've all ready posted my thoughts on this shoe in a previous post, and overall think that the shoe is entirely too heavy. So we moved on to the Salomons. I love these shoes and did back when I wore them previously. They feel great and still hug my ankle like a glove. The only issue is their quick degradation.. and the faulty lacing system.

So knowing that EMS sells the shoes that I typically wear, I decided to have a conversation with the guru instead. I asked what his thoughts were on Barefoot running and the Vibram Five Fingers. EMS is going to be carrying these shoes in select locations starting in April. This shoe guru wasn't at all excited about it and really didn't get it. Turns out, the EMS stance is that they'll be selling the shoe's but encouraging those who buy them to use them as a training tool only. They will still encourage folks to buy SuperFeet inserts for the "support they need" on a daily basis. He also told me that the SuperFeet rep has told the Guru's to get ready for a new wave of sports injuries that are going to come with this new "running FAD." I found this all very interesting indeed and asked if the Guru had read any of the evidence himself, to which he had not.

While EMS has a great selection of trail shoes, it's tough finding them in your size later in the year. Now is the time to get in there, try em on.. and get to steppin. The experience I had at EMS in Peabody was up to snuff with EMS standards given my company knowledge, however, I really feel that they could do a better job in educating the shoe gurus in regards to the FACTS of what they are talking about rather then simply complying with a company Stance. In the end, I was going to walk out of EMS with a pair of Salomons if I was buying a pair of shoes.. but I'm a Brooks man and this is simply a project.

SJ