Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Play It Again Sports offers variety of equipment

Play It Again Sports in Fayetteville carries sporting goods and fitness equipment. Over 80 percent of the inventory is new and between 10 and 20 percent is pre-owned equipment. The largest percent of sales is in fitness equipment.

The owners are proud of having a "specialty shop" attitude, which is finding out customer's individual needs and assisting them in finding the right equipment for them. The store also has commercial fitness products available for small gyms or gyms in the home. The sporting goods selection, which includes golf, hockey, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, football and more, is mainly equipment rather than clothing. In the sporting goods area, the store carries a range of products from discount items to high end, name brand products.

Play It Again Sports in Fayetteville was started by Donna Stacey who sold the business to Al and Bridget Lambert in 2002. The business is actually owned by five members of the family. Since then, the Lamberts have carried on her work as well as expanding the fitness, hockey and golf sections. New products, rarely found in Play It Again Sports stores, include ping pong tables and supplies, in-ground basketball systems and yard games.

The Lamberts would eventually like to open a second Play It Again Sports in the Newnan area.

Play It Again Sports has a tremendous product range which can satisfy the individual who does not want to spend a lot as well as those who only want the "top of the line" products.

The store's quality pre-owned equipment gives beginners in a sport or fitness an inexpensive alternative to use until they decide that this is something in which they would like to invest further.

The Lamberts take trade-ins, so customers are able to "trade-up" their equipment.

The store prides itself on the competitive pricing offered year round, which is why they encourage people to shop around.

A good tip about buying used sporting goods equipment is to come shortly after a particular season is over. The store's quality used goods sell fast and are often gone if you wait until right before a season starts.

The Lamberts also offer several tips for customers in buying treadmills this year.

Let the salesperson know who will be using the treadmill, how often, and what type of activity they will be doing. An older person who may want to do some slow walking a couple of times per week requires a very different treadmill than an 18 year old training for a marathon. If you will have more than one user or will be running you should buy a treadmill with a minimum of least a 1.5 HP motor (make sure the motor is measured on a continuous scale not a peak scale).

Ask what the warranties are. A motor should last at least 5 years and the warranty should reflect the manufacturer's confidence that it will. A motor warranty should be at least 5 years, the frame should have a longer warranty (often lifetime) and there should be some type of in home labor warranty in case something goes wrong in that first few months to a year. Remember fitness is a lifelong commitment, so don't buy something warranted for 90 days.

Two things make a treadmill strong, the motor and the roller. Generally speaking, the higher the horsepower, the bigger the roller, the stronger and better the treadmill. A treadmill with a 3.0 HP motor can accommodate several runners in the family.

If you will be using the treadmill for commercial use, make sure it has a commercial warranty. If you have a large, active family, you may want to consider buying a commercial treadmill.

Talk to your doctor about your target heart-rate. Many treadmills have pulse grips which give you a fairly accurate reading of your heart-rate when you place your hands on them. Some better treadmills have chest straps which give a extremely accurate reading of your heart-rate. Even better, some treadmills are heart-rate interactive, which means that the speed of the treadmill adjusts automatically in accordance with your target heart rate. If you want a cheaper treadmill and heart-rate accuracy, you can consider buying a separate heart-rate monitor.

Look around you in the store. Are these people going to respond to you if you have a problem? Are they more worried about the sale than informing you about different products or are they just trying to get you out the door with a treadmill? Are they talking to you at all? Generally, your instinct is pretty good, so follow it.

Remember that although treadmills are very popular and comfortable to use, if you have joint problems, you may want to consider an alternative like a bike or an elliptical. Also remember that cardio workout is extremely important, but most experts today are encouraging people to add strength training to their agenda as well, so you may want to pick up a couple of weights to get started!.

The store is located at 435 Glynn Street in Hudson Plaza and is open from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

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