I dragged my newly motivated butt into a real running store for the first time now that I've admitted to being a committed runner. After having bought several pairs of "running" shoes solely because they were on clearance at the Nike outlet, I heard lovely and fantastical rumors about non-agressive running angels that would actually talk to me, watch me walk/run and recommend the perfect shoe.
The rumors are true. The people here are so incredibly nice. Not only did the salesperson patiently let me test out multiple pairs multiple times, but now I also know all about his personal running feats, his family, and got an invite to drop in on a running group (although they weren't trying to sell me a bunch of excess gear, they were trying to talk me into training for a 1/2 marathon). I ended up with a great pair of shoes (and thus much happier joints now that I have real shoes) and somehow a mini support network. Great, great place.