Red Wing - Winston Salem, NC

"This is my first time ever trying on any redwings ever. I came into the store and looked around at everything that was presented basically a glance over. After that, i inquired with the store manager about a shoe i had been looking at online and showed him the picture on my phone from the official red wing website. He pointed to a shoe that was similar and I made sure to clarify in which he continued to swear they were them even though it was clearly not. Instantly built distrust. I decided not to bail. Next i asked for his recommendation on what he would go with based on a few criteria i had and a few options came up but he seemed to be persuading towards one boot that I honestly would have never came in to look at in the first place. I was underwhelmed at the value i would be getting. It felt like I was directed to a pair of boots that they wanted me to buy. If I'm going to pay over $250 for one pair of shoes/boots, then I want them to perfectly suit me with not only function but also appearance. My end goal was to at least try on a pair. The next thing I know im taking my shoes off but also my socks. Which i have never done. This made me feel really awkward. (And obligated). The guy was popping tags off brand new items off the shelf and I got overwhelmed in my mind. Next came a set of insoles. Which I really didn't ask for but it was part of their sales process at this store. Like I have bought every shoe in my whole life without doing this, and had success. It felt totally unnecessary. At this point I was finally reaching realization of what was actually happening vs what I was being told. I also had a flashback to the lie he told me earlier. Subconsciously i made the decision not to buy from this store at this point. From here on out I just went through the motions and tried to learn as much as i could while also avoiding the sales tactics that were present. I was polite the whole time. Oh. And I ended up buying the socks that they wanted me to get just because I really didn't want to change them again. The sales staff here really did bring up some good learning points and educated me on a few things which I valued greatly. They were knowledgeable about their products. Plain and simple. It was very cool they let me try a basic redwing insole hoping that maybe one day I'll be back. Now. Why is this a 1 star review? Premium products do not need you to put up a fascade and present a store created sense of "high quality. " I truly think the products here are high quality and should really be treated as just that; they should sell themselves. Most people end up in a redwing store because they did some form of research in the first place. I can't recommend my coworkers to come here and get misled into buying things they really do not need. I think it's hilarious that I was recommended a $75 insole without even trying on the boots with the one they come with which is $45. That's insane to me. Changing socks to try on shoes is unheard of too. Wearing a brand new pair of socks that have zero wear to try on shoes/boots automatically skew your impressions. It truly did feel like i was bait and switched to buy something the sales team wanted me to buy rather than me, and then told to like it. And it seemed that I was directed to items that have higher profit margins than what I really want and originally came there for. (It seemed abnormally strange there was such a pull toward these as to other great options-- must be a underlying reason) I was led to the catch-all boot. This store could do alot more business if they were just genuine and honest about everything they say. It threw up a red flag to me after the first lie and from that point on I was forced to wonder whether every single statement was true or not. Alot of the advice they gave me really did seem genuine. But the snake charming, bait and switch, and fascade like nature of this place SUCKS. At the end of the day I just wanted to try on shoes/boots that were redwing. And try a few different styles I was between online."

"I was helped by Dustin and it was a very pleasant experience. He was knowledgeable, professional, polite, and straight to the point. Couldn’t recommend them further!"

"Dustin and Leaf were very helpful even though we didn’t know what we were doing. We got fitted and got advice on how to properly wear, fit and take care of our new boots. In addition we love our new boots and will surely be back for more. If you have a doubt as to weather or not you should visit this Red Wing location, just get in your car and go there. You will not be sorry."

"Dustin Butcher @ Red Wing Shoes was great to deal with. Very comfortable with their quality of knowledge of the boots."

"Some of the best customer service I have ever received! Went in looking for a pair of boots for my new job after a week of 10 hour shifts on my feet in a factory, but ended up feeling like I was in a spa or 5 star hotel instead. I got to relax in a plush leather chair shooting the breeze while the perfect boot was found for me. (and sock.. and insole....) Absolutely perfect fit! I might even go as far as to question if I have ever had a perfect fit of any shoe I might have previously owned in my entire life up until this point... He even helped custom fit my wife's boots that she had purchased at a different Red Wing store. I'll be going to this location for future purchases from now on. No more "boot truck"' boots or buying random pairs off a rack at other stores. Absolutely thrilled with the boots and the service!"