Showtime Dance Shoes
- Thread starter DanceMentor
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Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
The standard shoes are too wide. Are the smooth shoes also regular width, or are the narrow? The smooth shoes might be wide at the heel, or at least on the achilles tendon, but they're fine through most of the shoe. Of course, the strap makes the "width" adjustable for most of the shoe. Note that it can be difficult to find shoes that are the right width in both the toe box and the heel.
This depends on the judge. My impression is that straps are more acceptable now than they once were. The statement that if your technique - and action - are good enough, you don't need straps, is still correct.
Note: the quotes got totally messed up, sorry.
ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
Because the International brand is generally said to run narrow anyway, I bought both the smooth and standard styles in regular width, not narrow. I’m regretting that now, obviously. Several of you, both here and privately, have said my smooth shoes are also too big. That probably explains why my toes almost come out of the shoes when I point.
Sigh.
I’ve also been told by several of you that this experimental-shoe-buying-trial-and-error-until-you-go-broke process is a rite of passage. Hopefully I’m going to graduate soon!
The pandemic is certainly making this harder than it otherwise would be. I don’t have the opportunity to visit vendors at comps or visit stores to get personally fitted, or try on dozens of different styles and sizes. When I visited Showtime in July, I had to make an appointment beforehand, and they are restricting those appointments to 30 minutes. THIRTY MINUTES. If I want to do this the right way, I would need at least two hours, and I was hoping to spend four hours. I know that sounds excessive, but remember - it was my very first time in a dance shoe store, so I intended to collect lots of research data by trying on just about every style of every brand they carry, to see which one(s) would work best. Instead, I had to send them a list of only a few I wanted to try, so they could have those styles and sizes pulled ahead of time for me. But that assumes I know what to ask for! I was hoping they would tell me what I should try, once they saw how the first few pairs worked for my feet.
I stand by this conclusion, but I’m still disappointed that I was limited to such an abbreviated visit. There were sooooo many other styles I didn’t get to try. I focused on Latin sandals, because that’s what I specifically needed at the time. And 5 hours of round-trip driving is too much for repeated visits in an effort to be thorough (one appointment for standard shoes; another appointment for smooth shoes; etc.).
TL;DR: irrelevant whining. Everyone’s feet are shaped differently and we all use them differently. And this changes over time. So trial and error is the best we can do, and the helpful input from other dancers about their own experiences will, hopefully, minimize our own wrong guesses.
raindance
Forum Master
PNP - yes, finding the right shoes can be a journey. I once donated about 30 pair (!) of barely used shoes to a college team. Each pair bought over time, thinking they would be an improvement on what I had already. Wrong in many cases. And my feet and needs changed over time, too, which complicated things. Hopefully your journey will be easier than mine!
As for needing to try on a lot of shoes, there is actually a relatively simple solution here.
Talk to Showtime. Tell them you are a newer but serious dancer, trying to figure out what shoes work for you. Ask about their shipping and return policies. Figure out how many pair they could reasonably ship to you to try on (e.g. 2 pair, or 5 or 10 or ? how many would fit in a big box they have, how much would shipping cost back and forth, and will they accept returns on any or all if you try them carefully on carpet and don't damage them and ship them back). Assuming you have room on a credit card for that many shoes, have them ship you a bunch of shoes to try on. Even if you have to pay shipping both ways, this is probably a better use of time and money than a multiple hour drive for a short opportunity to try on a few shoes.
Which shoes and sizes? Well, you have a starting point with what you have (sizes, brands, widths, etc). Ask if the person on the phone will talk you through some good options to try next. If they are too busy, ask when you should call back and who to talk to that likes doing detailed phone consults about shoes. Remember, they're trying to sell shoes, they should be happy to talk to you. I've always found the folks at Showtime helpful.
Tell them what you've tried so far and your concerns (too wide, loose in the heel, whatever). Tell them what you are looking for (court shoe, practice shoes, whatever). Ask them for suggestions of what to try next. They may have specific tailored recommendations for you based on what issues you have and what you are looking for. Failing that, ask them something more general like "what is your most popular smooth shoe for someone with a narrow foot?" or "what are some of your most popular competitive latin shoes in this heel height?"
Then, once the shoes arrive, try them on (carefully, on carpet, so they are returnable). If needed, call Showtime with more questions. Talk to your pro if needed, or post here, etc, if you are trying to decide what shoes to keep. Return all the ones that don't work for you. Repeat the whole process as needed (might take a few rounds of this if you are looking for court, smooth, latin, and practice shoes).
Meanwhile, patience. You'll find shoes that work for you. Narrow feet tend to be an easier problem to work around than wide ones. Many shoes are built for narrower feet, and narrow widths can sometimes be found without special order (rarely so for wider shoes).
Also, if shoes work pretty well for you but are a bit wide or loose or rubbing in spots, you can ask about inserts or padding of various types. This can help as shoes break in, so you can get more time out of them as they loosen up. If you can find shoes that work for you without inserts, that's best, especially when they are new. But sometimes, the right insert makes all the difference.
Good luck!
raindance
As for needing to try on a lot of shoes, there is actually a relatively simple solution here.
Talk to Showtime. Tell them you are a newer but serious dancer, trying to figure out what shoes work for you. Ask about their shipping and return policies. Figure out how many pair they could reasonably ship to you to try on (e.g. 2 pair, or 5 or 10 or ? how many would fit in a big box they have, how much would shipping cost back and forth, and will they accept returns on any or all if you try them carefully on carpet and don't damage them and ship them back). Assuming you have room on a credit card for that many shoes, have them ship you a bunch of shoes to try on. Even if you have to pay shipping both ways, this is probably a better use of time and money than a multiple hour drive for a short opportunity to try on a few shoes.
Which shoes and sizes? Well, you have a starting point with what you have (sizes, brands, widths, etc). Ask if the person on the phone will talk you through some good options to try next. If they are too busy, ask when you should call back and who to talk to that likes doing detailed phone consults about shoes. Remember, they're trying to sell shoes, they should be happy to talk to you. I've always found the folks at Showtime helpful.
Tell them what you've tried so far and your concerns (too wide, loose in the heel, whatever). Tell them what you are looking for (court shoe, practice shoes, whatever). Ask them for suggestions of what to try next. They may have specific tailored recommendations for you based on what issues you have and what you are looking for. Failing that, ask them something more general like "what is your most popular smooth shoe for someone with a narrow foot?" or "what are some of your most popular competitive latin shoes in this heel height?"
Then, once the shoes arrive, try them on (carefully, on carpet, so they are returnable). If needed, call Showtime with more questions. Talk to your pro if needed, or post here, etc, if you are trying to decide what shoes to keep. Return all the ones that don't work for you. Repeat the whole process as needed (might take a few rounds of this if you are looking for court, smooth, latin, and practice shoes).
Meanwhile, patience. You'll find shoes that work for you. Narrow feet tend to be an easier problem to work around than wide ones. Many shoes are built for narrower feet, and narrow widths can sometimes be found without special order (rarely so for wider shoes).
Also, if shoes work pretty well for you but are a bit wide or loose or rubbing in spots, you can ask about inserts or padding of various types. This can help as shoes break in, so you can get more time out of them as they loosen up. If you can find shoes that work for you without inserts, that's best, especially when they are new. But sometimes, the right insert makes all the difference.
Good luck!
raindance
wahoo_foxtrot
Well-Known Member
I went to showtime at Duluth years ago when I was in Atlanta. It was thirty minutes as well so I don't think they limit the time b/c of the pandemic 
It was a warehouse and it seems the staff member was very busy so I felt guilty to request for many models before the appointment. Glad there were very few models that I wanted to try when I was there.
Second to the point about patience. You will need it again when you finally find your perfect model then (i) the brand discontinues the item or (ii) when your feet change b/c weight loss, pregnancy, injuries, etc.. You will find your shoes!!! And hopefully, you never have to go back to the market once you find your fav shoes!
It was a warehouse and it seems the staff member was very busy so I felt guilty to request for many models before the appointment. Glad there were very few models that I wanted to try when I was there.Second to the point about patience. You will need it again when you finally find your perfect model then (i) the brand discontinues the item or (ii) when your feet change b/c weight loss, pregnancy, injuries, etc.. You will find your shoes!!! And hopefully, you never have to go back to the market once you find your fav shoes!
DanceMentor
Administrator
The way it is organized, it is more of a call center, and sometimes you have to get someone's attention. I worked there (also years ago), and it was sometimes nice to get up from my desk and move around and I didn't mind helping walk-in customers. Definitely helpful if you walk in knowing what you want to try. I believe they ship everything around 4 pm, so they are especially busy in mid to late afternoon. Probably morning is a better time to go.I went to showtime at Duluth years ago when I was in Atlanta. It was thirty minutes as well so I don't think they limit the time b/c of the pandemic
Second to the point about patience. You will need it again when you finally find your perfect model then (i) the brand discontinues the item or (ii) when your feet change b/c weight loss, pregnancy, injuries, etc.. You will find your shoes!!! And hopefully, you never have to go back to the market once you find your fav shoes!
Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
Just to be clear, the Freed shoes are no longer the ones I need because my daughter has outgrown them. However, they were the Marina silver glitter cuban heel. Over the course of 4-6 years, I bought them in baby sizes from 1 to 13 and then kids/youth 1 to 3.5, usually by full sizes but sometimes by half sizes so at least 16 pairs. Freed always had these at a discount so they were 30-40 pounds a pair, which at the time generally came to $50 or so. I think Showtime would do well to keep them in stock in each half size increment as some adults are willing to pay for higher quality little kids' shoes. They may not have a high profit margin, but for kids that stick with ballroom, you'll get a lot of repeat sales.
The Freed site has been completely revamped but they are still being sold here:
I don't know if they are still being produced.
Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
Also, I got an email at 8am today from Showtime saying they had a sale today (Sunday), second pair 50% off, expiring at midnight. I had a bunch of kids' clothing to buy at various cyber monday sales, so I didn't get around to dance shoes until about 8pm. I picked out the shoes, and then on checkout it said the coupon code was expired.
It's not midnight on the east coast yet; did they mean midnight in China? Come on, Showtime, get your act together.
It's not midnight on the east coast yet; did they mean midnight in China? Come on, Showtime, get your act together.
ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
It might be worthwhile to send an email to Carrie, asking about the coupon code. They are usually very good to work with, IME. I’ve had excellent customer service experience with them by phone, email, and in person. It’s entirely possible they would honor the coupon code today, due to the glitch last night (either by crediting you for the extra amount you paid, if you bought the shoes last night anyway; or by allowing you to make the discounted purchase today, if you didn’t buy the shoes last night).
Of course, I don’t speak for them, so I might be completely wrong. But it wouldn’t do any harm to inquire.
DanceMentor
Administrator
I remember when I worked there (many years ago now) one of the biggest problems was accumulation of inventory that didn't sell. This was somewhat an inherited problem from the previous owner. There is always that balance between stocking those things that sell multiple units per month vs. less than one per year, and the data can get quite granular. For example, a lady's style size 5.5 UK 1618 Flesh Satin with a 2.5" flared heal might sell 10 units per month. But as you get into kids very small or very large sizes, it didn't make sense to be fully stocked in every size, especially with styles that are not say in the top 20.Just to be clear, the Freed shoes are no longer the ones I need because my daughter has outgrown them. However, they were the Marina silver glitter cuban heel. Over the course of 4-6 years, I bought them in baby sizes from 1 to 13 and then kids/youth 1 to 3.5, usually by full sizes but sometimes by half sizes so at least 16 pairs. Freed always had these at a discount so they were 30-40 pounds a pair, which at the time generally came to $50 or so. I think Showtime would do well to keep them in stock in each half size increment as some adults are willing to pay for higher quality little kids' shoes. They may not have a high profit margin, but for kids that stick with ballroom, you'll get a lot of repeat sales.
The Freed site has been completely revamped but they are still being sold here:
I don't know if they are still being produced.
When I started working there, there were a couple of rooms full of shoes that weren't selling, maybe 5000 pairs, and if you do the math, that is over $500,000 if sold at full prices (at the time), but the problem is you have to sell them for less than you paid for them just to get them out the door, or even donate them. I remember 90% of those shoes were very small or very large sizes.
We made big progress my having a lot of sales, and moving to a computer system that helped build the orders based on expected demand. For shoes that fell into the category of maybe only 1 pair per year being sold for that specific combo (style, size, color, heel), it made sense to ask customer to order in advance, or in the case of especially rare requests require it to be a "special order" which added "non-returnable" status to the item.
I don't know exactly what their policies are now, but maybe this will give you some good information to work with. Maybe you could order in advance, or simply let them know your intention to keep ordering that style at regular intervals so they can plan accordingly.
Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
So the company changed hands? That might explain a lot.
There's a big difference between very small adult sizes and very small children's sizes. Very few people wear very small adult sizes; everyone is a small child size at some point.
Ordering in advance isn't always workable for children, whose feet grow in somewhat unpredictable spurts. On the other hand, making the sales nonreturnable is fine. There aren't a lot of styles and colors even available for children, so that would be a nonissue.
It sounds like Showtime has now specialized in a particular market - a ladies' couture style market where high service levels and a large percentage of returns is expected, and supported through high prices and high margins.
That's not what I need, so I guess I'll turn to other channels that specialize in the children's market and try to get them to stock higher quality shoes instead.
Joe
Forum Master
But not for very long as compared to being an adult size...
DanceMentor
Administrator
In 1999
