On Store Tokyo Cat Street — Local services in Tokyo

On running shoes

Been hearing only good stuff about this brand. So when I was coming to Tokyo and there was a flagship store here I thought I should visit and try on the shoes.

came at 4.50pm and there was a snaking q outside the store up the stairs beside it.

When u enter, they will give u a wristband with a number and will let u browse the first floor where the ready to wear is. Shorts, pants, shirts, long sleeved, hoodies, beanies, socks etc.

When ur number is up, u can proceed to the second floor where all the shoes are. This is where the madness begins.

There are rows of shoes. And there are rules to follow.

1.dont pull out the shelves 2.dont try on the shoes on display, those are for customers to know what are their options 3.ask to try on your size from the series that you want and they will give you a sample shoe to try (this sample shoe will not be the same as the colour that you want, it is really just for you to see the fit)

After you try the sample shoes and lock in your size

Then u can tell the sales person which colour you want

Give them your name and proceed to wait on the first floor while they bring you your shoes to check out

They will get your shoe from the store, call your name, and u can pay but note there is no tax refund here.

Sounds simple enough. But there are issues.

1.the customer vs sales person ratio is too uneven. So you have to wait a long long time between each ask. “Can I try shoe size 6. Can I try shoe size 6.5. Can I try on this running shoe. Can I try on this walking shoe. What’s the difference.” Etc 2.the sizes run different between running and walking shoes so u May be a 7 in walking shoe but a 7.5 in running etc which means u got to ask to try on first before you cart out 3.you won’t be able to see the actual colour of the shoe you want on you because all you would have seen on your feet is the sample shoe size colour

I understand that this shopping model means the actual shoes they are selling remain untouched and brand new for the customer.

But they can consider permanently displaying one side of the actual shoe on display and letting customers try out the other side of the shoe for colour.

I also didn’t understand why since there was already a controlled entry of customers why there was still an overwhelming customer vs sales person ratio. People are already waiting. Let their wait be worth the in store experience.

Also for the price of around 20,000yen it is really not a low price ticket item that people can afford to make mistakes with especially since they queued for a long time outside the store as well

Definitely not the best shoe...

I do not recommend this store.

I went with two of my friends and we were told we have to wait 70 minutes, but that’s OK because there are different stores to look around nearby. The bad experience started from this registration. The staff was helpful, but also very inefficient. They didn’t post a QR code at the storefront. Instead, everyone had to wait in line to scan the QR code. However, as you may imagine there would be some people who didn’t know how to navigate the website and the registration. So we had to wait for at least five minutes just because there’s some uncle in the front who didn’t know how to do it and there’s no staff to help him.

The wait was not that bad - we ended up waiting only for 50 minutes to get in. However, only when we went inside the store the staff informed if we want to go to the second floor we’ll have to wait for a little longer. This was not known for when we registered at the storefront. My friend saw a pair of shoes at the first floor and she asked a staff if she could try it out on the first floor. The staff informed that the shoes is available in second floor and we can try it on when we get there. I’ll come back to this later.

Anyway, the wait time was also not too bad. We only waited for 5 to 10 more minutes to get up to the second floor where most items were located. Overall, experience of trying on the shoes was OK and most staff were helpful.

When we’re in second floor, my friend couldn’t find the pair of the shoes she saw in the first floor. We thought it was sold out. My other friend picked a pair of shoes and the staff asked our name for it. I didn’t know at that time why he wanted our name, but it turned out it is because we had to queue again for payment, which will happen back at the first floor.

When we went back at the first floor, my friend asked a staff if she could try the pair of shoes in the first floor again because she couldn’t find it upstairs. The staff insisted the shoes were available upstairs and she should go up again. How ridiculous and this is not the service we’d expected. The staff did offer to bring the shoes down for trying. However, the shoes never arrived.

At the same time, we were waiting for payment for our other friend’s pair of shoes. No one informed us we also had to queue for payment. We ended up waiting for at least 10 minutes.

When I first visited the store, maybe three or four years ago, it was crowded. There’s no system for registration to enter store. Yet, it operated so much better than the store is today. I am genuinely disappointed at how they manage the store. I will not...

If it wasn’t for the outstanding service I received from Yutaka, I’d rate this store two stars. He single-handedly saved my experience, I bought 3 pairs and I want to start by giving him full credit.

I’ve been a loyal On supporter for nearly a decade and own many pairs, so visiting the Tokyo flagship was something I had looked forward to for years. Sadly, the reality didn’t live up to the brand’s story I admire.

The first disappointment was the lineup outside. This wasn’t a special release or weekend rush, just a mid-week visit in September when the city felt quiet. A global brand should be able to staff properly so customers aren’t kept waiting.

The second and biggest issue was being forced to register with an email before shopping. When I asked what happens if I don’t, I was told I couldn’t buy anything. That’s not crowd control, that’s a barrier. What about older customers who don’t use email, or tourists without a local number? It felt like privacy was being traded for the chance to shop. I later checked and saw the store sits at just 2.7 stars on Google, which sadly makes sense given policies like this.

Inside, the products were as great as ever, but most staff lacked knowledge about the differences between the many models. The whole point of coming into a flagship store is to get expert guidance. Yutaka was the exception. He spoke excellent English, answered every question with patience, and clearly knew the line inside out. He gave me the kind of advice that makes you trust the purchase, and he’s the only reason I left with a positive impression.

One feature worth praising is the stock wall. Every shoe is displayed with all sizes behind it, so you can quickly try on the right fit before placing your order. This setup is efficient and makes testing different models much easier.

Overall, the shoes are incredible, the concept is strong, but the execution at this store falls short of what On represents. Yutaka carried the experience, and for him alone I give four stars. Without him, this would have been a one- or...