My Shoe Store is Great But Out of Stock Sizes Are Frustrating.
My Shoe Store
Everyone is talking about Crocs! These garden clog-like shoes that are sweeping the nation much like Uggs did. I decided to get a pair to be like the cool kids but the official Croc website has $9.95 shipping and I didn’t want to pay that so I did a search for websites that carried Crocs that were reasonably priced and had little or no shipping charges.
I found the Crocs I am wearing at I type this at My Shoe Store. They had free shipping over $40.00 and a 15% discount code. Very cool! However, I found, lucking out and getting the size you need isn’t always possible.
What the Site Sells
Shoes, sandals, athletics, and boots from many designers as well as some footwear accessories.
Navigation
This site has everything you need to know very clearly available to you to read. There are links to their shipping rates, returns policy, their referral program (more on that later), their contact info and more down the left side of the page.
Under those links is a list of all the brands of shoes they carry – a very long list. There is a search box to make things easier to find what you want. Across the top, you can chose from genders of shoes and clearance shoes bases on gender and kids choices.
The home page has several photos of various pairs of shoes for men and women which are highlighted that week.
Once you find the shoes you want, you have to be sure the size you need is in stock. I was dismayed to see that they carried several colors of Crocs but only the black was available in my size. I noticed on many of the more popular and seasonal shoes, that sizes are limited.
If you find the right shoe and size, click to add it to your cart. When I shopped there, there was a special going on for 15% off my order. I rechecked the site just now and there is still a 15% off special going on for a few more days. I don’t know how often they offer that discount but it’s a good deal.
Another plus is that you get free shipping for orders over $40.00 before the discount so, if, like with my order, you buy $44.98 worth of shoes before the discount which brings you under $40.00 when applied, you still get free shipping based on the original total before the discount.
Add your picks to the cart and, when you are done shopping, you are off to the checkout where you will fill in your personal info as well as pick a password to log back in for tracking or to use the referral program.
The referral program can be great for people who have shoe horse friends. You refer any number of friends to the site and, if they go there through a link provided and make an order, you get 16% of their total purchase credited to your account. I signed up for this but can’t find a special link except next to each shoe that says “Tell a Friend” but it seems there should be one link to post on websites or wherever that takes a person to the site and credits you with their first purchase. But at any rate, that option is there.
Once your info is input, pick a major credit card to use and you are done. You will get an email informing you that your order has gone through and that it will take a few days to process. The letter tells you that you will get another letter when the order ships but I never did.
The theory is you will get a letter giving you tracking info once the order is sent although that can be found on their website as well.
Your order will arrive in about a week or so depending on your location.
My Experience
I went to the site with one thing in mind. CROCS. I found several colors but only the black Cayman ones were in my size. All the cool pretty colors were limited to larger or smaller sizes. Frustrating! However, they were only $29.99, five dollars or more cheaper than at Zappos where they also had a limited selection. So, I went with black for my first pair. I will be buying other colors now that I tried them but not from this site as they are nearly sold out of all sizes of Crocs now.
I wanted to get my order over $40.00 but not spend a fortune. Most shoes on this site are pretty expensive. I found a pair of Teva flip flops in the clearance area, which I already have, but ehh…they were under $14.00 so why not? I added them to my cart and hit the magic $40.00 free shipping amount. I applied my 15% off code and the shipping was still free. Very nice!
I did get my confirmation letter but nothing after that. In about six days, I got a box from My Shoe Store. I was excited! The Crocs were everything I had heard they were and are my new best friends. But there were no Tevas in the box. The invoice informed me that they were out of stock and I was refunded for the cost of them. They included a 20% discount coupon off my next purchase, which I am not sure was because they were out of stock or if it is just a standard thing they do. I wasn’t heartbroken. I only added the Tevas to get free shipping so I ended up getting Crocs for $25.50 and no shipping. I only wish they had other colors in my size so I could have stocked up!
I suppose if I really wanted the Tevas and didn’t get them without prior notification, I would have been angry. I would have wanted to choose something else. However, this was in the clearance area and wasn’t a big deal to me. I assume this is how they do business though. They don’t inform you of out of stock items, just refund you. I have no idea what they would do if everything you ordered was out of stock. They would have to notify you, wouldn’t they?
I love my Crocs but I can’t find anything on the site that is reasonable enough to purchase now. Even the clearance items are bit on the high priced side.
Still, I got to sample Crocs for a great price and, although there were a couple of glitches (No delivery email, out of stock shoes), I’m happy with the experience.
Shipping and Returns
Shipping is free for orders over $40.00 in the 48 continental states. Most shoes cost that much on this site so reaching the threshold is a breeze. Those in Alaska and Hawaii will have to pay a bit more for shipping. They do not specify what shipping is for orders under $40.00 but I believe it is around 6.00.
The standard return policy is 30 days but is raised to 60 days during the Christmas season. The shoes must be unworn in their original box with a note telling them if you want a credit or an exchange. You cannot return worn items.
As an aside, they charge no sales tax on their orders.
Contact Info
My Shoe Store
4 Autumn Pond Park
Greenland, NH 03840
(603) 373-9225 Monday – Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
email: online-cs@MyShoeStore.com
Conclusion
This is an interesting site. They have many name brands and the prices are about what those names usually cost. I was lucky. I found the Crocs I wanted, in my size, for the lowest price on the net. Now, they are sold out of my size in every color. Darn it.
With free shipping over $40.00 and with discounts, this site is a good one. However, I wasn’t thrilled that no one informed me that they were out of stock of the Tevas I bought nor did they send me a delivery email. I could have tracked my order on the site by logging in but they came fast enough that I didn’t even have time to worry about that.
If you like good brand names and are willing to pay for those brand names, this is a good site to try. They have a lot of variety and it is always a plus not to have to pay shipping or tax. Although Zappos has similar variety (and then some), their prices are somewhat higher for the same items in general. The plus for Zappos is that you don’t have to meet a $40.00 threshold for free shipping and don’t have to pay for returns.
However, this site is one you should check out of you’re looking for brand name shoes, boots, and sandals. The biggest problem is finding your size in the shoes you want. I am rating this site 4 stars with the caveat that you may get frustrated finding shoes you love then seeing your size is not available. If you find your size in the shoes you want, the rest of the transaction will go fine. There were a couple hiccups along the way with my order as referenced above but I actually made out better because one pair of clearance shoes wasn’t in stock. Still, I would caution this site to inform people that items are out of stock before they send out the order in case a consumer wants to add another pair of shoes to the order.
Recommended:
Yes
loading...
loading...
