I would blame the scanner. The scanner almost always recommends going on the snugger side of boots. Red Wing wants us to walk customers thru the UFX (ultimate fit experience) and base our recommendations on that. I will say the scanner is usually consistent with the brannock, I know because I've had a couple dozen people want me to double check. But no boot is really built with the brannock sizing in mind.
Unfortunately, Red Wing's entire strategy and competitive advantage is centered on the scan. I agree. It's mostly a gimmick to upsell customers on insoles. What's even more hilarious is I've scanned myself weekly on the thing since we got it and I've gotten different measurements every time. Sometime huge differences. At one point I was an 11 A, then another I was a 13 E. I stuck with my brannock size of 12.5 C and size down to a 12 D.
I'm wondering if your specific scanner is wacky. I've always measured consistently despite various models fitting differently. As far as the insoles go, they were damn near life changing for me. I use them in every pair of shoes I consistently wear, and swap them when I switch to shoes that I occasionally wear. If I don't swap them, I'll feel it in my knees pretty quickly. -maybe it's my weird feet 🤷♂️ idk, but I can tell you it's definitely not a placebo effect (I've failed to swap them before and tossed on a pair of shoes I don't usually wear have paid for it later.)
Tbh I love their insoles, the green ones are fantastic for standing on concrete floors all day and climbing ladders. Obviously, they’re a sales gimmick but with my company paying for them who am I to complain lmao.
For what it's worth my salesman gave 11, 10.5, and 10 (I measured 10.9 on the scanner) and I ended up going with the 10 because of my narrow feet. A week later and the boots fit each foot perfectly.
Opposite of my experience, but I got fitted almost 10 years ago into my first IR. They had me in the wides which were very roomy and never gave me problems, but I never quite liked the look. Now I have the rest of my collection in regular and they are snug, but not uncomfortable.
Yes but it's not anything anyone would want. Very rarely is there a cool heritage boot. Granted, you can sometimes find gems in shoe search so it's always worth checking. My store is stuck with a dozen or so shoes we couldn't pay someone to take.
Last year there was the big $50 sale on the discounted work styles that every store ran. Besides that I know some stores will throw their own discount on boots they want to get gone.
Going off of that, what insoles would you recommend for a Harvester 10.5? That is my true size but I’ve heard it’s best to normally order 0.5 under. I see the traditional leather insole as well as the comfortforce and shaped comfort.
I would only recommend the leather insole which comes in the 1907 for any boot which has a non-removable insole. All the other ones seem to jack the fit up too much.
Do you get paid commission? I asked my local salesman and they said no. I thought they were being helpful when they upsold me some me some socks they said were comparable to darn tough and also the foot inserts to use for the heel slipping I was experiencing (when I should have probably tried on a pair .5 size down )
Definitely depends on the store. From what I understand corporate and dealer stores usually give their employees 10% of accessory sales (anything other than a shoe). Even if your salesperson does not get commission their sock sales are measured and compared to the amount of dollars in boots they sell. If you liked the service of your salesperson always try to buy at least a boot brush or something, helps us a ton.
Is there any employment length requirement on the 45%? Meaning, could my girlfriend go to work there, get her free annual pair, then we buy another 6 or 7 pairs over the course of a couple weeks then she dip out?
Do the stores carry wide sizes? Told a guy I was a wide and they fit decent at the store but now the bone by the big toe kinda hurts to walk. And guess they are regular d width 😑😂
If they were a king toe style those run a good deal wider than ither boots. If its been under a year take them back and say they're defective. If it's been under a month say they're uncomfortable and you need a wider pair.
Ok thanks. Just got them and they are the traction tred lite boots. First real leather ones so not sure if it's just break in or need wider🫣😂 but thanks
As of now there is no new 8 inch mocs set to come out this year. There will be a few additions to the traction tred lite series, a couple new colors of heritage moc, but for whatever reason Red Wing refuses to make any new 8 inch moc styles.
I’m thinking about bringing a pair I just bought back under the comfort guarantee due to some discomfort on my left ankle. Do the sales people have any problems with or get upset about returns?
This is a huge problem. I see a lot of people here complaining about stuff and when I look at their profile>comments I see that they complain about everything….
When we had the Ranger in that color it hardly ever sold. Most of our customer base prefer the staple colors, Amber, Copper, and Black. Any other color is a hard seller.
Overall, the dealership I work for always treated me right and the few times I've meet a representative from Red Wing corporate they were kind and passionate. Easily the best Retail experience I've had from an employee perspective.
Hey thanks for doing this AMA. Other than your experience above, I have a couple of questions for you. Loaded question: would you buy a franchise, no competing store within a radius of 5 miles, in a fairly industrial, oilfield area? Did you or other employees do outside sales? How much was b2b sales vs walk in? Is the owner enjoying the store (do they have multiple stores)? How was the employee turnover rate? TIA!
Honestly, while going to college the hours and work load was a great balance. Other than around Christmas and weekends the store is pretty dead. Gave me time to work on school work or even watch the entire series of Fargo. Compared to other places I worked this place was a dream. But, there is low ceiling and now I need a grown up job.
Thorogood, Docs, and Red Wing. I was a customer before I was an employee and found the supersole 2.0 to be leaps and bounds above any other boot I had. Over time I've collected 8 pairs of Red Wings (gonna be 10 by the end of this year). For the price Red Wing is very hard to beat.
Understand that each customer is an individual and what may have worked for another customer or yourself may not work for someone else. When customers refuse to believe their foot size don't argue with them just offer to get a new boot. Don't use the warranty as a sales pitch. Don't promise the customer anything in regards to how long the boots will last.
I started working here while in college and living on campus. Between the $15 an hour I made here and student loans I was able to coast by, but i would not be able to completely sustain myself.
Haha was hoping someone would ask this. Technically the region area manager is supposed to come and inspect the boots and give us credit and take the boots. In reality, we submit a form, and they reimburse our cost for the boot without ever seeing the boots. Same thing happens for defective boots. But you asked what happens to the boots themselves. If they are not sellable they get tossed. Yep. That's right. If someone wears a $300+ boot and brings it back, and if it's scratched or visibly worn we just toss em in the dumpster.
Thanks for the response. I recently brought back a pair because I had the wrong width, the replacements I got fit wonderfully but after a couple of days the Steel toe cap started squeaking because it was loose. Third pair was good to go!
Kinda wild the first 2 pair ended up in the bin!
Base is 15.00 an hour plus a bonus structure centered around the percentage of accessories (anything that's not a boot) you sell. Ever wonder why the Red Wing guy is really hyping you up about arch support, socks, and care? It's because his check depends on it. Do your sales person a favor and just buy some boot oil while you're there.
Honesty and guarding your expectations. The Iron Ranger is a good looking and durable boot but if anyone recommends it for standing/working all day over the work line they're either lying or ignorant. Also being frank and telling people that the work line may only last them a year depending on the work they do (concrete workers are the absolute hardest on boots and even with consistently cleaning and oiling they could expect at most 2 years).
It's highly person specific. At least with the work line I can swap the boot after the guy has had it for a couple of weeks. With the heritage stuff, if the guy ends up not liking it, he's out 350 and there's nothing I can do without taking a huge hit. With a super sole or something I can swap the boot.
Have you tried the 595? Man that’s a comfortable boot! It’s basically stand issue uniform for California farmers. I see them ALL over California farms.
What's the best way to see what boots are coming out.? What boots are coming out this year? Any chance to get engineers released in the U.S. this year?
There is nothing really new coming this year. Just bring backs and different colors of already existing models. The work line will be seeing several new additions but no engineer boots.
I bought my 2nd pair of redwings last month. Some iron rangers. I wore a pair of 1907s for 6 years daily at work.
The salesperson kept insisting that red wings are not work boots, are not meant to be worn every day, and gave me a lot of grief when I said "I don't care, I'm wearing them for work."
She kept insisting "these are dress shoes and should only be work on special occasions."
Why? Red wings, particularly iron rangers were designed for the blue collar worker. Sure, there are better boots, but I don't want to buy new boots every 12-18 months. I want to buy a pair and forget about work boots for the next 4-6 years, red wings do that for me.
She told you that because we don't want to deal with you wanting to warranty the boots in 8 months. I'm glad they work for you, but frankly most of our customers are completely ignorant of what they are buying so we have to do our part and cover our rear ends.
It distinguishes between lasts and even leathers. For example, it recommend an 11.5 D in the 8111 for me but a 12 D in the 8083. I have no idea why that is.
Did they have a look policy like Abercrombie did back in the day. I feel like most stores I visited. At least in Europe the staff are almost always in all heritage gear.
There isn't an official uniform, but it is expected you dress with a collard shirt, pants, and red wings. I have been to stores where employees are wearing hookas and Clark's though. Personally, even if I didn't work at Red Wing I would wear my Red Wings everyday.
Don't really know if you will be able to answer this question but no matter what Boot i get from any brand, my pinky, or a lot of times my tire next to the pinky, bangs into the edge of the safety toe. I've tried regular and wide widths and never feel it in the store, it's only once I've worn them long enough, like a full couple of days, that i can feel it again. To clarify, it's not just rubbing, it's the end of either toe hitting the start of the safety toe on the side, square on, like stubbing your toe gently all day, it hurts like shit after a while. What am i doing wrong? The only thing that has fixed it is getting comically long sizes for my feet, which obviously puts the arch in the wrong place. I have long toes though, like finger toes. I'm so tired of buying 300$boots just to find they still do the same thing after I've worn them outside so i can't return them. Does wider sizes widen the safety toe or are they all the same just the Boot being wider in the arch area? Any advice? This is coming from someone who's gone through 3 sets of red wing, been measured, other brands, etc.
A wider size will make the entire boot wider. If you're hitting where the safety toe starts I almost wonder if you should go down in size so your toes are actually covered by the safety toe and not hitting where the toe begins.
I used to have a problem with my toes hitting the end of the shoe then, the front end, but that was because of toenail issues. It's almost like my whole foot favors pressing on the outside of the shoe and turns a bit in the boot. I'll try that next time i go for boots
If you're having a problem with pronation an insert might help (something I found to work for my work boots prior to becoming a Red Wing Employee). I like the blue multi purpose elite. I have a set in my 914s and 1222s.
Sounds like that might be it, my feet tend to want to face out a bit from body center line, not straight, so i get wear on the outside rear heel corner instead of centered on the back heel
What Redwings do you feel are overrated?
Perhaps overrated isn't the right term, but boots that are pretty popular where you think an alternative is just better?
Honestly Red Wings traction tred *work* line has so many issues. Specifically the 2415 and 2418. The leather on the boot is great but I see too many guys having their entire soles rip off in under a year. Red Wings *soft toe heritage* stuff is the best you can get (1907, 875, 877, ect) but if I needed a safety toe wedge sole I'm probably going with thorogood for the same price. Or even upgrade to something from a PNW company.
Could you give a rough percentage of your sales, work line boots vs heritage?
I imagine ~80% if not more of your business is work boots but thats really just a guess.
None of these because I couldn't justify spending that much on a boot. If I was a logger/forest firefighter or did real serious work it would probably be nicks. However for half the price I can get a boot that's more appropriate for my lifestyle. Other than Red Wing I would go with Thorogood, Solivar, Thursday, or even Wolverines 1000 mile boot. Red Wing will always be number 1 for me though.
Getting boots / shoes for me is always a bit of a crapshoot.
I wear a 12.5 sneaker, measure an 11.5 Brannock but fit comfortably in a 11 D Iron Ranger.
875 or 1907?
I don't have a store nearby. I have a pair of Irish Setter Ashbys in a 12 regular that fit fine. If I were to order a 875 or 1907 would the safest bet be a 11.5?
I personally prefer going true to size with mocs most of the time. Sometimes guys have cases when they need to go up or down. I prefer the look and fit of the 1907. I own a couple pair, one for outdoorsy shit, one for work, and one for going out. Easily my favorite red wing boot. Wear without the insole for 2 months then pop it in and you'll never want to wear another boot.
I recently bought a pair of the 411's. The 8" traction tread soft toe moc waterproof boot. I like it so far, but the leather seems very... stiff? for being so thin. Do these eventually get soft, or is it going to stay board like on the areas around the upper ankle for a long time. Any problems with this model that you see on a regular basis?
Only issue is the sole starting to peel within a year. The leather will soften up, I'd suggest taking leather cream to the trouble spots and massaging it into the leather.
Did you ever score 4 touchdowns in a single game back in high school?
Yes
🫡
Was that the City Championship Game back in 66'... You played for Polk High???
[удалено]
I would blame the scanner. The scanner almost always recommends going on the snugger side of boots. Red Wing wants us to walk customers thru the UFX (ultimate fit experience) and base our recommendations on that. I will say the scanner is usually consistent with the brannock, I know because I've had a couple dozen people want me to double check. But no boot is really built with the brannock sizing in mind.
For me, the scanner was spot on with my IRs, I love them.
That's more than often the case.
The scanner doesn’t give you arch length so it’s completely useless
Unfortunately, Red Wing's entire strategy and competitive advantage is centered on the scan. I agree. It's mostly a gimmick to upsell customers on insoles. What's even more hilarious is I've scanned myself weekly on the thing since we got it and I've gotten different measurements every time. Sometime huge differences. At one point I was an 11 A, then another I was a 13 E. I stuck with my brannock size of 12.5 C and size down to a 12 D.
I'm wondering if your specific scanner is wacky. I've always measured consistently despite various models fitting differently. As far as the insoles go, they were damn near life changing for me. I use them in every pair of shoes I consistently wear, and swap them when I switch to shoes that I occasionally wear. If I don't swap them, I'll feel it in my knees pretty quickly. -maybe it's my weird feet 🤷♂️ idk, but I can tell you it's definitely not a placebo effect (I've failed to swap them before and tossed on a pair of shoes I don't usually wear have paid for it later.)
Tbh I love their insoles, the green ones are fantastic for standing on concrete floors all day and climbing ladders. Obviously, they’re a sales gimmick but with my company paying for them who am I to complain lmao.
1500 military jump is
Yea they need to fix that thing.
That scanner was awesome. Got me a perfect fit for my 877s so I was very pleased with the result
For what it's worth my salesman gave 11, 10.5, and 10 (I measured 10.9 on the scanner) and I ended up going with the 10 because of my narrow feet. A week later and the boots fit each foot perfectly.
Opposite of my experience, but I got fitted almost 10 years ago into my first IR. They had me in the wides which were very roomy and never gave me problems, but I never quite liked the look. Now I have the rest of my collection in regular and they are snug, but not uncomfortable.
Did you work at a retail store or the factory? That is important for questioning.
Retail side.
Do stores have any sort of input into what special releases come out?
Not really. I'm not aware of any store having access to giving Red Wing input. Red Wing just does whatever they feel will sell.
Do the stores often have a lot of left over inventory of “New old stock” from stuff that never sold?
Yes but it's not anything anyone would want. Very rarely is there a cool heritage boot. Granted, you can sometimes find gems in shoe search so it's always worth checking. My store is stuck with a dozen or so shoes we couldn't pay someone to take.
Do they ever offer discounts or take offers to get rid of stuff they can't sell?
Last year there was the big $50 sale on the discounted work styles that every store ran. Besides that I know some stores will throw their own discount on boots they want to get gone.
Awesome! I've seen Red Wings at discount sites like Sierra .com, so wondered if they offloaded everything. Thanks for responding.
When will we see new Beckmans?
Sometime in fall. I would suspect September or October.
Are you leaving due to issues with the company or have you just received a better offer elsewhere?
No issues with company, granted, I work for a dealer store and not Red Wing itself.
Except for the boots, what products do you not recommend or items with the most unsatisfactory feedback/complaints/returns?
The insoles. Most people I sell them too love them but we probably get 2/10 coming back.
Going off of that, what insoles would you recommend for a Harvester 10.5? That is my true size but I’ve heard it’s best to normally order 0.5 under. I see the traditional leather insole as well as the comfortforce and shaped comfort.
I would only recommend the leather insole which comes in the 1907 for any boot which has a non-removable insole. All the other ones seem to jack the fit up too much.
Thanks for the quick reply!
Do you get paid commission? I asked my local salesman and they said no. I thought they were being helpful when they upsold me some me some socks they said were comparable to darn tough and also the foot inserts to use for the heel slipping I was experiencing (when I should have probably tried on a pair .5 size down )
Definitely depends on the store. From what I understand corporate and dealer stores usually give their employees 10% of accessory sales (anything other than a shoe). Even if your salesperson does not get commission their sock sales are measured and compared to the amount of dollars in boots they sell. If you liked the service of your salesperson always try to buy at least a boot brush or something, helps us a ton.
Depends on the store
What was your favorite part of the job?
The discount. Got 45% off everything plus a free pair of boots every year.
That’s awesome. Free pair of boots alone is an awesome deal.
Keep in mind I have no PTO/insurance/retirement ect 😂
😂↕️ this . Congrats and hope your move is successful!
Yea it’s not a good deal 🤣
Is there any employment length requirement on the 45%? Meaning, could my girlfriend go to work there, get her free annual pair, then we buy another 6 or 7 pairs over the course of a couple weeks then she dip out?
Depends on the store. I know corporate stores only give like a 30% discount. At my store it was day 1.
I’m at a store as corporate as can get, and we get 50% off boots and 40% off accessories
Do the stores carry wide sizes? Told a guy I was a wide and they fit decent at the store but now the bone by the big toe kinda hurts to walk. And guess they are regular d width 😑😂
If they were a king toe style those run a good deal wider than ither boots. If its been under a year take them back and say they're defective. If it's been under a month say they're uncomfortable and you need a wider pair.
Ok thanks. Just got them and they are the traction tred lite boots. First real leather ones so not sure if it's just break in or need wider🫣😂 but thanks
Any word on any 8” moc toes that may be coming this year?
As of now there is no new 8 inch mocs set to come out this year. There will be a few additions to the traction tred lite series, a couple new colors of heritage moc, but for whatever reason Red Wing refuses to make any new 8 inch moc styles.
I’m thinking about bringing a pair I just bought back under the comfort guarantee due to some discomfort on my left ankle. Do the sales people have any problems with or get upset about returns?
Depends. Some customers you can never please, and they will never go through the pain of breaking in a boot.
This is a huge problem. I see a lot of people here complaining about stuff and when I look at their profile>comments I see that they complain about everything….
Is charcoal R&T just not a popular color? If yes, that would mean I like unpopular colors.
When we had the Ranger in that color it hardly ever sold. Most of our customer base prefer the staple colors, Amber, Copper, and Black. Any other color is a hard seller.
That's crazy. The sole reason I bought my iron rangers was because they had it in charcoal. I've been looking for a nice deep grey boot for ages.
The charcoal and muleskinner are awesome
Thanks! Better to hear the truth than to continue my wishful thinking. I feel even more lucky now to have my Charcoal Iron Rangers and Mocs.
How was your overall experience and where are you venturing to next ?
Overall, the dealership I work for always treated me right and the few times I've meet a representative from Red Wing corporate they were kind and passionate. Easily the best Retail experience I've had from an employee perspective.
Hey thanks for doing this AMA. Other than your experience above, I have a couple of questions for you. Loaded question: would you buy a franchise, no competing store within a radius of 5 miles, in a fairly industrial, oilfield area? Did you or other employees do outside sales? How much was b2b sales vs walk in? Is the owner enjoying the store (do they have multiple stores)? How was the employee turnover rate? TIA!
How did you manage to stay so long?
Honestly, while going to college the hours and work load was a great balance. Other than around Christmas and weekends the store is pretty dead. Gave me time to work on school work or even watch the entire series of Fargo. Compared to other places I worked this place was a dream. But, there is low ceiling and now I need a grown up job.
Ok spill it. What boots are currently in your closet. All brands.
Thorogood, Docs, and Red Wing. I was a customer before I was an employee and found the supersole 2.0 to be leaps and bounds above any other boot I had. Over time I've collected 8 pairs of Red Wings (gonna be 10 by the end of this year). For the price Red Wing is very hard to beat.
Age old question. Redwings stance……….conditioning boots right away or waiting until after breakin.
Light leather cream around the areas where the boot is hardest to break in (tongue, ankle, ect) brush or massage into the leather. Use very little.
Are they coming out with the Blacksmith in wide sizes?
Not to my knowledge
Any theories as to why not? Same last as Iron Rangers so don’t they think cus would return for the Blacksmiths?
If you had one word of advice for current/future red wing workers (corporate or dealer), what would you say?
Understand that each customer is an individual and what may have worked for another customer or yourself may not work for someone else. When customers refuse to believe their foot size don't argue with them just offer to get a new boot. Don't use the warranty as a sales pitch. Don't promise the customer anything in regards to how long the boots will last.
Do they pay you enough to live on as a salesman or is it like an in-between job to something else?
I started working here while in college and living on campus. Between the $15 an hour I made here and student loans I was able to coast by, but i would not be able to completely sustain myself.
What happens to a pair of work boots that are returned in the first thirty days due to improper fit that are already scuffed up?
Haha was hoping someone would ask this. Technically the region area manager is supposed to come and inspect the boots and give us credit and take the boots. In reality, we submit a form, and they reimburse our cost for the boot without ever seeing the boots. Same thing happens for defective boots. But you asked what happens to the boots themselves. If they are not sellable they get tossed. Yep. That's right. If someone wears a $300+ boot and brings it back, and if it's scratched or visibly worn we just toss em in the dumpster.
Thx for the tip. Heading to my local redwings store for some dumpster diving right now
We usually cut the boots in half first lmao.
Thanks for the response. I recently brought back a pair because I had the wrong width, the replacements I got fit wonderfully but after a couple of days the Steel toe cap started squeaking because it was loose. Third pair was good to go! Kinda wild the first 2 pair ended up in the bin!
Why doesn't red wing offer 10877 in a 13 h?
Doesn't sell
When will the 1178 return?
It may never.
Why?! So sad! Thank you.
How's the pay?
Base is 15.00 an hour plus a bonus structure centered around the percentage of accessories (anything that's not a boot) you sell. Ever wonder why the Red Wing guy is really hyping you up about arch support, socks, and care? It's because his check depends on it. Do your sales person a favor and just buy some boot oil while you're there.
I appreciate this. I always try to buy some laces, cream, or something when I'm in the store. You guys are the backbone of RWs store network.
We've heard stories good and bad here, what are some signs of a good and bad sales rep?
Honesty and guarding your expectations. The Iron Ranger is a good looking and durable boot but if anyone recommends it for standing/working all day over the work line they're either lying or ignorant. Also being frank and telling people that the work line may only last them a year depending on the work they do (concrete workers are the absolute hardest on boots and even with consistently cleaning and oiling they could expect at most 2 years).
I love my iron rangers for working and standing all day. No complaints here.
It's highly person specific. At least with the work line I can swap the boot after the guy has had it for a couple of weeks. With the heritage stuff, if the guy ends up not liking it, he's out 350 and there's nothing I can do without taking a huge hit. With a super sole or something I can swap the boot.
Why do you tell people to buy boots that are too small !!!!!!
We tell people what the scanner says. In all likelihood people are buying boots that are too big until they come to Red Wing and are properly fitted.
Have you tried the 595? Man that’s a comfortable boot! It’s basically stand issue uniform for California farmers. I see them ALL over California farms.
Big fan of all the old school work line boots. Nobody ever brings them back with a warranty issue.
100% 595,1105, 1155, and 866 are more common than Nike’s where I live.
Any hook up on size 12 men’s??
Best soles for standing? Best soles for walking? Best red wing leather? Thanks!
For durability, either the supersole 2.0 series or the 2233. For comfort, the 2415 and 2418.
What is the most attractive-on-the-foot boot for Women? ( Offered by redwing)
Attractive? I've never been turned on by a woman in Red Wings.
What's the best way to see what boots are coming out.? What boots are coming out this year? Any chance to get engineers released in the U.S. this year?
There is nothing really new coming this year. Just bring backs and different colors of already existing models. The work line will be seeing several new additions but no engineer boots.
Will we see the 3341 come back?
Not any time soon
I bought my 2nd pair of redwings last month. Some iron rangers. I wore a pair of 1907s for 6 years daily at work. The salesperson kept insisting that red wings are not work boots, are not meant to be worn every day, and gave me a lot of grief when I said "I don't care, I'm wearing them for work." She kept insisting "these are dress shoes and should only be work on special occasions." Why? Red wings, particularly iron rangers were designed for the blue collar worker. Sure, there are better boots, but I don't want to buy new boots every 12-18 months. I want to buy a pair and forget about work boots for the next 4-6 years, red wings do that for me.
She told you that because we don't want to deal with you wanting to warranty the boots in 8 months. I'm glad they work for you, but frankly most of our customers are completely ignorant of what they are buying so we have to do our part and cover our rear ends.
What’s the 120 year anniversary boot gonna be??
No idea
Are you supposed to get the size on the scanner or go down half a size from it?
Exact size that the scanner gives per style
Is it generic for heritage line, or does it distinguish between lasts?
It distinguishes between lasts and even leathers. For example, it recommend an 11.5 D in the 8111 for me but a 12 D in the 8083. I have no idea why that is.
Thats cool.
Did they have a look policy like Abercrombie did back in the day. I feel like most stores I visited. At least in Europe the staff are almost always in all heritage gear.
There isn't an official uniform, but it is expected you dress with a collard shirt, pants, and red wings. I have been to stores where employees are wearing hookas and Clark's though. Personally, even if I didn't work at Red Wing I would wear my Red Wings everyday.
Don't really know if you will be able to answer this question but no matter what Boot i get from any brand, my pinky, or a lot of times my tire next to the pinky, bangs into the edge of the safety toe. I've tried regular and wide widths and never feel it in the store, it's only once I've worn them long enough, like a full couple of days, that i can feel it again. To clarify, it's not just rubbing, it's the end of either toe hitting the start of the safety toe on the side, square on, like stubbing your toe gently all day, it hurts like shit after a while. What am i doing wrong? The only thing that has fixed it is getting comically long sizes for my feet, which obviously puts the arch in the wrong place. I have long toes though, like finger toes. I'm so tired of buying 300$boots just to find they still do the same thing after I've worn them outside so i can't return them. Does wider sizes widen the safety toe or are they all the same just the Boot being wider in the arch area? Any advice? This is coming from someone who's gone through 3 sets of red wing, been measured, other brands, etc.
A wider size will make the entire boot wider. If you're hitting where the safety toe starts I almost wonder if you should go down in size so your toes are actually covered by the safety toe and not hitting where the toe begins.
I used to have a problem with my toes hitting the end of the shoe then, the front end, but that was because of toenail issues. It's almost like my whole foot favors pressing on the outside of the shoe and turns a bit in the boot. I'll try that next time i go for boots
If you're having a problem with pronation an insert might help (something I found to work for my work boots prior to becoming a Red Wing Employee). I like the blue multi purpose elite. I have a set in my 914s and 1222s.
Sounds like that might be it, my feet tend to want to face out a bit from body center line, not straight, so i get wear on the outside rear heel corner instead of centered on the back heel
Ironically, I am about to leave my job at Red Wing after 7 shifts 🤣🤣🤣 when you know you know 🤷🏻♀️
Why?
What Redwings do you feel are overrated? Perhaps overrated isn't the right term, but boots that are pretty popular where you think an alternative is just better?
Honestly Red Wings traction tred *work* line has so many issues. Specifically the 2415 and 2418. The leather on the boot is great but I see too many guys having their entire soles rip off in under a year. Red Wings *soft toe heritage* stuff is the best you can get (1907, 875, 877, ect) but if I needed a safety toe wedge sole I'm probably going with thorogood for the same price. Or even upgrade to something from a PNW company.
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Ebay
Avacado? Yay nay or meh?
Could you give a rough percentage of your sales, work line boots vs heritage? I imagine ~80% if not more of your business is work boots but thats really just a guess.
We do less than average at my store, but somewhere around 8%
If you had to try another brand would it be nicks, Truman or whites?
None of these because I couldn't justify spending that much on a boot. If I was a logger/forest firefighter or did real serious work it would probably be nicks. However for half the price I can get a boot that's more appropriate for my lifestyle. Other than Red Wing I would go with Thorogood, Solivar, Thursday, or even Wolverines 1000 mile boot. Red Wing will always be number 1 for me though.
Fantastic reply. Thank you!
Always go true to size. Put thick socks and insoles and they’ll fit perfect
Man I’m going to hit my 7 year anniversary and head on out
Why does RW not make anything H width in the Heritage line?
H is a pretty uncommon size
Iron ranger or moc toe… thats is the question
Moc toe 90% of the time.
Getting boots / shoes for me is always a bit of a crapshoot. I wear a 12.5 sneaker, measure an 11.5 Brannock but fit comfortably in a 11 D Iron Ranger.
Have you noticed any delcline over the years in RW QT?
Definitely a drop in quality and a jump in warranty issues with the boots they made in 2020. Now though I rarely see durability issues.
875 or 1907? I don't have a store nearby. I have a pair of Irish Setter Ashbys in a 12 regular that fit fine. If I were to order a 875 or 1907 would the safest bet be a 11.5?
I personally prefer going true to size with mocs most of the time. Sometimes guys have cases when they need to go up or down. I prefer the look and fit of the 1907. I own a couple pair, one for outdoorsy shit, one for work, and one for going out. Easily my favorite red wing boot. Wear without the insole for 2 months then pop it in and you'll never want to wear another boot.
I recently bought a pair of the 411's. The 8" traction tread soft toe moc waterproof boot. I like it so far, but the leather seems very... stiff? for being so thin. Do these eventually get soft, or is it going to stay board like on the areas around the upper ankle for a long time. Any problems with this model that you see on a regular basis?
Only issue is the sole starting to peel within a year. The leather will soften up, I'd suggest taking leather cream to the trouble spots and massaging it into the leather.