For the record, I'm not enamored with Red Wing boots. Usually, I buy Timberland work boots, in a…read moreprice range of $100 to $125. Don't get me wrong, Red Wings are good boots. But, although they cost two to three times more than the boots I usually buy, they don't last two to three times as long. (The cushioning and lining inside the boots, and the leather on the tips of the steel toes, wear out long before the outsole/tread, and this is true no matter what the brand.) So, while Red Wings are good boots, they are not a good value, in my experience with the one or two pairs of Red Wings I've owned.
That said, I came here after work last Friday, only because a) I happened to be driving right by here already; and b) a coworker (Jacob K., who also wrote a review of this store) told me they were having a 40 percent off sale.
The store, which is fairly small, shares a parking lot with three restaurants, including the very popular Olive Garden and Smokey Bones. This parking lot tends to fill up very quickly, especially on Friday or Saturday evenings, so I would avoid shopping then.
Anyway, when I walked into the store and asked about their 40 percent off sale, one of the two women who worked there looked at me as if I had three heads and said, "Whoever told you that, told you wrong!" Her coworker then directed me to a clearance section of deeply discounted work boots.
Now, I dread shopping for work boots, because most of the time, I literally have to try on about 10 to 12 pairs of boots before I find a pair that fits well. I don't even have to lace them up to know if they're going to work or not. And I've learned through experience that they have to be comfortable as soon as I put them on - there's no such thing as a break-in period, for me at least.
As I tried on boots, the employee asked me if work was busy (I was in my work uniform). I listened to her coworker interact with other customers, and she was loud and strident. After I tried on a few more pairs of boots, the employee waiting on me again asked if work was busy, apparently forgetting she asked me the same question only a few minutes earlier. I got the impression that neither woman knew much about construction or work boots. After I failed to find a pair of boots from the clearance section that fit well, both women went in the back of the store. Seeing as how they were both annoying, and I wasn't going to find a pair of boots in my price range, I seized the opportunity and dipped, before the parking lot got overran with restaurant-goers.