Secret Shopper: Nike

This is part one 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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The Nike Store - Kittery, ME
Cleanliness: 3
Customer Service: 1
Shoe Knowledge: 0
Shoe Selection: 2
Running Knowledge: 0
Total: 1.2
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I was in Kittery, Maine today browsing the well known shopping mecca that it is when I decided to make my first secret shopper stop of this little project I've decided to embark on. Upon entering the store, I was overwhelmed by a few factors right off the bat. The store is jam packed with product... Nike Everything.. and so much of it that the heavy amount of traffic the store sees is almost unbearable. It is easy to find the employees as they wear a tacky orange Nike Dry shirt that says "Nike Crew" on the back. I weaved my way through the disasterous center aisle and into the cramped shoe department.

The shoe department consists of a few high aisle of scaffolding, where orange show boxes are piled high. A young man with a clipboard walks around taking notes of any holes in the castle walls, then comes out with shoes to immediately replace it. In front of the boxes at eye level, are one of each pair of shoe on display. I find the placards that say, Mens Running, and begin to investigate the shoes. The selection is small, maybe a total of 6 or 7 mens pairs of shoes. A variety of colors, weights, construction, designs, etc are available at my finger tips. Most of the shoes boast their Nike+ Line, where you can plop a piece of electronic equipment that syncs up to your ipod into the sole of the shoe.

I stare at the shoes, pick up a few and start looking for any information that could help me make a decision. Only, there isn't any information about any of these shoes. Just a name on the side of the box, a size, and the model in my hands. Nothing telling me if the shoe is for a pronator or supinator.. nothing. So I take a step back and decide to soak in the scene wondering how others are doing their shopping. I figured out quickly that the folks trying on shoes had no idea what they were looking for. They were just trying shoes on, checking out what fit, what looked good, what felt good, what fit best... "Imagine that!" I thought, "this is what I have been thinking about for years! It's a god damn shoe! Put one on.. if it fits.. WEAR IT!" But thats not what this project is about.

So I stand looking at the shoes for about 10 minutes, workers walking by me a few times.. no one said hi. No one asked if I needed help. No one asked if they could answer a question. Nothing.. NOTHING. So I finally stopped one and asked one of the employees if he could help me find a pair of shoes. He said sure and asked what I needed. I told him I was a trail runner.. and he pointed to the only pair of Trail Runners on the wall. The Mens Air Alvord V. I then asked the crew member to tell me a bit about the shoe to which he responded, "what do you mean?" I asked him some questions like, How do I know if this shoe will work for me? I have a high arch, is that going to be a problem? I have a wide foot. Will they hold up if I run through a stream. He had no answers except suggesting I try them on and give them a spin. I asked him if he new anything about the Nike Free's, their new minimalist shoe.. he did not, nor did anyone else in the store. I thanked him for his time and left.

At home.. I decided to go to the Nike website to see what Shoe is best for me there. I clicked on shoe finder, get started, Male, Trail and immediately was given three recommendations for a shoe. Apparently my arch nor my stride matters when finding a pair of Nike's. Either way.. though I wasn't entirely too thrilled with the Nike experience.. perhaps they are on to something. Ya know.. If the Shoe Fits.... WEAR IT.

SJ