At Kmart prices

There are company stores, and then there's Reebok's company store: 5,000 square feet of space stocked weekly with the latest items from all the company's brands, many of which are barely available in any mall or department store.

And everything -- from a limited-edition, specially designed for Vince Young, suede-and-leather varsity jacket that retails for $575, to a $90 pair of rap producer Pharrell Williams's colorful Ice Cream patent leather sneakers -- sells for half price.

"My phone is ringing off the hook with people who want to come here " to shop, says Tina Fernald , director of running marketing for Reebok International Ltd. in Canton.

The discounts are not restricted to Reebok employees; anyone with a Reebok connection -- an aunt who works in marketing who will sign them in, corporate visitors, delivery drivers -- can go in and shop to their heart's content.

That's because the store isn't just an employee perk, but a testing ground for the latest and greatest Reebok products: If something plays well among employees and their friends, Reebok figures it should sell at the mall, too.

The next time you need a new pair of sneakers, or your kid wants a Patriots jersey, check your Rolodex for a friend who works at Reebok.

KEITH REED