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What to Know as a Consumer
photo via Wish ATLSo, as a consumer, what’s the best way to go about picking up a pair of release date kicks this holiday season? Here’s the information and advice we’ve surmised in regard to the main channels where shoes are sold.
Buying at a boutique:
If you’re looking to buy a high profile release from a boutique, you’ve got to know the form of release that will be taking place there. Most shops are consistent with their form of launch among releases and distribute the information over social media, on signs at the store or over the phone. Raffle releases offer somewhat of a slim chance to secure a purchase, but still the safest avenue with the least time spent. First come, first serve drops work well when the shop has plenty of pairs and authoritive crowd control. Make sure you know exactly what method of release your shop will use.
Buying at the mall:
Mall-based stores usually get the biggest allocations and sometimes the biggest commotion. What’s important to know is that the individual stores in the mall may not dictate that particular store’s release policy or may not have any say in security or crowd control. Those decisions more commonly fall on the actual mall itself. With that said, some big box retailers are taking more of a streamlined approach this holiday season.
For the Black/Infrared Air Jordan 6s, Finish Line implemented a ticketing (raffle) policy and handed out tickets last week. Pairs will still be sold online at FinshLine.com.
Foot Locker releases will vary from store to store, but you can get the information for each drop from their Launch Locator. Both sweepstakes (raffle) and first come, first serve ticketing will take place at various locations prior to the launch.
Buying online:
Buying online may make for the most competition when trying to secure a release date product, but it also sees the largest inventories to pull from. While some say bots and resellers have made it almost impossible to purchase launch date product online, shopping online still provides the most avenues to purchase an item, all without having to leave one’s home. Most online outlets do a good job of providing information and buy now links for high demand product via their social media.
Buying from a reseller:
While some feel reselling is messing up the sneaker game, it’s also giving consumers a second chance at high demand product. When purchasing from a reseller, it’s important to make sure the transaction is done as safely as possible. The best way is to meet up during daylight hours in a public space. To go the extra mile, some police officials are even inviting sneakerheads to do their meet-ups in the lobbies of their police stations for safer transactions. Regardless of the place of meetup, make sure it’s very public and go with a friend. Don’t buy from sellers who delete their profile after scheduling a transaction, refuse to meet in public or change the meetup location last minute.
Best of luck and safe shopping this holiday season!
Major thanks to Peter Sim for helping conduct this project and big thanks to all the boutiques and store representatives that assisted and participated.
