Shoe Carnival Floor Supvr Mary tries to sell used shoes as new Waterloo, Iowa

Yesterday I took my 7 year old to Shoe Carnival in need of some new running shoes.  After helping myself to trying to find the right pair while several employees stood around watching she slipped on a pair of New Balance and let out sigh of relief as she finally found a pair that felt good on the first try.  Unfortunately I had recognized that this pair appeared to be lightly used. 

The treads while in good shape were dingy from being walked in.  Had this been the only "flaw" I would have bought into this wear mark as having resulted from being tried on in the store.  However, the inside of the shoes where the wearer's heal rubs into the shoe was actually "balled" up which of course would only have occurred after someone had worn them mulitple times - not simply from trying them on.  Finally, the shoe laces were very relaxed.  You know how when you get a new pair of tennis shoes the laces are slightly stiff and can hold their shape but after some normal wear and tear they "relax"?  Clearly these shoes had been returned after some light use.

This would not have been an issue had there been another pair of shoes in her size.  Obviously I would've just purchased these and probably not have even addressed the issue.  But because the Shoe Carnival can't get their inventory levels right (NOT the first time I've run into this problem) this was the only pair in her size. So I decided to approach the floor supervisor and ask that they make a price adjustment in recognition of these shoes obviously being used, not new.

The Floor Supervisor's name was Mary which I made note of during our brief "exchange."  Rather than being reasonable and even giving consideration to my request, she immediately dug her heals in on the issue and refused to acknowledge that these shoes might possibly be slightly used rather than new.  Mary appeared to be a younger individual thus I'll forgive her on the grounds that she has A LOT to learn in her future years regarding how to interact with a customer and provide a positive customer service experience.  Her immediate defensive position however leads me to believe that perhaps the Shoe Carnival trains its managers to push used shoes as new.