Ria’s Shoes

The only reason I’m wasting my time writing a review of this horribly run business is to warn others ahead of time. I stopped in here yesterday to find 1 – 2 pairs of shoes and after walking in and seeing two bored as hell salesmen staring at me, I waited for them to say hello and they didn’t utter a word, so I said hi first! That should’ve been my first clue and I should’ve left immediately. But, I really needed some comfy and stylish walking shoes. Let me say straight off– you are hard-​pressed to find many stylish shoes here. Oh, and if they have stylish ones– they likely won’t have your size! The guys working there were either stoned or bored as hell or completely HATE their job and every single customer. I watched them interact with other customers to see if maybe it was me they hated and no, they pretty much hate everyone that walks in there. They didn’t offer to help me with anything — or anyone else as far as j could tell. When I saw the woman arrive who no doubt was their boss, the service improved maybe 2%, but on a level of shitty service, it went from an F to a D-​. When I did find something, they handed me one shoe to try on. Sorry– who tries in ONE shoe? And, they seem to begrudgingly go downstairs to get you your shoes also. Hey– NEWS FLASH– it’s not our fault the shoe backroom is downstairs. The icing on the cake was when I finally found a pair I liked and wanted to buy them in my size, because he had brought me the wrong size, he said that they didn’t have my size. He even went so far as to say the manufacturer doesn’t have any more of my size 8! I asked if he can look and he said no, he KNOWS. He said quote– «it’s sold out nationwide, you can’t find it.» I found that pretty hard to believe. For God’s sake, it’s not a rare Monolo Blahnik. So I looked up the shoe online– oh and look at that– it’s available– in my size and color (black)! These guys — this place– is a joke. They apparently want you to spend your money elsewhere also, so do.

Old-​fashioned selection and VERY rude service. Tried one pair of shoes and it wasn’t a good fit, so decided not to buy but thanked the guy for bring the shoes for me. Guess how he responded? He threw the shoes into the shoe case with a loud noise. It was scary. Will never go back to this store any more.

I went here yesterday. I tried on several pairs, and decided to think about it and wait until payday to come back for at least two of the four pairs I tried. I loved everything I tried on but needed to budget accordingly. When I explained this to the salesman, who, up to that point, had been helpful though not uttered a word, he asked if they did not work. I explained that I needed to think about it and even apologized for making him go up and down the stairs so many times. He then was extremely rude and gave me attitude saying, «Wow after all that?! I work on commission you know!» I was shocked. I said, «excuse me??» I then walked to the woman who seemed in charge and asked if she was his manager. She said she was and I explained to her what happened, which she no doubt heard anyway as she was two feet away. She said, «well I can understand how he feels going up and down the stairs.» I said trying on shoes does not obligate me to buy them and I should not get a guilt trip. She then just said, «sorry it didn’t work out.» Not, «Sorry for my employee’s attitude.» Ugh. I left. HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! Do not shop here!!!
It’s not my problem the sales guy chose a commission-​based job. Also, they should hang a sign out front that says, «do not try on shoes unless you are planning to buy.» What a shame, they have great brands, but the quality of the people employed does not match the quality of the product. Not worth it when you can go so many other places or online for the same brands. Really a shame. I was absolutely planning to buy from them.

The guys at ria shoes are extremely rude and even misbehave. He threw the shoebox when we said we decided not to buy. They waved his hand in the air murmuring something and kept on staring at us rudely while we walked out. It wasn’t even like we asked him to show us many shoes. We just grabbed one, asked for the size, tried and decided to buy or look at more. In and out in 5 mins. Even when we walked in they acted weird, rude and didn’t even greet or anything.
Just never go there. Ever.

Extremely poor customer service. The guy who helped me would not grab my shoe size and after asking him multiple times he finally did and gave me a lot of attitude. One of the most unpleasant customer service experiences I have had. Do yourself a favor and don’t come here.

Hello — I just stopped by this shoe store and was treated extremely nicely by an employee. He wasn’t overly attentive which drives me nuts, but he was completely all mine when I needed help. I tried on a sale shoe, and he went down into the basement when I asked for the other shoe. He reappeared with the shoe, talked with me about the brand, and did everything he was supposed to do. I bought the shoes. When I returned back to my hotel, I was concerned that I was ripped off, but the same shoe is on Amazon and Zappos for about $ 40.00 more. So, happy camper.

I have been shopping at Ria’s for the last 5 years… ever since I started having trouble with my feet. The sales people are patient and know their stock; they have always recommended and found shoes that work for my particular problems. The shoes are cute, comfortable and wonderful. The sales people are personable and fun. Worth every penny because the shoes last forever!

I purchased a pair of sandals in a ½ size smaller than my usual since they did not have my size and I thought they would stretch. After a week, I decided to return them just in case they ended up not stretching. The same sales clerk who ringed me up during the purchase had an extremely unpleasant attitude and cold face when we returned the shoes saying «I remember you guys, I told you we didnt have your size last week». Yes. I remember this too. I was just asking if they did happen to have my size now in the event someone returned the same pair of sandals that we in my size.

For a small shop, Ria’s packs in a large selection of comfortable/​multi-​purpose shoes with great style. I got two pairs – Eccos and Clarks – that will work nicely with skirts while i make my way across the city.
And the service was FANTASTIC! Chris was super patient as I tried on multiple pairs and sizes, and never made me feel like I was taking up too much of his time. Service is a big deal for me, and it’s always great here.

Ria’s is a destination for my wife and me every time we are in the City. They have an excellent selection of comfortable shoes. Many of their selections are unique and attractive. Staff are very patient while bringing out many shoes for us to try on

If you want to be ripped off and treated like crap, come here. 0 stars for service, 1 star for selection. Go to Citi Shoes on Irving. The ladies at Citi are super nice and have a great selection AND great prices. No, I don’t work for them; I just don’t stand for tourist traps that are also mean.

My boyfriend told me to go here because they had «really attentive» sales staff, but it was just some guys kinda milling around and staring outside. When I explained my small-​footed dilemma to the salesperson that eventually noticed me, he pointed me at some ugly women’s Dansko clogs. I’m a guy.

i wanted to buy shoes from this store instead of Zappos or Amazon. Problem is those sites actually do a better job of treating customers like a real person. I came in looking for Haflinger slippers. Had to «interrupt» associate from removing a tag from his sleeve. When I asked if they had Haflinger, the answer was simply «no» and then staring into space. No alternatives suggested.

This repeat customer won’t be back.
Here on, I will take my out of town guests to other places with alert staff like at Lombardi’s… anywhere but Ria’s Shoes
Sun March 17, 2013 ~ 3p I walked in to buy my 3^rd pair of Merrells. I looked over the shoes, saw a nice sale, and looked forward to trying on a new pair. I WAS READY TO BUY, but that didn’t happen.
3 clerks were on duty, but only one (middle sized with trim beard) was helping 3 fussy ladies. He saw me, and said someone would be right with me. He was wrong.
His slight (smallest) co-​worker disappeared down into the basement — after he made eye contact with me, and without asking if he could help. What a tool bag — fire that one now.
The tallest clerk was too busy reading a f###ing empty plastic water bottle to wait on this customer. He finally noticed me standing there STARING at him with a «WTF aren’t doing you job» look on my face.
He asked he could help. That was after I stood there for 10 minutes.
I told him no, and I didn’t appreciate being ignored because he too busy reading his plastic water bottle to wait on a customer.
Come to think about it, fire that guy, too.
[DISCLOSURE: I give mostly 1’s or 5’s, rarely any rating in between. If you’re so-​so, I’ll just ignore you, but if the service is unacceptable, YOU WILL GET UnilocalED, like Ria’s Shoes today. If your service is exceptional, YOU WILL GET PRAISED.]

This place has way too many rules and regulations. Any simple request and the answer is «I’d have to call my manager and he’s not available.»
I paid $ 125 for a pair of shoes and realized the first time I wore them that the lining inside was folded/​unsealed. I took them back immediately (less than a week of purchase — and with the same sales person who admitted remembering me). He said the only way they would repair them is if I came back w/​my receipt.
I went to my usual cobbler and he glued the lining in one minute and for free.

I really like this place. I consistently find shoes that feel good and look good! I also love to visit upstairs because I can sometimes find some really good prices.
A couple of years ago, I found some Riekers on sale there. I still wear them all of the time with jeans. They are SO comfortable and I have total strangers complementing me on how attractive they are. Love it!

I pass by this store often when I’m in Union Square but I’m usually running late so never get to go in. I came in here a couple of times and then last month, finally bought something. The prices are similar to the stores in the Peninsula that carry these brands of shoes: Ecco, Clarks, Mephesto, etc. But the thought is you are paying more for quality than quantity and they are nicer to your feet than the $ 20 super cute ones which are made of vinyl and will fall apart after a couple uses.
Anyways, knowing I would drop about $ 100 on a pair of shoes in this store, I went in on Sat. They get a lot of foot traffic due to their great corner location but even with a couple of other customers in the store, they were still attentive to my requests for sizes and didn’t try to push any one pair on me. I walked out with a pretty cute pair of Artisan by Clarks black wedge strappy shoes which were on sale for like $ 87. No refunds since they were on sale they said.
My only worry of coming here more often is that since I don’t live in SF, once I buy something from here, that’s it, no exchanges or refunds since I wouldn’t want to trek up to SF just to do that.

I give Ria’s shoes two stars based on the customer service. The shoe selection is great. I found a pair of cute Patagonia shoes online, but wanted to try them on first, because I’ve never worn Patagonia shoes before and wasn’t sure how they would fit. So first I called the Patagonia store to ask if the carry the shoes I want, and the girl on the phone said they don’t but to try Ria’s shoes because they do. Awesome, thanks Patagonia! Very helpful!
So I actually have a coupon for 20% off at
(which I highly recommend), but I thought I would try the shoes on at Ria’s shoes and ask if they would give me the same discount, otherwise I would take my business to
. First of all, the salesman was not friendly. Helpful, yes, he fetched the shoes for me, but while doing so he acted like it was the most boring thing he’s ever done in his life. He didn’t smile or say hello to me when I walked in. There was only one other customer in the store, and the other salesman was helping them, and this guy didn’t even want to give me the time of day. If I receive good customer service I will gladly pay a little extra to support your store, but Ria’s shoes guy was not winning me over.
So I asked about the coupon, and he flat out just said no, he would not give me the discount. I explained to him that I was going to go buy them online for cheaper and he said «ok». What?!? What business doesn’t care about making a sale? What business let’s you walk out the door to buy the same thing somewhere else? I just thought it was very strange that this guy, who probably works on commission, would care so little about losing business.
So now, all of you can go to
and find all of the brands that they sell at Ria’s Shoes, and for a lower cost! Right now orders of $ 80 or more are 20% off. And the customer service (which is none) is way better.

I’m not reviewing in terms of store quality. Putting it out there that this store is not a Timberland store. Just a shoe retailer.
They carry Timberland shoes, but there is no Timberland store in the city. In case you’re checkin for one like me…

If you are looking for the sold-​out-​everywhere Ugg Cardy crocheted boot in brown or grey in a size 10,9, 7, or 6, this place has them. ON SALE. You got it right. While all other retailers are out of stock in every color but salmon, these guys are pushing the last of their stock for around $ 110 a pair. WOW! If my calves were a little fatter and my feet were a little smaller (to even things out), I would be the proud owner of that last pair of 9s.
That aside, these guys have SOME cute shoes, LOTS OF «interesting» shoes, and a number of shoes I’d never consider wearing. The two consistent themes are quality and selection. Great quality and a pretty big selection considering the two floors together are about the size of my living room. They have great sales and an enormous selection of comfortable, cute knee boots (again– calf: shoe size ratio be damned, I don’t benefit much). The staff are nice and will bend over backward without breathing down your neck too much.
If you’re looking for wellies (and if you’re a fidi girl, you are), they have the cutest selection of tasteful ones (think plaids, paisley, and solids) ever. If you happen to be in the vicinity, give them a shot.