Update from Patricia Kane...

I sent the link to the entry in the blog about Patricia to her and she added the following:

"I really do think that you should mention about "my Masseuse running 12 miles each morning up the grades of Jamestown/Sonora who warned me 3 years before to buy them and about your own health story about how you can run again. I think it would encourage folk that they can again get their sport together--the shoes make it possible.

Your personal story really inspired me and your employee who went home who told me that cosmetologists, barbers, doctors, lawyers, and welders all stand on their feet and buy your product. These are the people that should know what works, have the money to buy the best, and buy your shoes--what a testimonial!

Furthermore, the cost of your quality shoes was cheaper than my Sass shoes, a former standard shoe among my friends.

Just a thought of what you could add to your blog from me.

Sincerely, your fan, Patricia Kane"

So, all you people on your feet all day or those that really want to get back into an active lifestyle, give Z-CoiL Pain Relief Footwear a chance! It might change your life!

Until later,

Caesar...

Newsletter subscription

We have a newsletter that you can easily subscribe to. It is sent out 6-8 times per year at this time and contains advance notice of new styles, product additions, sales and other tidbits of information. To subscribe, click here.

Till later,

Caesar...

Testimonial - Patricia Kane

I remember Patrica well, since she came into our store at 10 minutes until closing and needed a pair of Z-CoiL footwear. She had driven many miles to get to the store and we proceeded to fit her in a pair of SideWinder Sandals. Patricia works at a local college and has turned many other people at the college on to Z-CoiL Footwear. It turns out they had a lot more benefit than she even expected...

"When I bought them, I only wanted good shoes--what I got was an unexpected bonus of a much needed 5 hours night of sleep that I hadn't had in a while!" says Patricia. "I own an over $5K machine for my sleep disorder. I never imagined that the pain was from my feet and knees and that your Z-Coil would assist me in getting a good night of rest!

"I don't need to see the podiatrist as often, the better news is that I walk erect, something that that physical therapist wanted me to do more of, and I can walk with more ease now," Patricia adds.

"Thank you for your amazing product! They look great and I am not the least embarrassed to wear them-- I am doing all in my power to spread the good news of your remarkably good shoes. Thanks for your newsletter! Good luck in business!" she concludes and signs it "Your Fondest Fan."

As Patricia found out, everything's connected and everything can be related. If your knees are hurting, it might be due to your foot alignment. If your hip is hurting, it might be due to your posture. Z-CoiL Footwear can resolve many different issues due to the unique nature of the shoes. So come on in and give them a try... The only thing you have to lose is your pain!

Till later,

Caesar...

In Memory of Kathleen Bolton

If you live in the Bay Area, you might have recently remembered hearing about an accident that occurred in Stern Grove in San Francisco where a woman was killed by a falling redwood tree branch while she was loading her dog into her car. That woman was Kathleen Bolton, a enthusiastic, fun-loving, vibrant woman and a very avid Z-CoiL supporter.

I had the pleasure of dealing with Kathleen on many occasions, since she had several pairs of our footwear and was a bit of a tough fit due to her issues causing her to have to return to the store for adjustments. Whenever Kathleen would enter the store, it would light up! She always had a smile on her face and was so full of energy. We talked about everything while she was there and there was never a dull moment! I especially enjoyed it when there was another customer, because I could sit back and just listen to Kathleen sell the other customer on Z-CoiL footwear! I never had to say a word and the other customer always bought! It was amazing...

She had a zest for life and a love for her animals. I had the pleasure of meeting many of her friends also, since she would refer them into the store and I know that she will be missed by many. She was a truly remarkable person!

Till later,

Caesar...

The Transformation has begun!

You've seen them... people walking around everyday with a piece of thin rubber on their feet called a flip flops! Did you know that they are the worst thing possible for your feet? No protection, no arch support, and no cushioning...

In a recent article published in USA Today, a spokesperson for the American College of Foot & Ankle Surgeons says "Flip-flops were never meant to be everyday shoes. They were meant to wear from the locker room to the pool and back." Common foot ailments associated with ordinary flip-flops can include heel and arch strain, heel calluses and hammertoes. (Read the full article here).

Well, we have the solution. Although Z-CoiL's still remain the most cushioned, impact reduction footwear on the market, the "fitflop" provides much more than an ordinary flip flop provides. Many of our customers are looking for that wear-it-around-the-house shoe, or that go-to-the-bathroom-in-the-middle-of-the-night shoe or even that I-want-to-go-to-the-beach-and-not-get-my-ZCoils-dirty shoes. The "fitflop" is the perfect solution!

It provides 38% impact reduction, cushions the body with every step, and even more, tones your legs as you wear them! I won't guarantee that you will end up with legs like Cameron Diaz, but it will help! The "fitflop" was developed in a biomechanics lab in London and this revolutionary footwear activates the muscles in your feet, calves thighs and buttocks, while helping you maintain better posture! It is a perfect shoe to wear when you need something to slip on around the house or while going to the beach.

We just got them in last week and they are selling like hot cakes! Many customers are buying them as an adjunct to their Z-CoiL's. We have several colors available for a cost of $49.95. Come in and try a pair on! You will be glad you did!

Till later,
Caesar...

A Transformation!

During the course of the next few months, our stores here in the San Francisco/San Jose area will be going through a transformation! Our goal has always been to be the ultimate pain relief center for our customers here in the Bay area, but we realized we were falling short... Not everyone can wear Z-CoiL Pain Relief Footwear for some reason or another. Even our most loyal customers want a shoe that is good to wear to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or once a week to church or even on the beach on a Sunday without having to put on their Z-Coil shoes for fear of getting them dirty.

After talking to some other dealers and doing some research, we found some other shoes that will benefit our customer community immensely. We will be adding lines of shoes to our store that compliment Z-CoiL footwear. We still want to provide impact reduction and relieve the stress that concrete puts on your body, but we will not be adding just the run-of-the-mill footwear. Every style we select will provide incredible impact reduction, although not as much as Z-CoiL's, and will help our customers achieve their goal of being pain-free.

We will also be carrying a new line of orthotics that work extremely well inside of a Z-CoiL shoe or can work in that go-to-church-on-Sunday shoe that you still put on occasionally.

This will also require some rework of the stores in order to be able to display the new lines of shoes, so there will be a couple of days where we will need to close. We will publish those dates ahead of time so that hopefully you will not make a wasted trip to the store.

The first of these new lines of shoes will hit within the next week. Keep your eyes peeled here for more information!

Till later,

Caesar...

Testimonial - Lori Byrd

We recently sent out a newsletter and I received an unsolicited testimonial from one of our customers. She is a flight attendant at a well known airline who was having difficulty with the long hours they were having to keep. Can you imagine being on an airplane, up and down the aisles for hours dealing with customers... keeping that smiley face on at all times?

"Thank You,Caesar!" said Lori. "Z-coil saved my career! I am a flight attendant. Our adjusted contracts demand more hours in flight.Yeah, my colleagues laugh at my ugly shoes. I walk like Tigger,but at the end of a day above my colleagues' moans you can still hear me laugh feeling no pain! " she concludes.

This isn't the first career that Z-CoiL footwear has saved! In many cases, we have people on their feet all day, whether it be a flight attendant, restaurant personnel, medical professional or retail clerk, our footwear makes it much easier to make it through the day!

Until later,

Caesar...

Referrals...

As all of our customers know, we have a referral program here at our store. If you refer 10 people that buy shoes, you get a free pair! We give out several pair per month to lucky people who help us spread the word about Z-CoiL footwear. How we do it? We ask every customer who referred them into the store and record their answer as they tell it to us. Sometimes the people are very specific and tell us Joe Customer. Sometimes it is more vague like "Jean or Jeanette something that goes to our church." Many times it is even more vague than that, like "someone I saw on the street and they gave me a card but I lost it." This makes our job of keeping track of the referrals very difficult, but we try our best to match them up when possible.

At least once a month I will have a customer tell me that they should be attheir 10 pairs, so we look them up and see only 5 people that mentioned them as referrals. Hmmm... so why the discrepancy? We ask them for the names of the people that they know they referred and that bought shoes and many times we find that the person gave someone elses name or they told us they couldn't remember the name or they told us they saw us in the newspaper. We have absolutely no control over what people tell us when they buy the shoes... we just write it down!

Another situation that comes up is that a person will refer someone in and a husband and wife come in. The wife will give us the name of the person that originally sent them in and the husband will give us the wife's name. Again, we just write it down...

So, please do not get angry with us... we do not make the entries up but just record what we are told...

Till later,

Caesar...

Our Quarterly Newsletter and Sandal Sale!

Our quarterly email newsletter has been sent out talking about the Good Question piece that was on the news, some reviews on yelp.com and a sandal sale! You can download the newsletter by clicking here!

In the newsletter, I talked about reviews on yelp.com. Unfortunately, I only listed the link for the San Francisco store. Here is the link for the San Jose Store: Click here. Some good and some bad reviews, but the nice thing about yelp.com is that you are entitled to your opinion!

We managed to purchase over 70 pair of SideWinder Synthetic sandals at a reduced price so we are passing the savings on to you! The current price for the sandals is $189.95 but we have the synthetic sandals on special for $149.95 starting this Saturday, 3/15. They are on a first come, first serve basis with no returns and no additional discounts given. So come on in and get yourself a pair for summer! While supplies last!

Till later,

Caesar...

TV News KPIX San Francisco - What Are Z-CoiL Shoes?

CBS 5 Eyewitness News answer man Ken Bastida visits the San Francisco Z-CoiL® Pain Relief Footwear™ store to test out a pair of Z-CoiL Footwear.

Click here to watch Video

Unfortunately, he had the name of our store wrong, did not give any identifying information like location, website or telephone, and basically concentrated on the strange look rather than the benefits that our footwear can provide! Needless to say, I was very disappointed... maybe because I take the job of helping people live a pain free life very seriously... a commitment to our customers... Well, as they say, sometimes bad press is better than no press at all!

After you listen to it, if you feel you have a story to tell about your Z-CoiL experience, please email Ken Bastida at the following address: mailto:bastida@kpix.cbs.com?subject=Z-CoiL Footwear. Maybe he will understand that we are about changing people's lives!

Till later,

Caesar...

It's been awhile...

A long, long, while! I actually have gotten several notes from people asking where I have been and why haven't I kept up my blog? Well, the answer is simple... kinda, sorta... I purchased the San Francisco location from Marifran Mazza on May 2, 2007. Marifran is now leading a more relaxed lifestyle and is being missed by her customers, but we will ensure we give the same high quality service that we are known for in her absence. Leading up to the purchase was a lot of research and work to understand what it meant to run two stores 60 miles apart. Since the purchase, we have done a lot of work tying the two stores together to try and ensure we have a balanced inventory which meant a lot of new computer systems... We now have both stores linked, the policies the same, and carry the same styles at both stores!

We also changed the names of both stores to Z-CoiL Pain Relief Footwear (formerly EZ Shoes and Z-Connection.) This has helped us get some better brand recognition for our great product!

So, I have made this promise before... I will try and get better at posting on a regular basis! There is always so many interesting and life-altering things that happen in our stores that we want to let the world know!

Thanks for being patient and we look forward to a bright future in the Z-CoiL world!

New Test Drive / Return Policy!

We have instituted a new test drive and return policy, not that anyone would want to return their Z-CoiL's!

If you are dissatisfied with your footwear for any reason during the first 14 days after purchase, you may either:

• Visit any participating Z-CoiL® distributor for a free fitting adjustment or repair; or
• Return the footwear during the first 7 days with your sales receipt to the store that you purchased it from in San Jose or San Francisco for an exchange of equal value or for a refund (minus a $10 return fee to cover costs) provided the footwear is in like-new condition and in the original box. After 7 days, you will be charged a return fee of 20% to cover cleaning and repackaging of the product or the costs associated with returning the product to the home office.

We have faith in our product and want you to know that you can feel comfortable trying Z-CoiL Footwear to relieve your pain. We do hope that if something is not right with the footwear, that you give us a chance to adjust them and make them right... but if we can't, rest assured that you can get a refund.

Until later!

Caesar...