FogDog Sports: Save Time and Energy!
Written: Nov 23 '01 (Updated Sep 07 '02)
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The Bottom Line
There are as many reasons to shop at FogDogSports as there are interest areas on the site, and that is quite a few.
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| Full Review |
FogDog Sports is one of a select group of retailers that truly makes my life easier, especially when I'm trying to buy gifts for other people. The days of being able to hand the Dad of the Family boxes of neckties and Old Spice at Christmas are long gone. Today's Dad just might need Pearl Izumi.
Making my life easier!
I shop FogDogSports.com twice a year, once in April and once in November for my classically hard-to-buy for husband. The trips cover birthday and Christmas, presents from both the boys and me. Here's how FogDog makes my life easier:
The Fan Shop
FogDog has quite a few different "Shops", the variety of which I'll touch on later. Their Fan Shop is my point of entry and exit on the site. Dear husband is a rabid Philadelphia Eagles fan, with an interest in other Philadelphia teams and also in NASCAR. I go to FogDog with a certain budget in mind (usually about a hundred bucks), go straight to The Fan Shop and click through the available gear for his teams of interest. A shirt here, a hat there, and my hundred bucks is spent. Because major league sports have put an effort into making their fan gear more cutting edge over the last years, the styles and products available change over with frequency. My semi annual pilgrimage to FogDog is greeted with fresh merchandise each time, helping me not to duplicate gifts already given.
Look what I found this year! Now, ssshhhhh. Don't tell my husband. It's a surprise!
Gametime Philadelphia Eagles Schedule Watch
Item no: 822047
It's a watch, pre-programmed with complete NFLŪ season schedule, updateable each season! See at a glance who your team is playing, what time they start, and if the game is home or away. Scroll function allows you to see upcoming games, locations and start times of every NFLŪ team. Special Superbowl Function lists results of past Superbowls.
Yeah, it's $69.99, it's a little tacky, but it beats a tie.
Site Navigation
FogDogSports.com excels at site navigation, superior to almost any online retailer. I can get on, browse through the select group of merchandise that interests me, pick out what I want and get the heck off, quickly.
The key to the ease of the their site is their "Shops" which become mini-websites within the site. Think of them as boutique areas within a department store.
* Fan Shop
*Basketball Shop
*Baseball Shop
*Golf Shop
*Snowboarding Shop
* Health & Fitness Shop
Very comprehensive selection of health and fitness equipment and clothing...I'm anxious to spend a good bit of time here buying my own Christmas presents this year. (Yes, mom has to buy for herself.)
It goes on and on. I counted 40 shops all told, most of which I'd never have a need to go into. (I don't think we'll be getting into paintball anytime soon, but if you have a need, the Paintball Shop is ready and waiting for you.)
In addition to shops divided by sports, FogDog has Concept Shops, divided by brand. I would imagine these are for Trendsetters, you know, the folks who always have the latest and greatest. I'm not a Trendsetter myself, nor do I know any Trendsetters, but you may very well be one if this appeals to you:
Concept Shops
* Aaron Chang
* adidas
* Ashworth
* Callaway Golf
* Columbia
* K-Swiss
* Moving Comfort
* Nike
* Oakley
* Pearl Izumi
* Reebok
* Vivonic
* Wilson Tennis
Pearl Izumi, I've discovered after clicking on the link out of curiosity, is apparently a Trendsetting cyclist brand. Very stylish, very expensive bicycle shirts. Cool indeed, but not something I need to have to sort past when looking for a present for hubby. FogDog knows that.
Pricing
Well, I've never gotten a bargain to brag about on FogDog.
The merchandise that I'm buying, primarily fan gear, has an inflated price no matter where you go. Don't get me started on how expensive it is to be a football fan. The Eagles instituted seat licenses this year and hit our family up for a goodly chunk of cash. FogDog does offer clearance and sale items, but by the time fan gear goes on clearance, there is nary a Philadelphia team to be found.
In order to write this review, I took a tour around the site, looking to see how other merchandise is priced and this is my conclusion:
Good stuff, decent enough price, no real bargains. Other than XFL shirts that are currently going for dirt cheap, everything looked to be department store priced.
Service
I've placed 6 orders all told with FogDog and I've never had a problem. They ship promptly, package well and don't bug me. You can't ask for more than that.
Buyers Guides/Information
I should mention that the site seems to contain an awful lot of helpful information on individual sports or interest areas. If you are looking to buy a treadmill for instance, they have five articles available, right inside the treadmill section.
* Buyers guide - treadmills
* Buyers guide - cardio equipment
* Choosing the right treadmill motor
* Getting started with fitness
* Treadmill motivation
Overall recommendation
There are as many reasons to shop at FogDogSports as there are interest areas on the site, and that is quite a few. FogDog is a great place to find presents, a good information source for sports and fitness, and in general, a very worthwhile stop in your Internet travels. The great service and speed of site navigation outweighs, for me, any lingering feeling that I might have been able to "get it cheaper" somewhere else. Five stars!
Now remember, the watch for hubby is a Christmas surprise!. Just because I published my secret on the World Wide Web doesn't mean that I expect the information to leak. Shhhhhhh. If he's not surprised on Christmas day, I'll know that you're the one who spilled the beans.
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edit: an alert reader (my buddy taurusmoon) has pointed out in my comment section that FogDog often offers coupons, sometimes as much as 20% off. Sniff. Well, I never had any FogDog coupons, but apparently other people get them. Score one for Sara, zero for me in the bargain hunting department. (Women keep track of those things.) **
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Andrea Barton Gurney
Location: Almost Philadelphia
Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 290 members
About Me: Gone fishing for awhile.
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