Online Running Store Actively Tries to Discourage Purchase of Short Shorts
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Background Photo by @cottonbro/Pexels
A local man trying to buy a pair of 1-inch split shorts today faced an unexpected hurdle, Dumb Runner has learned—the very retailer offering the product for sale.
Tom Austin, 51, attempted the purchase from his home, where he’d been browsing running gear at SwiftSoles.com, an online running store. Sources said he had successfully added a long-sleeved technical top and three pairs of socks to his shopping cart when he selected a pair of “short shorts” in size large, clicked the ADD TO CART button, and hit the roadblock.
“Are you sure about this?” read a pop-up message. “We have to ask, because wow.”
The message, a source told Dumb Runner, was a reference to the revealing nature of the skimpy shorts, which “leave little to the imagination.”
“Very, very few men could pull these things off,” the source said.
Austin, who seemed taken aback by the pop-up, eventually clicked “Yes,” meaning he did indeed wish to add the shorts to his cart. A second pop-up appeared, suggesting several other pairs of running shorts in lengths from five to nine inches. After closing that pop-up, Austin was able to complete his purchase.
Moments later, the source said, he received a text message from a Swift Soles employee.
“Hi, Tom, it’s Bill from Swift Soles,” the message read. “Got ur order.”
“U really want these shorts?”
