RunTex at The Triangle

note to the reader:
this review pertains to the 3 RunTex stores i have visited: the triangle, riverside drive & georgetown locations. unfortunately for RunTex, each experience i had was exactly the same, and that’s not a good thing
this local chain of stores seems to have a wonderful reputation within the local running communities, but it seems you have to be someone they know from a group run or class or something in order for them to speak to you. no one bothered to say, «welcome to RunTex!», «can i help you find something?», or even a simple «hello» the entire time i was there. can i get some customer service, please?
the triangle RunTex, like the riverside location, is HUGE. where is all the merchandise? they carry a very small, bland selection of clothing. almost everything they offer is black or white, and many items feature the «RunTex» logo. do they hate color? are they opposed to blank running tops?
they have an ok variety of running «specialty» items such as arm-​warmers, water bottles, energy gels, etc, and they also keep the water jugs full at the water stations along the Town Lake hike/​bike trail. these are the only reasons why they get 2 stars instead of 1. other than that, nothing special here.

With the Austin (Livestrong?) Marathon coming up I’ve upped my running considerably and have been putting my shoes through the ringer. Last year I got over the sticker shock of paying for higher end running shoes so I knew what to expect when walked in to pick up another pair (I buy the same pair every time now so I’ve really gotten over it).
I had not been into this specific Runtex location but figured it’d be about the same. No real surprises except for the sweet Twenty dollar reduction on my model! Service was quick and friendly and all of the usual accoutrements you’d expect (copious ammounts of body glide) from running store are readily available.
I left a happy camper with two pairs of shoes that should get me through the marathon and a sweet new pair of extra short Texas flag shorts. Rep TX!

I went to Runtex a while ago, but I am satisfied with their knowledgeable staff! I wanted to figure out which running shoe was best for me, and after undergoing what I felt was like a mini-doctor’s visit, they were able to identify which shoe was best! I ended up completing the San Diego Marathon with Runtex’s recommendation, blister-​free! Yay Runtex. Plus, I have met the owner of Runtex one time, and he’s super nice.

I have never been to a more friendly, knowledgeable, and all around outstanding running store! They are so involved with the local community and provide a FREE running group on Monday’s and Wednesday evenings. The staff is amazing. They all care so much about their customers. I saw one guy pull a full analysis of someone’s gait and then re-​evaluated the shoe on him again. I have some physiotherapy background and know what it takes to get the right shoe on runners, and these guys have got it down! They are also the people that put the water out on town lake! at no cost to us! They probably give about 20 hours of community service everyday!
The space is big but they told me that they do alot of «bootcamps» and other events in the store that dictates a larger space than the usual shoe store. A very cool store and I’m a customer for life! thanks RUNTEX!

My other Run Tex reviews were pretty negative so I wanted to write about my most recent experience. I said I would not go back but I had a gift card there and really wanted to use it. Running shoes are expensive! They didn’t have my size again and I got pretty frustrated but the manager promised to get them within two weeks and he did! He actually called me in less than that and it worked out to be tax free weekend. He was really helpful, as was the other person working when I had questions about the shoes. It restored my faith a little in Run Tex. Not sure if I will go back next time but if I do it will definitely be this location.

I went in for new shoes to start training for the Austin marathon. First, the space is huge with NOTHING in it. I have no idea why they have so much space and so little stock. I told the guy that I needed new shoes and explained what I was looking for. He had ONE pair for me to look at and they were Asics (which are fine shoes but absolutely do not work for me – I have never hated a pair of running shoes as much as I hated my one pair of Asics — just a personal preference). If what they had on the wall was all the styles they have, then they seem to have about 15 — 20 styles each for men and women. Not enough to provide a decent selection for all the types of shoes people might need (trail shoes, racing flats, stability shoes, etc.) They also had ONE pair of socks for sale in my size and I’m not a weird size. I wasn’t looking for clothes but did notice that they seem to have about four racks total of running clothes. The guy didn’t even say that, for example, they were in the process of re-​stocking. I don’t get it. I’ve been in teeny tiny running stores that carried five times the merchandise they have. Not worth the time at all.

I’m not sure who decided that paying rent on a huge space was a good idea when they only have like 10 pairs of womens shoes and 10 pairs of mens shoes. I needed some lightweight running shoes in a pinch, and they quickly let me know that they didn’t have anything that fit the bill. Glad they saved me some time, but won’t make the mistake of looking for shoes here again. Maybe their other locations are better? Also, found the Asics they wanted to show me for ½ the price on Zappos.

I love buying from local vendors and have bought from RunTex in the past but looks like I might have to look elsewhere because apparently they stopped carrying my size because they said it just wasn’t a common size and referred me to 1379 Shoes. I guess they don’t want my business.

I was headed to Austin for the day and I needed a new pair of shoes and I had been hearing some conflicting options on whether I’m a pronator or supinator (well, just one differing opinion in Abilene) so I was curious to see what some folks who do this for a living in an athletic place think (well, athletic for Texas).
I first went to the Georgetown store (as I was driving past it) and I tried on some pairs, but they didn’t have what would fit me. The guy working then called the Triangle store and had some others put on hold, so on I drove.
I ended up at the store here and tried on another 3 pairs of shoes and finally found a pair that I liked.
Some of the criticisms have been customer service. Now, I was the only person shopping at that particular time so that factored into the amount of attention that I received, but I felt that they did want me to have the best pair possible. I have been partial in the past to Nikes as I use the Nike+ for mileage tracking purposes and I was assured that it would register using the attachment for the laces that I have. If it does not, I will return them.

My family swears by this store and has more running shoes than I ever thought possible. Asics, New Balance, brands I’ve never heard of… they have them all.
If I ever do get off my duff to do any exercise at the gym, I still use Nike cross trainers that RunTex would probably laugh at. As for the sneakers I wear in public, the Louis Vuittons and (non-​tacky) black Guccis are largely ceremonial; I couldn’t run across a room in them.
Even though you won’t catch me circling Town Lake, I have been to the store when my brother needed more comfortable insoles. The place seems kind of big, and empty, with some sparse product displays. The older gentleman working at the register was busy ringing up a customer, so we meandered about for a bit before we found the insoles.
Apparently you can take classes there (?) Some guy and his trainer were doing some stretches and balancing exercises off to the side. He must not be very self-​conscious, because the last place I’d ever want to do my workout is in the middle of a freaking store.
A cute dude off to the side ended up helping us. Very cute indeed. I dumped the Luby’s Guy long ago, and I thought maybe I’d replace him with RunTex Guy, but there wasn’t that much chemistry.
He gave my brother a choice of two different inserts (he’d brought the shoes), and he tested both out. I love the little jogging corridor with the trees on the wall. I guess it’s supposed to mimic a running trail. If they really wanted to complete the scene they should’ve had people doing naughty things behind the bushes.
I took a look at the shoes, but I couldn’t find any prices on them. Oh well, I wasn’t that involved anyway, just bored. Seemed like a smallish inventory for a place that takes their running seriously.
If I ever do get a pair of real running shoes, I’ll definitely be coming to RunTex. Three stars for layout and service. one more because the guy was cute.

After the less-​than-​stellar service I received during my last visit to the Arboretum location, I was hesitant to go back to RunTex. I bit the bullet a few weeks ago when I urgently needed new running shoes and couldn’t make it all the way over to Rogue Equipment.
Thankfully, the fellow who helped me out was AWESOME. He brought me shoes that no one else had ever shown me before (I buy running shoes quite regularly) and I ended up buying a pair that day. I went back last week and got the second pair he recommended as well! Nice work, RunTex. I’ll keep you in mind next time I replace my shoes.