Need some help with "quality" shoes...

[indimom]

Twice in the last three months I've bought shoes for someone in the family and they tore within 6 weeks of purchase. Apparently I am just being TOO cheap (Sandals were $20 and lasted less than a month with almost NO wear, tennis shoes were $30 and lasted about 6 weeks).

Can anyone suggest a brand I can purchase that will last at least six months+?? I'd prefer to keep it under $40 (if at all possible) for the kids since they are outgrowing them at an alarming rate as well. Thanks for any advice.

 

[NYCDiane]

I've purchased Reebok sneakers at BJs Wholesale for $20 and they last a very long time.

I've purchased my daughter sandals and shoes at Payless and they last as well. (she's not "hard" on shoes, though)

Where are you buying your shoes? I know the shoes I've purchased from WalMart and Target have turned out to be garbage and I never buy there anymore. I bought 2 pairs of shoes. The one from Target? The sole broke in half the first day I wore them. The ones from WalMart were just garbage and came apart within weeks.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I get most of my family's shoes at the outlets of LL Bean, Lands End ("overstocks" on their website) or Reebok. Also had luck finding Stride Rite and Reeboks at Marshalls. It does take some searching sometimes. I buy the size or two bigger when I see them, figuring kid's feet do grow and all.

 

[eliza61]

I'll second what Diane said above. Do you have a DSW shoe warehouse near you? They tend to have a huge variety of shoes at a lot of price points.

Also with sandals/shoes I try to get as much leather in the construction as possible. watch the sale ads. I find that with a 20-25% coupon I can get really good quality items at Macy's and JCpenny's for good prices. Even if you're kids are growing rapidly spending 50 bucks on a pair of well made shoes may last a lot longer than having to replace cheap shoes every 2 weeks.

Lastly, zappos.com has great shoes at good prices and shipping is free both ways.

 

[dawson5]

What about shoe carnival also? Sometimes their prices are high but they usually have the buy one get the second half off, ends up making it reasonable.

I bought my son a pair of shoes for school, spent a decent amount of money on them. He's not hard on shoes at all, still has pairs two years old that look pretty new, just the tread showing wear. Anyways, the area where the laces are, near the top, the support wore through. He had them for about a month, wore shorts with them, it wasn't jeans rubbing it. I took them back, still had the receipt and they allowed me to exchange them. They didn't have his shoes in stock, couldn't find them at another store either. They gave us a percentage off another pair, along with our money for the first pair. They were Nike's, bought them at Dick's.

 

[beansmom]

i so understand about being frugal on the kids' shoes but i have come to believe in putting some money into my own feet now. I recently bought a pair of Merrell sandals. They are the only shoes I have had (since I'm on up in years now) that do not make my feet hurt after a full day of walking. I am going to buy more.

My gf has some, too and says the same thing.

 

[dreamalittledream]

Try Famous Footwear. I bought DD Nike sneekers for school, white leather. and she has worn them for 7 weeks straight in Sept/ Oct with her summer uniform and then 2-3x a week since. They are still in great shape! not as white but if I wipe them down they come up nice. I think they were about 40 but I got them during a 1/2 price sale.

our Cheer sneeks are also Nike and they hold up great for both girls. My other DD has been wearing them daily to Kind.

We have had payless white cheer sneeks in the past for school and they are cheap and will last 4-6 weeks at a shot. For 10.00 a pair it is fine when their feet are growing quickly. also good for camp where they trash them anyway.

I also love the Keen sandals for my younger DD, they are pricey but she is so hard on her shoes and her feet! they keep her toes protected and stay on while riding bikes. NOT cheap though. 45-55.00 the only deal is a coupon at Olly. They lasted all last summer and she is still wearing them this year.

Both girls love their crocs and wear them all summer.

 

[scrapquitler]

LL Bean and Lands End have a great reputation for standing behind what they sell, so I think that if you bought shoes there and had an issue with the quality, you'd probably get them replaced without any hassles.

I know that Sears used to have some kind of warranty on kids clothes that they would replace it for free if it wore out before your child outgrew it, I wonder if they still have that and if it applies to shoes? Might be worth asking.

 

[indimom]

The sandals were slides from Target. Completely ridiculous how they tore all along the side when she's only worn them a dozen times. (maybe) I'm half-tempted to take them back and at least complain. Obviously they've been worn, so not really expecting money back. But it is sooo irritating.
The tennis shoes were Nike brand bought from a Nike outlet. I wonder if they sell "cheaper" styles or brands at the outlets?? Either that or just back luck.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. Guess I'll be out shoe shopping this weekend.

 

[holden]

We buy our kids' shoes at Olly. They have some pricey shoes, but they do have shoes under $40. Both my girls wear Nike sneakers. They wear them almost every day and we have never had them rip, etc.

 

[eliza61]

The sandals were slides from Target. Completely ridiculous how they tore all along the side when she's only worn them a dozen times. (maybe) I'm half-tempted to take them back and at least complain. Obviously they've been worn, so not really expecting money back. But it is sooo irritating.
The tennis shoes were Nike brand bought from a Nike outlet. I wonder if they sell "cheaper" styles or brands at the outlets?? Either that or just back luck.

Anyway, thanks for the advice. Guess I'll be out shoe shopping this weekend.

Definitely take them back.
1). there is a definite inherent assumption when you buy shoes. they should definitely last more than 12 times.
2) Stores do need to know if some thing is poor quality or a customer is not satisfied. It's not so much about getting money back it's about preventing them from selling inferior merchandise. I bet target would love to know if their supplies are ruining their reputation.

 

[Sadie22]

My children are grown now and no longer fit into Stride Rite, but that is what we bought when they were younger. They had wide feet and overpronation and needed the width and sturdier construction. Now we all wear New Balance to accommodate each individual's fit problems, including the custom orthotics the youngest wears and the wide toe box I require.

My mother bought cheap sneakers for me and we didn't know what was causing the leg pains I suffered years ago but I now know I probably had shin splints and possibly the stress fractures the youngest got from running on concrete before our doctor told us to get him fitted with New Balance shoes for overpronators and then referred him to a podiatrist who fit him with custom orthotics.

Shoes should be replaced after 500 miles is the rule of thumb. Twelve wearings is definitely worth a trip to the customer service desk at Target.

 

[neatokimmo]

I know not everyone likes crocs but ours last a long time. The mary jane and cayman styles suit us best. Plus with prices as low as $10 in the outlet you can have 2-3 pairs to rotate.

 

[Irin997]

I buy DD8 (9 next week!) a new pair of sneakers right before school begins and I expect them to last for a year. Last year we bought a pair of super cute Adidas which are great for her wider width feet. They lasted through school and wearing them at least 3+ times per week plus every day at summer day camp last summer. This year was a pair of Nike's (not my fave on her) and so far, so good. They will definitely last all summer long at summer day camp. Of course, this "rule" is subject to foot growth.

I always tend to purchase her sneakers at Kohl's too. They must be on sale and/or I have a coupon for them. I have no problem spending $50 on her sneakers, especially based on previous experiences. All of her previous well known sneakers (New Balance, Adidas, Nike) have lasted very long. The one pair of sneakers from Target (Champion I think) lasted a few months before they were falling apart.

 

[dzorn]

My children are grown now and no longer fit into Stride Rite, but that is what we bought when they were younger. They had wide feet and overpronation and needed the width and sturdier construction. Now we all wear New Balance to accommodate each individual's fit problems, including the custom orthotics the youngest wears and the wide toe box I require.

My mother bought cheap sneakers for me and we didn't know what was causing the leg pains I suffered years ago but I now know I probably had shin splints and possibly the stress fractures the youngest got from running on concrete before our doctor told us to get him fitted with New Balance shoes for overpronators and then referred him to a podiatrist who fit him with custom orthotics.

Shoes should be replaced after 500 miles is the rule of thumb. Twelve wearings is definitely worth a trip to the customer service desk at Target.

If you have had them for 3 months I would not bother taking them back. I am sure they will listen to your complaint, but do you really think they will believe that they have been worn so little. They have people trying to return worn out shoes often.

Denise in MI

 

[Golf4food]

New Balance. You can find them on sale at Kohls, etc. sometimes in the $40 range. Our last set we bought for around that price from Kohls and wore them for at least 3 years. We finally wore them out (they were not falling apart) and bought new ones from a New Balance store - those cost us around $100 each, but they are great shoes.

 

[hffmnheidi]

I love Sketchers. They can be a bit pricey, but I've found if I spend about 50 from their online site, they last a long time. My last pair-I wore for over 2 years and they just started wearing out this year and had to be replaced. I wore them nearly everyday of that 2 years and they went to WDW twice.

 

[indimom]

I don't expect money back on the sandals. I don't like the idea that they'll think I'm trying to pull a fast one. It's just aggrevating me. I checked the calendar to see exactly how long it's been since Eater (I gave them to her in her easter basket), and it's only been three weeks. And it's only been warm enough to wear them a handful of times. ERRRR... I guess what I really want is to complain. I'm going to see if Target's website has a place I can log a complaint.

Guess I'll be off to the shoe stores this weekend. Going to need two more pairs for the kids before our trip...

Thanks again.

 

[abmitch01]

I love Sierratradingpost.com for comfortable shoes, adults and kids. They have Dansko clogs, Keen, New Balance, Birks, Ecco and lots of other great brands at a significant discount. I also so well in the clearance section of DSW

 

[Evi]

If you have any outlet strips near you stick with the major brands on sneakers they do tend to last longer nike, reebok, new balance etc. alot of the outlets at least out here tend to run buy 1 get 1 free and offer steep markdowns. I'd also check out outlet stores for shoes or hitting up department stores at the end of a season when they have those 1 hour sales and they offer coupons. My Best friend purchased 3 pairs of full length uggs for $22 each at Macy's this year.