Stride Rite

They’re closed! Just drove by and it’s an empty space.

If you remember my reviews from last Fall, my first Stride Rite experience was terrible. There was almost an old fashioned donnybrook between a late arriving sales person and an irate customer. However, that was in Bel Air.
This is Elkridge!
After the last fiasco, the regional manager sent my wife and I a Stride Rite gift card to try to get us to come back to the chain. (I guess strongly worded emails to the company headquarters do work.) We finally did, by going to the store closest to our home. I was filled with trepidation when we went inside. The associate looked like she was in the middle of something. So I prepared for the worst.
However, Shawn was one of the best salespersons that I have run into in any shoe store or children’s store. She knew the product; was able to explain the advantages of some shoes over others; was honest about the limitations of the product (don’t wash the washable sneakers every day and never put them in the dryer); and was cheerful the whole time. I have no idea if she likes her job, but today it seemed as if she loved it. After only about 15 minutes, my wife, son and I left with a new pair of sneakers that we got at a reasonable price, and a smile on our faces.
From there we left for the playground for my kid to get the new shoes all dirty.