OK, I admit it. I buy a lot of shoes. When I’m training for full or half marathons I put enough miles on my shoes that they need to be replaced pretty often. I also like having a few shoes in my rotation. Also, I like buying running shoes. Since I’m frugal, I love my Road Runner Sports VIP Plus membership.
My local Road Runner Sports, where they DO know my name
Road Runner Sports is a national chain, and I have a store pretty close by. I like the set up of my local store. They have a good selection of shoes, and they often have wide sizes in stock. They have treadmills in the store, and even socks, so you can try things out. They have some very fancy technology to measure your feet and check your gait, but they always let me skip straight to the test drive. Almost everyone I’ve met at my local store is a runner and knowledgeable about running shoes and gear.
Road Runner has a couple membership options. I have been a member for about five years. I have the “VIP Family Rewards Plus” option. It costs $59.99 per year. Under this plan I save 10% off the base price of everything I buy (shoes, clothes, Gu, whatever). I also get 10% back in credit. The big benefit of this program is the 90 day guarantee. If you buy shoes (or clothes) take them for a run and find they don’t work out, you can return them for a gift certificate.
Since I have wide feet, and high arches, and I’ll spare you the rest of my obsessing over my feet, I sometimes find that shoes feel very different on a three hour run than after one mile on a treadmill in the store. The peace of mind knowing that I’ll be able to return shoes that don’t work out, and the sales associate will be nice to me when I do it, is priceless for me.
Under this program there are also a few times of year that they increase the credit from 10% to 20%. They also offer free shipping. When you order items that they have in stock they ship extremely fast.
There are some brands that Road Runner Sports doesn’t carry. If they do have your brand, I can’t recommend this program highly enough. If you are new to the program the first year is only $2.99. If you buy just a couple of pairs of shoes you’ll get far more than that back in store credit, so it’s worth trying it. Make a note of the date though, they use automatic renewal so you will be charged for the next year. You can cancel your membership whenever you want. Also note that this program is the family rewards program. If anyone from your extended family goes to a Road Runner Sports store and asks to use your membership, they will be able to get the 10% off. You would get the 10% reward credit.
I have a frequent flyer account with Alaska Airlines. If I place an order online with Road Runner Sports I go through the Alaska Airlines shopping portal. I get miles for the purchase (the number of miles fluctuates but is often 1 or 2 miles per dollar spent). The Alaska Airlines portal also automatically checks for any coupons or offers available. More than once it’s helped me get 20% instead of 10% back.
If you are like me and want to buy all the shoes, I support you! Get a deal when you can. If you have any questions about this program feel free to drop me a line at info@hackyourrun.com.