Paralympian criticizes Nike for refusing to sell single shoe for amputees

Retired Team ParalympicsGB athlete Stef Reid took to TikTok Wednesday to say that she had asked Nike if she could buy just one of the brand’s Vaporfly running shoes at a reduced price, rather than forking out full price for a complete pair.

Reid, who is an amputee, was only prompted to reach out to Nike about the possibility of buying one shoe after noticing that Nike and Decathlon were displaying amputee mannequins in their stores.

The mannequins were only wearing one shoe in the pictures shared by Reid on her TikTok.

@runjumpstefreid I love that companies are using amputee mannequins. I lost part of my right leg in an accident when I was 16. I know how special it would have been as a new amputee to see a big sports brand using that image. But if you are going to use the image, you need to back it up in the way you do business. Of course companies want to brand themselves as inclusive. The problem is feel good marketing without the hard work. It has to be supported by changes in policies and procedures across your business. I’ve been contacted by three news outlets, so hopefully these questions are asked on a wider scale. In my experience, it’s rarely a case of intentional oversight. It’s just that no one has asked the question. #running #nike #bladerunner #amputee #inclusion #diversity #pov ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

A screenshot of Reid’s apparent conversation with Nike customer services shows she was denied the opportunity to buy just one of the shoes, after citing the pair’s pricey £250 ($313) price tag as a hindrance to her buying both.

According to the screenshots shared by Reid, the customer service agent said the company wasn’t able to offer her one shoe at half the price. They did, however, offer her a one-off 10% discount.

“Which I said was very kind, but next time I buy running shoes I’m still only going to have one foot,” Reid said in her TikTok post. She said the agent then upped the offer to 15%, which Reid again declined.

Reid says the agent then promised to take the issue to Nike’s “higher-ups,” but had not yet received a response in the nine days between her interaction and posting a video. 

The athlete won her first medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics for Canada, before switching allegiance to Great Britain in 2012 for the London games, winning silver in the T44 long jump. She won gold at the 2017 World Championships in London. She has also competed in the 200 metres race during her career. 

Retailers failing to accommodate amputees

After failing to acquire a single shoe from Nike, Reid also went to French sports retailer Decathlon and American running shoe platform Brooks after noticing they both used prosthetic running blades to market their shoes.

But on both occasions, Reid was again unable to acquire one shoe.

“I love that companies are using amputee mannequins,” Reid said in her video. 

“But if you are going to use the image you have to back it up in the way you do business.”

Speaking to BBC’s Newsbeat, Reid said she thought the failure to sell single shoes was an oversight.

“I don’t have an expectation that every company is going to cater to me as an amputee, at a financial loss to them,” Reid told Newsbeat.

“But diverse and inclusive thinking can lead to a better way of doing business.”

In an email to Fortune, a representative for Nike thanked Reid for sharing her concerns.

The spokesperson pointed to Nike’s long-running One Shoe Bank program, where it offers single shoes on selected products out of its Memphis distribution center. 

The program only operates in the U.S., and may not cover Reid’s request for the higher-end Vaporfly model.

“Taking the learnings from the program, we are hoping to expand it to more geographies in the future,” the representative said. 

Representatives for Decathlon and Brooks didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.