I worked at a running shoe store for a while. If there was one thing that was a given, it was that no two feet are the same and no shoe will work for everybody.

I’m a huge fan of Altra. I wear their shoes to work and to run, and though I haven’t run as much in the last year or two, I’ve been biking a lot, so I’ve repeatedly been in their emails asking them to introduce some cycling shoes, or at least do a design collaboration with an established cycling shoe brand, so I don’t have to be stuck with the Scott ones I’ve been using, which are fine, but don’t have that Altra fit that I really like. I got several pairs of Altra running shoes when I worked at the store: some Escalantes, some Superiors, multiple pairs of Lone Peaks, some Torins, and even some Commutes, and I’ve been extremely happy with all of them. But I’m a relative minority among the set of people I worked with, because a large majority of my customers didn’t get along with them.

I don’t own any Crocs and don’t have any plans to, but your assistant does appear to be in the minority when it comes to them.