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PERQs Discounts: A Comfortable Savings on Footwear

The Walking Company gives Duke employee discounts

Cam Kelly was on a hunt for that special shoe.

She wanted a pair that absorbed the shock of walking and was kind to her back. She saw an ad for MBT, the "anti-shoe," in the pages of MORE, a women's magazine. She was eager to try the shoes, but the $250 price tag put a damper on the idea.

Kelly got good news when she opened a recent e-mail from PERQS, Duke's employee discount program. The Walking Company in Cary and Raleigh offers a 15 percent discount to Duke employees. She called the store in the Cary Towne Center and confirmed it carried the MBT brand.

"The discount gave me additional motivation to go out and try them on," said Kelly, assistant vice president for principal gift programs in University Development. "The salesperson let me put them on and walk around the mall. I loved them."

She left the store wearing MBT sneakers, having saved more than $35.

Kelly has had the shoes a year now and wears them to shop, walk her dog, Duke, and cruise through airports on business trips. "They are somewhat peculiar looking shoes, and I have been stopped many times in airports by people wanting to know more about them," she said. "But they certainly are comfortable."

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Comfort is at the core of The Walking Company's philosophy. They carry brands such as Dansko, Ecco, MBT and New Balance, including sneakers, sandals, dress shoes and clogs. To get the discount, employees must show their DukeCard and photo ID. The discount applies on all purchases (excluding gift cards and UGG products).

"I just went back over the holidays to buy a pair of Dansko clogs I wanted," Kelly said. "I don't often see these shoes on sale, so the PERQS discount sealed the deal."