I keep seeing 40-50% off previous-generation trainers and I have been burned twice buying online in my usual size and finding the fit changed between versions. I run about 35 km a week so I go through two pairs a year and I would like to stop paying full price. What's your actual system: stockpile, wait for specific months, or just accept the returns hassle?
Two pairs a year at 35 km a week means you're replacing roughly every 900 km, which is on the long side already. If you can stretch to three pairs in rotation, each one lasts longer in calendar terms and you get more sale windows to buy into.
Watch for the month a new version is announced rather than the month it ships. That's when clearance actually starts and stock is still complete across sizes. Brand newsletters are useless for this; the shoe review sites usually know weeks ahead.
And if you're somewhere that returns cost you courier fees, factor that in. A 45% discount minus two return shipments is not a 45% discount.
I stopped buying online entirely for anything I haven't already run in. A sale price on a shoe I can't run in is not a saving, it's a slower way of wasting money.
Outlet stores near me carry the previous generation at similar discounts and you can try them on first. Worth checking whether there's one within a drive before you gamble online.
@pannier_pat · 3h ago · 2 replies
My system: when a shoe fits, I write down the exact model and version and buy the second pair the moment it hits 30% off, not later. Waiting for 50% usually means waiting until my size is gone. I have never once regretted buying the known-good shoe early, and I have regretted gambling on a new version four separate times.
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@pomodoro_pat · 3h ago
Buying at 30% instead of holding out for 50% is a discipline problem for me, but you're right that my size vanishes first every time.
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