Christopher C.
Yelp
So here's the thing, sneaker shops are far and few out here in the DMV. I've been to 3 or 4 releases at their shop and have consistently experienced the same problems:
1. Resellers - This shop does nothing to stop these toxic people. Always the same groups of guys leaving their chairs out the night before and ONLY buying the smaller sizes (as they have more resell value). That problem is not exclusive to this store, but the issue is their lack of enforcing store rules to end the problem.
Examples that other stores do:
For special releases, make the buyer wear the shoe out of the store, harder to resell DS.
Only allowed to buy the same shoe size that you're wearing. If it can't fit, it's not yours to buy.
Hell, or just do raffles and no FCFS, where nobody feels cheated by the resellers who leave their chairs the night before.
2. Sketchy employees - Plain and simple, they have employees who hook up their friends in line and lie about inventory. Boss man, why don't you just keep the sizes behind you? A previous release I needed a 9 or 8.5 (as that's my size and wanted to wear it out the door). The guy two people behind me in the line was texting the dude bringing out the inventory, and even called him asking what sizes there were and that he needed a 9 or 8.5. I get inside and the employee says they don't have anymore. I say I'm pretty sure I heard outside there are still some more left, and what do you know? There "magically" was an 8.5 now. Get rid of these kids, or get in charge of your own business, your customers are literally waiting in line for your own employees to backdoor pairs right in front of us.
3. Inflated prices - This one is the first store I've ever seen have the audacity to do this. On big releases they'll jack up the price of the shoes to make some extra profit.
Example: Today was the Air Jordan 1 "Couture" release. Retail was $175. How much were they at Major? $220. What was the excuse? To "stop resellers"....that the owners wife claimed took all the most profitable reselling sizes up front of the line. So you're now left just charging everyone else more, the people who actually want shoes? Okay. Makes sense.
4. Poor communication/business ethics - That said above leads me to this one, poor communication. They do not EVER disclose the inflated prices before-hand. When do you find out? After you wait hours in the cold, the moment you get to the register. They basically refuse to take inquiries and are never transparent.
Plan on waiting for a sneaker release? Just stay home. They open later than every other sneaker shop, and don't even start helping a little early on big releases, you will be waiting until 11 on the dot, and not a minute earlier. We're already waiting 3-4 hours or more, why not get there a little earlier and help get your line moving so we can all go home? I'll tell you why, because they care more about the "supreme" effect of having a long line for hours so they seem like a bigger store than they are. Poor business ethics if you value looks over customer satisfaction.
In summary, Major has potential, it's small and I do believe they might have some good intentions for the sneaker community, but they're disconnected with the reality of how their customers feel, and are surrounded with employees who are dishonest and backdoor right in front of you. You have a lot to work on, and I truly hope you take this feedback constructively. As of right now though, to any potential customer, your time is better served elsewhere. If you do come, prepare to pay more than retail, and likely not even get a size you wear because the size 14 resellers who left their chairs out the day before are going to take your size right in front of you after 4 hours of waiting so they can make $40 of profit. This shop doesn't do a single thing for genuine sneaker heads, I hope that changes.