Things Sneaker Boutiques Do to Make You Think They're Cooler Than They Really Are

Stop lying.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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If you're a sneakerhead, you've dealt with all the bullshit that goes down at sneaker boutiques. Some of the stores are really great, but a lot of the struggle stores try and hype themselves up bigger than their rep dictates.

Of course, sneaker boutiques are cooler than your average retail chain mall store, but are all of them really that much better? A lot of the stores partake in suspect activities that we question everyt ime we shop there--from making us line up for damn near a week or just totally ignoring us when we step into the store, it's frustrating for people who just want to cop kicks. And we're saying all of this needs to stop now. There's no need to name names, you know who you are. Here are Things Sneaker Boutiques Do to Make You Think They're Cooler Than They Are.

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They wear their friends' brands just to make them look they're cool, when, in reality, they suck.

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Hold V.I.P. events and toast to their success, but end up going out of business within the next year or so.

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Instagram the bluriest and corniest previews of sneaker releases that no one even cares about.

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If you talk to an employee, they scoff and belittle you for not knowing something about a sneaker or release.

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The employees pretend that working at the store is like a secret society that outsiders would never understand.

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The store is hidden in a secret location, because they feel it makes it more special.

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You ask for help, and they pretend they don't even hear you as they sit behind their Macbook screen and read Complex.

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Shops swear that they've always been down with "other brands," but only stock their exclusive collaborations.

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You feel like you're shopping in Beverly Hills, because you have to be rung into the store.

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They start line ups for sneakers more than a week in advance to build up hype.

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