Finding an Air Jordan sneaker that you missed out on at a Nike Factory store can certainly make a sneaker enthusiast's day. In the past, this meant somehow a release ended up there randomly or was returned, but now it's starting to look like full size runs are showing up at outlets more commonly than ever before. The Shoe Game updates fans with "Restock Alerts" regularly, and today they spotted "French Blue" Air Jordan VIIs, and "Sport Blue" 14s at the South Chicago Nike Factory Store.
These both released last year, and in the past would have been expected to sell out. The "French Blue" VII was part of Jordan Brand's "remastered" efforts, which was implemented because of popular demand for better quality. The fact that these are now sitting on shelves at outlet stores says a lot of about the sneaker game today, particularly the fatigue customers may be facing with a recent abundance of retro releases.
Another interesting detail to point out is that these are now selling for $169.99, which is just $20 less than they retailed for. It's obvious that the rapid growth of the resale market cuts into the pockets of Nike, so seeing this pair on shelves for close to retail has to hurt resellers who may have been sitting on these in order to cash out later. There's no doubt about the role that hype and limited quantities play into sneaker releases, so it'll be interesting to see how retro releases being sold at outlet stores factors into the resale market.
