New Balance updated their web site this morning regarding the runDisney Shoes at Marathon Weekend:
Yep, they are out of some shoes…….Men sizes 7, 7.5 and 9 along with kids sizes 10.5-13, and 5-7 all out. They are trying to get some in for tomorrow – so if you go to expo today and want those sizes, its not your day. #NoShoesForYou
The Shoe Reservation process continues today, it opened at 7:45am to take reservations for the New Balance booth to purchase shoes. The Expo opens at 9am.
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| Follow the shoe signs Before Entering Expo, to make your reservation. |
Reports from the Expo yesterday indicated anywhere from 45 minute to 2.5 hour wait in the reservation line. They closed the reservation line 2 hours after the expo opened as they had filled all spots. You want your runDisney shoes, go early.
I know people who got in line at 7:30am yesterday and were #21 in line and the process went quickly once the Expo opened. They let some people in expo early yesterday, but don’t count on that. So the good news the process worked and those I know who purchased shoes said it went smooth.
New Balance has restocked the booth and will restock tomorrow too…..BUT today they will NOT have the sizes listed above.
While they produced more shoes this year than last, its still a limited number produced and they are HOT HOT HOT in demand. If you want shoes, you need to be a the expo EARLY to get in line for the NB Reservations. New Balance reports they anticipate the spots for today’s sales will fill up for today by early afternoon, which means at that point you will be turned away and told if you want shoes come back tomorrow.
Don’t like waiting in lines, here are your options which make many a runDisney fan a little peeved.
There are shopping services online I have heard which you can pay as little as $20 over purchase price plus shipping and they go wait in line for you to buy shoes. Keep in mind, they can only purchase 4 pairs of adult shoes and 2 of children’s, so its not like alot of people can have their time in line compensated by runDisney fans NOT at that race or for people like me who simply do not want to stand in line.
AND there are the eBay sellers. There are professionals who earn a living off of ebay and runners who will be at expo anyway so why not try to take advantage of the crazy demand on ebay while pocketing some cash….hey race fees are not cheap. Below is one of the current auctions:
YEP, this auction, the shoes are up to $475…….original price at most was $125.
You know I have an opinion so here it is:
While I congratulate both brands for creating a really fun shoe and GREAT product, I still scratch my head at the limited production and the fact runners will be turned away, and they lose a sale because they only sell what is in stock at the expo. Surely a better customer experience would be “we are sorry, we are out of your size, I can order a pair online to be shipped to you in the future”. Personally I would love the option to purchase online at the expo and have the shoes shipped home….kind of bulky when packing up just a carry on for trips. Pre-order with race registration would also be a great way to insure those running the races have a chance at the shoes.
Y’all know I am not one to wait in line so honestly if the “cost” of these shoes includes a 2 hour line wait, ummmmm no thanks. When I am at the parks, and its early I like to take advantage of short ride lines. To me that trumps shoes.
The ebay situation leaves me shaking my head that people want these shoes SO badly, they will pay twice to three times the cost. It also leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth because for all who purchase shoes just to put on ebay, that is one less pair of shoes for the runners at the expo. I get it, its “easy money” for the sellers apparently and its a free market economy and all. Plus they HAVE have limited the quantities you can purchase at the expo, but still. There were listings for pre-sales last week and shortly after shoes were sold yesterday they showed up on ebay….. before the expo technically opened.
Overall, this reservation system is a step in the right direction, but as a fan of the shoes and runDisney, with the current process and the way I look to visit expo, later in day when crowds are lower at expo and higher at the parks….. looks like unless I ask a friend to purchase a pair for me who is willing to wait, I won’t getting the shoes next race. That would be the Princess Half and WARNING, those Princesses, they are intense shoppers. And while the system is not prefect, runDisney does listen to fans so perhaps things will change with each race expo as it did with the Dooney bags. One can hope.
How are the reports you are hearing about the shoes and would you be willing to wait 2 hours for these shoes or pay someone a premium to purchase them for you.
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It seems like there is a high enough demand that they would make even more money if they sold them online, and then those eBay prices would fall. $500 for a pair of shoes? It’s insane! I definitely agree that there needs to be some sort of control over who accesses them at the expo…I think expos should be for runners and their families. We pay so much in terms of registrations and travel expenses, we get shuttled around, we wait in line…and then we fight bigger crowds because the expo is open to the public. It’s very frustrating. Aaaaand…rant over.
I get it…I heard unofficially there might be some kind of way coming soon where runners in the race….get first dibs……I hope so.
I completely agree with you. How silly that Disney and New Balance would do such a limited production and give EBay’ers the chance make money that could be going into their own pockets! If they produced enough, they could sell them easily and then the demand on eBay would not be do high.
I love your idea of a pre-order option with the race entry like the pins. That gives the actual runner a chance to get their shoes first. I wouldn’t even mind if it was limited to a couple of pairs per race entry and if that runner chose to sell them, fine. I object strongly to the fact that a lot of runners can’t get them because they’re gobbled up by people trying to make a buck.
One year at Disneyland Half – I think it was 2011- there was an extra pin produced. A “ticket” was given out to those waiting in line early before the expo opened. They would guaranteed a pin (or maybe 2). I found out later that a huge percentage of the people waiting in that line were not runners but pin collectors. Many runners missed out. It just seems a little unfair when actual racers can’t get souvenirs from races they’re actually running.
Wow, I totally high jacked your page. Sorry about that! 😉
Do NOT apologize. I KNOW Disney is a company and they like to make $$ and need to…I get that. I get that limiting the New Balance Production creates a crazy demand pretty much guaranteeing a sell out…but seeing people post the week before the expo and shoes showing up on ebay before expo technically opened, really rubbed me the wrong way. Then again, I am not a wait in line person and there is not much I will wait in line 2 hours for by choice……