Buying running shoes is never "fun" for me... it's expensive. But the good people at Road Runner do a good job of finding the shoe that is right for you with a 10+ minute foot analysis.
During the foot analysis, they also build you an insole which seems like it might be free, but is actually $70-something if you choose to take it at the end.
They're big on pushing their VIP club, which costs $20 but gets you a $10 coupon and 10% off future purchases for a year.
These people know what they are doing and the 3rd Thursday run seems like a great idea.
Sadly, I think the pair of Brooks I bought wore out too quickly...but that is either my problem or Brooks' problem...not necessarily a fault of RR.