Sneaker companies have been releasing more women’s only exclusives and color ways but is seems like the stores have limited sneaker walls for women. This past Friday I went to the mall to check out what the current offerings were. I went in Foot Locker and the women’s section was half a wall with all sneakers that look the same. Mostly pink and blue hues. Foot Locker has the House of Hoops side that caters to men. It’s doesn’t feature women’s sneakers and can be intimidating for a woman who doesn’t often shop for sneakers. How do you figure out your size? Who should you ask? Sometimes the employees can ignore you or not be as helpful for people who are trying to figure out what to do.
I walked in to Champs where all the men and kids sneakers are in the middle of the store but as I walked to the back, I was surprised. Champs had the women’s section set like a walk in closet. The racks were the clothes were hung were not packed but spaced so that it was not too overwhelming. Between the shelves were sneakers placed to match the clothing hanging. There were plush looking seats throughout the area which made it inviting. Not all of the sneakers were amongst the clothes but there was a dedicated wall of sneakers. I still think the selection for women was limited.
Every store that I went in after that had limited women’s walls without all of the fire that has been dropping lately. I know that a lot of people like online shopping because of the convenience and covid, but every sneaker doesn’t fit the same and I need to try them on. I also would like to hold some sneakers on hand to see if I actually like them before I make the purchase.
Normally, I shop in the men’s and kids sections because I love basketball sneakers. But there are those times like yesterday when I wanted to look particularly for a women’s shoe. As women, we really have a lot of options in terms of sneakers shopping. But there have been more female variations that don’t only include pink hues online that should be added to brick and mortar locations. Everyone doesn’t love that color and you would think that by now retailers would recognize that and not hold on to old concepts.
In the end, I walked away with two steals. I stumbled across the purple Puma Future Riders that I wanted on sale and a pair of Superstars with lavender stripes. I also was able to find the last size 8 women’s Tech Chrome Jordan 6’s which had sold out online, so I guess you can score that one for retail. Is the retail experience going away?
