Conversation... "Hi Im looking for a wide shoe for running my current shoe is bothering me."…read more(Measures my feet and brings a pair of shoes, I try them on) "My right one is bothering me a little" Man says- "there's no way it's bothering you, they don't make them wider than that" I point to where it feels tight and say, "I feel like it's cramming my toes together here and I'm starting to get a blister from walking like this, maybe it's because I'm sensitive?" Man says condescendingly- " if you have a blister it's because of your socks." He points to the small sock area on the wall I say- "by any chance do you have a cotton blend because these thin socks make my feet sweat" He says, "impossible those don't make your feet sweat" they do the opposite. me- "well then they make MY feet sweat because I feel like I'm sliding inside my shoes when I use those... maybe I sweat too much" Him- "the worst thing you can do is use cotton you should never use cotton when you work out" He continues to speak to me condescendingly so I said thanks and left. I actually wanted to buy a pair of shoes I saw on the small selection wall but decided to go elsewhere because it felt like I wasn't pro enough to shop there. He must not have wanted to sell anything today. I expect for the employees of a specialty store to know more about running/walking than I do, but not about what hurts Me or how cotton helps someone with apparent hyperhydrosis lol or at least to be empathetic. I'm not making this up this is what I'm feeling, even if you try to convince me I'm not. This might not be the place for you if you are a beginner to this specific sport/discipline. I'm also not an idiot as a former employee of an athletic footwear store and former D-1 athlete.

I call them my Darth Vader sneakers…read more Gainesville Running and Walking has the best staff. My feet are wide. I have sciatic pain. I tend to walk on the outside edges of my feet. I walk like a duck a bit. Last year they fit me with New Balance 860v8s and it helped the pain and gave me some much needed stability. I wore these sneakers every day. For the first time in a very long time I was pain free. I started working out and eating healthier. But then a couple of months ago, about 10 months into owning the shoes I noticed I was starting to get some pain back. My beloved NB 860v8s were looking rode hard. The soles were almost smooth on the outside edges. It was time to get new shoes. I put it off a couple of months because sneakers are freaking expensive. But inhad to bite the bullet. Buying my NB Darth Vader's is an investment in my health. I do everything better when I'm not in pain. We went in and I got help from the tall white guy (TWG) whose name I didn't get. Shame on me. He is the same guy who helped me last year. TWG measured my feet and then started pulling boxes. I like how he fit one foot with one sneaker and the other with a different sneaker. We whittled down my choices to two New Balance sneakers. I mean, don't fix what's not broken, ammiright? I couldn't make up my mind but something wasn't just connecting. TWG asked me which pair do I NOT notice on my feet. That ended up being an easy decision. The NB 880s won. Sure these are some big shoes, but I have paddles for feet. I need a good solid shoe to keep me from falling over (yes, falling over is something that I do on the regular). I really appreciate the service that I got from TWG and saw from the other staff person. The store quickly filled up while we were there. They didn't pay me less attention because I'm not a runner (hi Dick's Sporting Goods, looking at you). This is important to me. Don't judge me. Also GNV Walking and Running is locally owned shop and I want support my neighborhood stores. This is very important to me. Gainesville has a ton of locally owned eateries bit we don't have many locally owned boutiques or clothing stores. So its special when I can support something besides food.