Customer service

As a rule, I don’t showroom. Unless I’m going to a Big Box store to check out an appliance or piece of electronics; then I’ll generally order it online (or even from a smaller retailer) because they’re pretty much a pox on civilization.

And for the past several years, I’ve bought my walking shoes from Potomac River Running, a small chain local to the environs of the District They Call Columbia.

(Even though a couple of years ago one of their salesmen tried to pawn off a pair of men’s shoes on me. That was weird.)

However, in recent weeks, I’ve tried to buy Asics Kayanos to replace the pair that’s a year old, and the salesman kept telling me they don’t have my size in stock. I’ve asked when he expects to get more, and all he’ll say is they get shipments of new merchandise on Tuesdays and Fridays, and I could check back then.

Not even an offer to get one of the other shops in the region to send some over.

So last week I finally went online and ordered two pairs from Asics, which arrived in three days, and cost me marginally more than a single pair would have cost me from PRR.

Enough is enough.