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Friday, July 31, 2015

The high cost of cheap shoes



Sometimes I do things against my better judgement. About a month ago I bought a cheap pair of sandals. A month later they are already falling apart. A really decent pair cost about two and half times as much, but last a lot longer. In fact, my old worn out quality sandals are now better than the new cheap ones. Never mind that the new ones give me a sore back.

I couldn't help myself. It's not all that often to see size 14 footwear on the shelf. My first tendency is to buy anything in my size that actually fits. The next footwear sales person who tries to squeeze me into a size 13 will get punched in the nose. They don't have size 14 in stock so they try to squeeze me into something a size smaller. Maybe I'll just cut myself a pair of hobo sandals out of an old tire.

Workboots are a lot easier to find, but I'm trying to avoid work. Actually, with my snowbird lifestyle I get a lot more use out of sandals than boots. Sandals are nice as they don't require any socks. In fact too many people wear socks and sandals as it is. Cut that crap out please.

For day to day use around the house I'm perfectly happy with a good pair of flip flops, thongs to you Austrailians. I'm lazy and they just slip right on. For serious play time I like a good sandal with straps that hold them securely in place. Nothing worse than stepping in the muck and leaving your sandal behind.

L. L. Bean has some nice sandals of that type. After wearing them almost constantly for 2 years the glue in the sole let go. Since they were my sailboat footwear they saw an awful lot of salt. After talking to customer service in Freeport Maine they said I should ship my old ones to them and they'd send me new ones. No problem. It's nice to deal with a company that sticks behind what they sell.

The funny thing is, it takes almost as much resources and energy to make something crappy as something good. Can the world really afford more crap in the landfills and floating around in giant trash patches in the ocean?

-Sixbears

14 comments:

  1. Now hold on just a Gosh Darned minuite there Mr. Twinkletoes....... there are times when socks and sandals are very necessary.
    Whilst flitting about in your sandals doing the Oday ballet with bare tootsies, spare a thought for those stuck in the snow bank unable to escape yet driven by primal instincts to wear their sandals.
    The sight of blue feet hardly kindles the fires of passion, much though the warmth would be welcomed. We therefore don the socks, that we may continue to wear our sandals far beyond the limits of good judgement or even common sense, which is becoming less common every day.
    As we slide towards another six months of utter frozen desolation, we're happy for you in that your sandals are used for the purpose intended and beg your indulgence for our sock sins, they are but a measure of our desperation.

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    1. Forgive me for insulting the desperate. You get a special dispensation to wear thick wooly socks in the far north.

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  2. Try Amazon....you can search filter for your size..all types of flip flops and sandals. That's where I got my last Crocs and flip flops....size 15/16.
    IMHO
    Bigfoot in TX

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    1. 15/16? and I thought I had fitting issues. Amazon is where I got my last good pair of flip flops.

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  3. And diabetic hubby was told to wear socks at all times, especially with sandals. I don't like the look either, but it apparently protects his vulnerable feet a little more.
    I, too, have trouble finding shoes. I wear a lady's 5 1/2, but next to impossible to locate, so I go for a 6. Fitting my post-surgical, still-some-swelling left foot, but the right is a little loose. The brand I find the most workable is quite expensive for my budget, and I only buy when they are on sale, and on-line. Yep, cheap is cheap ...

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    1. I never thought of diabetics. Duh. Makes sense. Now I feel like a heel.

      If your shoes don't fit, nothing in life feels right.

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  4. The socks also keep the fireants and skeeters from biting quite as bad so I wear them here around the farm but not when out and about.
    The problem the manufactures and retailers have with making/selling a better product is that they don't get to sell you another piece of crap in a short time. So very little incentive to make better and a lot of incentive to make shorter lived/worse stuff. :-(

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    1. We've reached the point where building crap is a terrible use of time and resources.

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  5. I have a couple pair of Crocs and they are real comfy.

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  6. Terry Prachett's character Vimes called this the Boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness.
    http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/72745-the-reason-that-the-rich-were-so-rich-vimes-reasoned

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  7. Sandals work for me around the house. I never wear my shoes in the house and sandals are easy to take off and put on.

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    1. I've got indoor sandals and outdoor sandals.

      Hard to get a pair with good snow grips. :)

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