Budget-Conscious Runner Opts for Store-Brand Shoes
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Depositphotos photo composite
A local man shopping for running shoes over the weekend chose the store brand over a pricier name-brand model, Dumb Runner has learned, telling himself that they’re practically the same.
“No shame in buying private label,” said Kevin Shields, 37, a computer programmer and avid runner who, like many Americans, has been trimming expenses wherever he can. “I mean, we’re talking real money here.”
Shields had been tempted by a pair of Nike Pegasus Premium shoes, priced at $220, he said—until he noticed a very similar shoe on a nearby shelf. That shoe, he said, looked and felt “pretty much the same” as the Nike model.
“The only difference is that this one was a different color, and instead of a big Swoosh on the side, it said ‘Kroger Running Shoe,’” he said. “And it was selling for $135.”
After a short test run in the store-brand shoe, Shields said, he was sold.
“So I walked out with what was basically a name-brand shoe, but for 85 bucks less,” he said. “And as a bonus, when I paid for them, I learned there was an extra 10% off if I used my Kroger rewards account number.”
“I was, like, score,” he said.
Shields said he’s been running in the Kroger shoes for a few days now and loves them.
“I bet if you did a blind test sort of thing, you couldn’t even tell the difference,” he said. “They’re probably even made in the same factory.”
Reached for comment, a Nike spokesperson told Dumb Runner, “as if.”
