How much do you pay for shoes?

[erincon23]

I've been having a discussion about this with DS16. Keep in mind that more by circumstance than nature, I have become very cheap. DS is VERY fussy about footwear -- refuses to wear sneakers for anything but gym class (and even then isn't happy about it), and has wide feet, making it difficult to find what he likes. A couple of months ago, his boots (not snow boots, more like black leather sort of maybe biker type boots, which were his everyday shoes) fell apart, and after shopping several places -- and we had to get them that day because he had nothing else -- I spent $70 on a new pair, which made me gag. Now, he's decided that pair is not comfortable for all the walking he does, and asked for a new pair for Christmas. Again, we shopped, and the only pair that fit and that he liked was $100 - at DSW!

Now, I understand in the real world (the world of people who buy things at normal prices, not cheapskate prices), $100 is probably not out of line. But I've only spent that on my footwear once -- a pair of specialized shoes for arthritic feet -- and I can't see spending that kind of money on shoes. But am I being overly cheap? Or is $100 for a good brand that should last quite a while not out of line? (Or am I talking to the wrong audience? )

 

[princessmom29]

With shoes, honestly you get what you pay for. I have pretty severe damage to one of my feet and an inflammitory condition in both. If I want to be able to walk, I pay for good shoes. My mom has learned the hard way that years of cheap shoes have done damage to her spine and feet. I have had to teach my husband, who wears a isze 7 wide, that just setting for any shoe could be why your feet always hurt. I say spend the money to get him good quality shoes that support his feet properly. $100 is not at all out of line for mens leather boots, in fact, that is a pretty good deal. I would expect to pay $150-$200, unles I lucked up on a really good sale.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

$100 for a pair of boots is not a lot. I routinely spend $100 on shoes. As a matter of fact my 2 main pair of shoes I wear are both clogs with wedge type heels on them, one brown leather and one black leather and I paid $125 for each of them at Dillard's ON SALE. My K-Swiss tennis shoes (plain white leather) cost $90 plus tax and shipping. I am not a show snob by any means because I would never spend $600 on a pair of Jimmy Choo heels, but I also would never buy a pair of shoes from Payless or Walmart.

Cole Haan makes some nice shoes for men but they are pricey. If your son is picky about his shoes I am sure they make something he will like.

If you want to be shocked, go try to buy him a pair of those black leather boots from the Harley store. You will pay $600 ON SALE. Consider $100 a bargain.

Some things it is ok to be cheap about. If you want to eat generic food or use generic home and bath products, go for it. Save some pennies, but with shoes, I would never try to go CHEAP. You definitely get what you pay for.

 

[Marionnette]

I've been having a discussion about this with DS16. Keep in mind that more by circumstance than nature, I have become very cheap. DS is VERY fussy about footwear -- refuses to wear sneakers for anything but gym class (and even then isn't happy about it), and has wide feet, making it difficult to find what he likes. A couple of months ago, his boots (not snow boots, more like black leather sort of maybe biker type boots, which were his everyday shoes) fell apart, and after shopping several places -- and we had to get them that day because he had nothing else -- I spent $70 on a new pair, which made me gag. Now, he's decided that pair is not comfortable for all the walking he does, and asked for a new pair for Christmas. Again, we shopped, and the only pair that fit and that he liked was $100 - at DSW!

Now, I understand in the real world (the world of people who buy things at normal prices, not cheapskate prices), $100 is probably not out of line. But I've only spent that on my footwear once -- a pair of specialized shoes for arthritic feet -- and I can't see spending that kind of money on shoes. But am I being overly cheap? Or is $100 for a good brand that should last quite a while not out of line? (Or am I talking to the wrong audience? )

I just spent $100+ on UGG slippers for my son for Christmas. It's what he asked for.

I routinely spend over $100 for my own shoes, especially for the ones I wear daily. Cheap shoes = sore feet. Not worth it to me. I spend the money to be comfortable.

 

[Nicolepa]

Now, I understand in the real world (the world of people who buy things at normal prices, not cheapskate prices), $100 is probably not out of line. But I've only spent that on my footwear once -- a pair of specialized shoes for arthritic feet -- and I can't see spending that kind of money on shoes. But am I being overly cheap? Or is $100 for a good brand that should last quite a while not out of line? (Or am I talking to the wrong audience? )

IMO yes, you are being overly cheap. Shoes are not something to mess with, especially since he has wide feet. A good pair of shoes will last forever and they will provide the support that he needs. A bad pair of shoes will cause foot problems that will last him the rest of his life. I wear a 10 and I refuse to buy cheap shoes, ever. I don't even do cheap flip flops in the summer. $100 is usually the bottom range of what I spend, usually around $150. I only have a few pairs a a time, 1 running shoe, 1 sneaker for day to day/working out, a dressy shoe for slacks and a pair of black heels for dresses. Anything else I get is on sale.'

My sneakers I replace every year, my dressy shoes about every 4-5 years, my heels only when my feet grow (which was w/each pregnancy).

I have found a couple of brands I like and I will order them off Shoebuy or Zappo's when I find a good price. I also wait for the Nordstrom sales and get deals.

 

[Gigi22]

Hmm--my DH's footwear of choice are his sneakers. He prefers Reebok, in a high boot style. I consider myself lucky if I get them on sale for under $100. We aren't near any outlet stores. He has a friend who has always purchased really cheap shoes, except for the one time I took him shopping to get dress shoes, which he had to have--the poor man, his comment to me was, "I never knew shoes could feel this good."

 

[ilovebassets]

hmm... I try to spend about $50 a pair on shoes, but for that one really awesome, everyday pair that I expect to last for years, $100 doesn't seem unreasonable at all.

 

[SaraJayne]

Sounds like DS needs a job.

 

[LindaBabe]

I am a frugal old woman with wide feet - my shoes are American made SAS. They cost about $100 - 120 per pair. I have 3 pairs that I alternate daily.

Shoes will last longer if you do not wear the same pair every day. My oldest ones are about 6 years old.

You get what you pay for.

 

[21yankees]

Without knowing your family's income, budget etc I can't say whether you're being 'cheap' or not.

I know that in my 1 income family my kids (ages 10, 7, and 6) currently get their shoes (sneakers & dress shoes) at Payless. As they get older that will change but right now their shoe sizes are changing too frequently for me to justify paying $$$ for shoes that they'll outgrow before they get their worth from them.

Based on the information you've provided it sounds like your son is in need of a job to pay or help pay for his shoe choices. JMHO.

 

[hpfan100]

sounds like a normal price to me. I would jot down the brand he likes and start googling for online places with good deals.

I buy almost all of my shoes at Dillard's during the 75% show event that happens twice a year or so. I get very high end shoes for Payless prices

 

[arthur06]

We don't really worry about the price of the shoe. As a PP mentioned, you get what you pay for. We don't go through a lot of shoes, so when we need them, we get a good, quality pair.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

After many years of wearing the incorrect sneakers, I will now buy the appropriate running shoe for me and they are over $100. When training for a marathon, I would have to buy 2 in 3 months. The pair I have now are over a year old and I am about due. (Replacement is based on mileage/tread wear..clearly haven't used them as much as I would have liked in the past year.)

Boots--I have 2 pair--bought at the right time for very little. $30 or less. One is for snow and the other is for winter dress up. They have some traction.

All my other shoes I try to purchase on clearance. But I am in "need" of a nicer quality dress shoe for my feet. Not sure where to look or what kind of budget. Having a difficult time justifying the splurge. I needed new heels for a Christmas party recently and just ended up going to Payless. The only pair that would work was $29.

I will say that as a kid, I had wide/flat feet. I collapsed so many shoes. For my own kids, I won't be cheap just for the sake of being cheap. But I do try to shop carefully so that the selected shoe doesn't wear out in month. Both recently wanted a running shoe. We got them at Kohl's--but we did buy a nice running shoe and not an off brand as they want to run like mommy. I had a coupon and they had a sale.

 

[sara mom]

I would be OK with the $100 shoes. This is for his every day shoes....the ones he wears most often, correct? Now if he wanted 3 $100 shoes, I would question that.

 

[cmwade77]

Wow, I am a cheapskate, I don't like paying more than $25 for a pair of shoes and even then, I like to wait until there is a buy one, get one free.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

DH has wide feet and we shop at the outlets when they are running sales, we tend to make out best at Clarks and Rockport. Last time I shopped at Clarks it was a holiday weekend and got shoes for myself that are normally $75 for about $25. I have a pair of Clarks that are about 7 years old and still perfect.

 

[clh2]

Sounds like a bargain to me.

The last pair of shoes I bought for my 17 YO DD were from the Walking Company. You do get what you pay for. I spent $75 or $80 ON A PAIR OF FLIP FLOPS!!!! This was after I spent $350 on CUSTOM ORTHOTICS due to foot issues.

DD has been complaining since she started high school about foot issues. I was clueless.

I haven't heard a thing lately about the pain. I will also encourage her to spend "whatever" on great shoes (i.e. good arch-support etc). Since hindsight is always 20/20 - I wish I had "listened" to her sooner.

The flip-flops are a fun lime green - and have GREAT arch support.

 

[Sadie22]

Everyone in my family has wide feet. We all wear New Balance. Not the 300-400-600 styles available at Dick's or Kohl's, but the 800s and up styles which are made for extra support, stability, overpronators, et cetera. We get them fit at a New Balance store and then buy additional pairs of the same style online. They make more than sneakers.

DH wears Red Wing boots for work. They make more than the steel-toed work boots he needs. They are wonderful quality, can be resoled, and will last for years if properly maintained. He rotates three pairs, replacing a pair about every other year.

 

[ekatiel]

Another cheap-o here . I asked for a pair of shoes for Christmas (we draw names and my mom got mine). We went looking, and after seeing multiple pairs in many stores, with nothing under $50, we finally ended up at Ross (one of my favorite shoe buying places) and bought a pair for $16 . Paying more than $30 makes me cringe. I do understand that for good leather boots, $100 is not unreasonable. That's why I don't have any good leather boots . DH, the kids and I all get our shoes from Ross/Walmart/Payless. --Katie

 

[Colleen27]

I think everyday shoes are one of the rare places where it is really worth spending the extra money. There aren't many other products in life that you really use all day, every day, and I have to assume that at your son's age he's not outgrowing things as fast as you can buy them any more so better quality/longevity is a factor too.

I have two sets of shopping habits when it comes to shoes - when it comes to dressy/trendy shoes for myself and shoes for the kids (who still outgrow them every 3-6mo) I'm somewhat cheap. I watch for sales, end-of-season clearance, and last year's styles, and I've done remarkably well with 6pm.com. But for everyday shoes I shop for comfort and fit with less concern for price. I look at it this way - if those $100 shoes last a year, that's less than 30¢ per day to be comfortable. Fashion can be done cheaper, knock-off style, but you get what you pay for when it comes to athletic shoes, boots, and other functional footwear.