While I'm by no means a snob, I am somewhat picky with shoes and it shows in my purchase history…read more I'd heretofore been religiously buying the same 6" boots from another manufacturer, but, in their infinite wisdom, those folks decided to change their sizing, downgrade their quality and even the style of laces they use since the last go around. All this while raising the price, as if to put salt in the wound. Pardon the pun, but it was high time to give them the boot and search for something else.
My efforts centered on finding something made domestically if at all possible, as I was tired of high-priced but ultimately China-made shoes, which pretty much always means shit quality once you peek behind the facade of the fancy brand name stitched on the side. I'm no ultra nationalist, hell the last brand I wore was made in Thailand, but I do believe in looking for quality. Believe it or not, finding domestic boots was no easy task, but some friends clued me in to Red Wing and their American made boots. Granted, it is a minority of their product line, but I give them credit for enabling you to filter by country of origin on their website and single out domestically produced shoes (and no, I don't mean made here from global components or any of that smoke and mirrors nonsense, although that is also an option on their site if that's your inkling). Lo and behold, they actually did have exactly what I was looking for amid their Made in USA line, so went about finding a retail outlet that carried them, which landed me in this Glendale retail store a few days ago.
Despite showing up less than 30 minutes to close, I was warmly greeted and immediately helped by one of the employees (young guy, didn't catch his name, sorry!). I knew exactly what product I was after, but no clue on the sizing as I've never worn this brand, so I was worried, especially given the price point, that this would turn into a fiasco. You see, most places I've been to, all you get is some lunkhead that asks you your size and if they fit. This experience, however, was the polar opposite. The person who assisted me was more than happy to explain the best way to gauge if their shoes were sized properly, both for length and width, and encouraged me to try another slightly smaller size which, it turned out, fit much better. I would have probably bought the larger (and wrong) size without their help, but I ended up making my purchase with great confidence that they were exactly what I needed. Several days of having worn the boots has all but confirmed that the sizing was spot on.
I can honestly say, I have never been treated so well in a shoe store. Everyone was extremely pleasant, even at the end of what was probably a long week for them, and I never felt rushed or pressured to make a decision before I was completely certain of what I wanted. I got stylish, high-quality and perfectly sized Made in USA boots and could not be happier with how the entire transaction turned out. I will definitely be shopping here again and will point others in their direction. Highly recommended!
