Discussion-Element-of-Surprise

What if release dates were no more?

We asked this question via Twitter and were surprised by the response. Some of you preferred to have release dates while others thought it would bring a little more excitement back into the sneaker world.

Honestly, I could go either way on this one. If we no longer had release dates, it would make things a little more interesting. Campouts would be a thing of the past, resellers could possibly be taken out of the game altogether, with the exception of consignment shops, and only those with sheer determination and persistent store checkups would be able to obtain the sneakers they desired… at retail price.

On the other hand, I need to have a schedule. I appreciate the fact that I can map out my calendar each month and prepare for a release.

When the LeBron 8 V2 Low released, there wasn’t an official release date. They just sort of started to pop up at certain retailers, and then trickled to online shops such as Eastbay & Finish Line. This sort of threw me off. I actually missed out on the ‘Sprites’ because there was no way for me to know when and where they were going to hit retail. However, there were restocks. I ended up strolling into my local store and seeing them just sitting there on the shelf and quickly bought a pair, surprisingly, this is also when I saw the ‘Solar Red’ and ‘Blackout’ versions for the first time as they had just received their shipment. While I do prefer a schedule, this was one of my favorite purchases this year, so far, due to the fact that I thought I had missed out and just happened to get lucky the day I decided to head over to the mall.

If there were no official releases everyone would have to hunt… consistently. The work load at retail stores would magnify as everyone would be calling these stores every week trying to figure out when their next shipment was going to arrive.

It’s possible that if release dates were to disappear, the violence that has re-emerged as of late would be no more. If everyone had to hunt, maybe we wouldn’t have the random death or robbery during or after a sneaker release.

Again, I could really go either way. What about you? How would you feel if release dates were removed from the equation? Would this bring back that giddy feeling after you finally found what you were looking for? Could this complicate things to a degree where you may possibly lose interest in obtaining that next pair? So far there is one thing that everyone seemed to agree upon, hunting for sneakers is fun… if release dates were no more; would that bring the fun back into the swing of things?

Share your thoughts with us below and let us know how you’d feel if this were to happen.

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13 Comments

  1. They should get rid of the release dates. It definitely would be more beneficial the the sneaker community than not. The mere fact that the violence associated with getting a pair of shoes would diminish because no one would know when or where a shoe would release. I think it would bring back the excitement of walking into your favorite sneaker spot and seeing something you wanted without the hassle of camping out, and exorbitant resale prices. Knowing when a shoe is going to release is fine but being able to save a life by keeping it on the low outweighs that benefit.

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    1. You say that now but no release date means no knowledge of a sneaker coming out which mean sellers nd friends of those sellers now run the sneaker game because they choose who getsbthe sneakers and when.

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  2. I need time to collect money. I need to know when they are coming out so I can make sure I have enough money and to schedule accordingly. I go to school so disposible income is hard to come by.

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  3. i feel tha idea of “eliminating” violence . but i mean same time taking tha camp out element out of it would realy hurt becasue nothing like havin those memories of that shoe and the get together of our comunity for one comin goal witch is the shoe we see worth spending a freezing night for. realy hope this doesnt come to happin

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  4. no release dates will be better because it will make us hunt the camp outs our wack the resale game would be hurt and good its not cool that some people head out in pack buy up 10 pairs and resale them for double!

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  5. I agree, no scheduled release dates would definitely decrease the levels of violence that breakout (unfortunately) when super hyped shoes drop. I remember a time when there were no release dates, when I picked up my BRED XI retros back in 2001 I literally rolled into finishline here in Charlotte, NC and grabbed a size 12, no issues, no craziness. For the same shoe today (cool grey and space jam) the hysteria was outrageous. I liked the fact that there was no set release for the Sprite and Solar Red V2 Lebrons, it gave me that sense of justification because I was able to score a pair at retail, makes you feel lucky. I have a feeling the hysteria is going to pick up again soon with the Miami Nights Lebrons dropping next week along with the Pine Green Foams (back to school shoppers will for sure be out in full effect) and of course later this year with the Cement 3’s and Concord XI’s. Retailers should go back to doing the presales, first come, first serve, you show up and put your money down or pay in full then keep your receipt, wristband or what have you and come back on or after the release date to avoid the hysteria. A sneaker shop here in NC does that, its way better, I paid for my pine green foams on Wednesday, just need to pick them up on or after Friday 9/2, no issues!

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  6. It wouldn’t really matter, cuz they’ll be a mothaf***** that will spread the news like a virus and ruin the surprise. The only thing I just wish for is there wasn’t any hypebeasts and resellers these days. Also, J’s were to be copped with ease like the good old days. Times have transformed. Now, J’s sell out in a blink of an eye SMFH! Man, F*** resellers!!!! Money isn’t earned by reselling sneakers, it is earned with ur OWN SWEAT! That’s REALITY. OPEN UR F***** EYES! Besides, there’s more to life than just sneakers.

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  7. Even if Nike/JB/etc didn’t have a release date publicized, the retailers would still let us know the second they get their shipment in, via the social network. There will never again be a day where we don’t know what is coming out on Saturday… We will always have plenty of notice.

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  8. i could go without release dates, would like to get that call from a buddy who is @ the spot letting me knowwhat has dropped. not everybody can camp out. if they are going to be kept, maybe make them more consistent i.e. js released the 23rd of every month, af1s released the 1st of every month

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  9. Would like to eliminate the release date system and just go to a system where as soon as the store get’s their shipment they put the shoes on the wall. Wouldn’t even mind if we didn’t even know what models were dropping or what the colorway was. Walk in the store and just be totally surprised. Plus it would force the retailers to promote themselves and establish a connection with their customers. The violence thing isn’t going to stop as long as somebody who can’t afford a shoe is willing to do something evil to get it. Also, those of you complaining about needing time to save up your money for a release, if you have to save up to buy a $150 shoe then maybe that $150 would be better spent on something else. Get your priorities in order.

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  10. For us real sneakerheads this would be good. The only problem I have with this is that I don’t make much money to casually walk into the store any buy my sneakers so I need release dates in order to budget and save for my sneakers but the flipside is that I don’t have to worry about resellers.

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  11. I really think there should be release dates due to the fact of sales of a particular shoe and people need to know cause of individuals that got bills to pay and real sneaker fans like myself I feel searching for shoes you want are exciting also knowing when they come out and being one of the first that have them so don’t stop release dates shouldn’t do it

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