Shoe Game

Teens Arrested | ABC.com

This brings back so many memories. Two teens were arrested in Houston for breaking in to steal Air Jordans, after entering the store through a hole that they cut in the roof. I wish I could say this is the craziest shoe-stealing scheme I've seen, but it's far from it.

Regular readers of this site know I'm into shoes. In my younger days, I worked at a shoe store off and on for several years. My time in the shoe business overlapped with the rise of Nike's retro movement, and I worked enough release dates to tell  you that people loose their fucking minds for these shoes. When the 'Briefcase' Jordan released, a kid was robbed for the shoes off of his feet as well as the carrying case. (The idea of a carrying case for shoes is ridiculous, even in the context of shoe collectors - but clearly an effective marketing strategy. Coincidentally, that shoe was released during MJ's time with the Wizards, and that shoe was much like his career at that point: A diminished product wrapped in unnecessarily flashy packaging.) As discussed here previously, release dates are quite a thing to see. For non-sneakerheads, the sight is downright ridiculous. I've seen people jump over railings, push, punch, yell, fight, even crawl under the gates at the front door, all for the 'opportunity' to purchase overpriced shoes. For those 'lucky' enough to grab a pair, the adventure is nowhere near over. Once the shoes are yours, you now get to experience your own version of "The Warriors" as you attempt to traverse the mall and its parking lot, all the while keeping an eye out for the various groups who now have now put a price on your feet.

And for what? That night, literally everyone and their mom will have on those shoes. Lupe hit the nail on the head when he said that the only people you're showing off for are your "...fellow loyal customers". Not to mention that these are only a big deal until the next shoe drops, and that's usually less than a month away. By then, you'll see the same people in line, many with last-month's highly coveted sneakers, now dirtied and creased. /rant

So anyway, these kids entered the store through a hole they cut in the roof. That's definitely an advanced move, but it's not the first time it's been done. The same thing happened at the Foot Locker in East St. Louis a few years ago. In that case they used a stolen circular saw to cut through, and by dumb luck they just barely missed cutting into a power line. A similar technique is to break in through the service entrance found in the back of mall stores. Some people cut out the middleman and just rob the train or delivery truck. Numerous people, frustrated with the demeaning nature of retail employment, find themselves involved in inside jobs. (For the most part, these are usually poorly planned and executed, and come off a lot more like "Half Baked" than "Ocean's 11".) Trust me, if you can dream it, somebody's probably tried it.

Sadly, these kids will probably end up locked away for a while. Coincidentally, these kids will probably end up working prison jobs for pennies per hour, just like the kids who made the shoes in the first place.