One of the best things about the sneaker game is sneaker boutiques. Small, locally-owned shops full of employees who know and love their kicks. Boutiques provide a personal, authentic experience that you just can’t get at a larger chain store in the mall.
However, running a boutique is different than running a chain store. The clientele is different. The sales are different. The inventory is different, and sometimes small shops have to move differently.
Today, we’re talking about charging over box price for sneakers, a hot topic when it comes to shopping at smaller stores. Some understand it, and some are totally against it.
“Smaller shops don’t have as much wiggle room!” supporters might say. “They need to charge slightly higher prices to keep turing a profit!”
“Charging over box price is unacceptable.” someone who’s not quite so understanding might say. “It’s bad for the community and shows that the shop doesn’t care about their customers”.
As someone who works in the sneaker industry, I can tell you it’s not quite as cut and dried as the outside eye might think. If a shoe doesn’t sell, a major chain retailer can simply ship it back to the manufacturer. However, if a shoe doesn’t sell at a local shop, they’ve got to sit on it. They don’t have the luxury of only keeping what sells.
This can sometimes make running the business challenging. A shop makes one or two incorrect orders, and they’re stuck with inventory that they can’t move. This can be a devastating blow.
So sometimes shops have to charge above box price to make a return on the not-so-great-selling sneakers they’re forced to take from whatever brand they have an account with. It’s simply part of the game. If a shop has to charge above box price once or twice…don’t complain. Support a local business…they’re what make the sneaker game fun.
-RDwyer
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