6 tips to save money when buying a new pair of running shoes

Running is probably the cheapest sport in the world. A ready you and a track to run, and you can go for it anytime & anywhere, without the need for any expensive equipment. The only part that turns out to be very costly around the running ecosystem is a Shoe and a fitness tracker (optional). In this article, we are going to talk about various ways you can save more money when you go out to buy your next pair of running shoes.

Consider cheaper products first

Having run multiple marathons myself, I have tried various shoes – the cheap and the expensive ones. I am honest when I say that I didn’t find anything particularly significant for the price I paid to buy the expensive one. The cheaper one was also able to meet with the demand of supporting my feet well during the rigorous runs. The price difference between the Nike (expensive) and Power by Bata (cheap) was good 3K while the utility quotient was same.

So if you are not brand conscious and believes in value for money, you can explore other reasonable options before falling for the expensive ones.

Don’t buy the latest from current year; buy the latest from last year

Yes, any new launch or a flagship product from a brand is likely to be expensive. The launch price is always on the higher side and they are reduced only later based on market demand and competitor pricing. Most of the top brands worldwide would at least launch one new variant each year. Therefore, you can consider buying the launch product from the previous year for a lesser price.   

Buy online

We all know that online pricing any day is better than a brick and mortar price. If you know what type of shoes you are looking for and are clear of your exact requirements, you can make an order online. You may want to visit a store and try out a particular product before buying it online with a deal later. 

As e-commerce has evolved so much today, you can easily return and demand an exchange of product. So it’s worth trying out few before settling down with the shoe of choice. 

Avoid gait analysis based shoe if you don’t feel the need

Some of the popular brands like Asics offer technology to understand how you land on the floor or your gait type before recommending the correct shoes for you. It is helpful but it also comes at an additional cost. If you are a beginner and have never really had issues related to the type of shoes or foot related injury, you don’t have to worry about your gait. You can continue using your current shoes and not spend extra on gait analysis based ones.

Shopping during the right time of the year

Yes, you can also wait to for season/ occasion based discounts offered by many brands and even e-commerce website to avail the best deal for you. If you are lucky, you can manage to grab an excellent 2-3K discount on your choice. So keep looking out for the announcement on offers.

Try barefoot running

The best way to save money on a shoe is not buying it at all! Yes, that’s possible if you want to try your luck with barefoot running. Growing in popularity, this concept of running is catching eye everywhere. There are people who swear to barefoot running and how beneficial it is and have found it works for them. Although it comes with an increased risk of sustaining an injury, it’s still worth a try.