Tom Shoes? Knock off brand?

[pixxi]

My daughter is turing 13yr old and she wants Tom shoes. I never even heard of them before. I looked them up online $54 WHAT! They look the the shoes you could get in the 80's for $3 (without the sparkles).

Are there any knock off brands out there? She wants black or pink sparkles.

 

[jvorhis]

I just got my daughter a pair of Bobs by sketchers at Kohls with the 30% off. They are almost the same thing as TOMS

 

[SaraJayne]

I just got my daughter a pair of Bobs by sketchers at Kohls with the 30% off. They are almost the same thing as TOMS

Yes, they are a blatant rip off of the TOMS.

OP, ask your DD why she wants the TOMS. Is it because of the company policy of "one for one"? Or does she just like the sparkle?

Every time a pair of TOMS shoes is purchased, the company founder will donate another pair of shoes to children around the world that need them.

http://www.toms.com/our-movement

 

[Que_Sarah_Sarah]

FYI: Part of the reason the Toms are more expensive than similar brands (like Bobs) is because they are made out of better material. The insoles shape to your feet (leather) and the canvas outside is quite sturdy. I buy them because my feet are done growing and I know that I can wear them like crazy for a year or so. If her feet are still growing or you think these will just be "fad" shoes, go for a less expensive brand. If you feel like she'll want to wear them for a decent amount of time, you may want to pay the extra for the Toms.

 

[Disneylush]

I look at it as I am paying for 2 pairs of shoes. One for me and one for a child in need. I would spend 27.00

 

[sk!mom]

My daughter is turing 13yr old and she wants Tom shoes. I never even heard of them before. I looked them up online $54 WHAT! They look the the shoes you could get in the 80's for $3 (without the sparkles).

Are there any knock off brands out there? She wants black or pink sparkles.

Yes, there are knock offs- Bobs. However for a 13 year old, I would make sure that she will be happy with knock offs. My DD15 would want Toms or nothing- not a knockoff.

 

[girli565]

Yes, there are knock offs- Bobs. However for a 13 year old, I would make sure that she will be happy with knock offs. My DD15 would want Toms or nothing- not a knockoff.

I was just going to say this! i know myself at 13 and I'd never wear the knock off. Ask her first.

 

[danielle79]

My fourteen year old also wanted a pair, yes they are a fad right now but also a great cause! I saved up a bit and bought each of us a pair, we saw people at the zoo with them on and we all knew we did something good just by buying a couple pairs of shoes!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

FYI, for every pair of Skechers Bobs you buy, they donate a pair to a child in need too. So at least they're also knocking off the charitable part . I'm not a fan of the style of the shoe, but I did notice this the other day when looking for shoes on shoebuy.com.

Also, when I was living on my parent's dime as a teenager, I, too, would only "tolerate" certain branded items. If I couldn't get the brand I wanted (of certain things), I'd rather not have it at all.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Yes, there are knock offs- Bobs. However for a 13 year old, I would make sure that she will be happy with knock offs. My DD15 would want Toms or nothing- not a knockoff.

Especially if it is a gift, be sure she will be happy with the knockoffs. DD12 was fine with Costco fake Uggs (even after having a pair of real Uggs), but she saved her money for real Toms.

 

[LJSquishy]

TOMS has a great charitable program that you are supporting when you make a purchase. Honestly, if your budget allows for $50 shoes, I would definitely get them for her. When I was her age I always did get high quality shoes and really appreciated them. I took good care of (and still do) all of my shoes and they lasted a really long time. Higher quality shoes really are made with better materials and are better for her feet. I can't even walk a block in a pair of Payless shoes! LOL! Okay, I can, but their shoes are crap.

The Skechers Bob shoes are basically the same thing; I'm not sure of their pricing, though. And...Skechers are decent quality shoes, so if she likes one of the Bob styles, that might work also.

 

[Ephany]

Can you wear Toms even if you have wide feet? I like the charitable idea, but don't want to order shoes I can't wear.

 

[cornflake]

Can you wear Toms even if you have wide feet? I like the charitable idea, but don't want to order shoes I can't wear.

Dunno but Whole Foods stocks them (at least the ones here do) so you can try them on if there's a WF near you.

 

[jiminy14]

Check www.nordstrom.com I have purchased genuine TOMS there for myself and my DD for 50% off when they have a sale. There aren't any on sale right now but if you keep checking the site you may get lucky. The Nordstrom stores also put older patterns on sale from time to time. I purchased the TOMS sneakers there for my DD and paid about $30. BTW...the shoes I purchased were adult sizes, not kids.

 

[HM]

I'm also in the camp of those that think you'd better talk to her about her willingness to wear knock-offs. My DD would not. She has a pair of Toms (her feet have stopped growing) that we bought last summer for her birthday and have been worn a lot. They still look really good. I was surprised.

 

[si-am]

Bobs are really cheesy because not only are they copying the style, but also ripping off the name and charity angle, etc. I can't imagine any teenage girl willing to be seen wearing them.

 

[Priorityonecb]

A tip that saves us money on our teenagers Tom's. If you read the website reviews for the Youth sizes, it says if you wear a size 6 womans (as my daughter does), a size 4 Youth will work perfectly. It absolutely does!! Both my daughters Toms are youth 4, and they fit great! They are usually about $20 cheaper than the adult sizes!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Bobs are really cheesy because not only are they copying the style, but also ripping off the name and charity angle, etc. I can't imagine any teenage girl willing to be seen wearing them.

It's capitalism, free market and I'm all for it, how sad it would be if only one company made shoes and we had no choice.

I agree with those that say she's a teenager, she may not be excited about Bob's, Joe's, Tim's... if her feet are done growing, they'd last a while *or until the Tom fad is over. My Doc Marten's and Simple shoes lasted all through H.S.

 

[KayMouse]

It's capitalism, free market and I'm all for it, how sad it would be if only one company made shoes and we had no choice.

True, but to go so far as to have the EXACT same box and Logo is a bit much IMO. That's just shady on Sketcher's part. And their shoes are only $15-$20 cheaper. For that, I'd rather have the real thing.

 

[dsnymomof4]

A tip that saves us money on our teenagers Tom's. If you read the website reviews for the Youth sizes, it says if you wear a size 6 womans (as my daughter does), a size 4 Youth will work perfectly. It absolutely does!! Both my daughters Toms are youth 4, and they fit great! They are usually about $20 cheaper than the adult sizes!

This is exactly what I was going to say! My DD14 gets the youth size 5.5 - which is like a woman's 7.5. Unfortunately, they don't offer quite the same styles in the youth, but for your basic colors, they're perfect!

Also, do a search for a Toms code - I just ordered a pair last week and found a code for $5 off.