Cheap Shoes - False Economy?

linzibean

I've come to realise cheap shoes really are false economy. My grandmother bought me a lovely pair of Clarkes boots in an outlet store, and they lasted me two years (and I walk a lot!!). I bought a pair of cheap shoes for the office I worked in, and in a matter of weeks they looked too scruffy to wear even though I only really wore them at work, indoors! So now I save up and buy a decent pair of shoes maybe once every 18 months or so.

torbrex

I have to disagree, but I have to change my shoes every 4-5 weeks so it does not make sense for me to buy expensive shoes.

I have very sweaty feet and it is corrosive to the inner parts of my shoes, I have tried all different brands of shoes and inner soles but nothing has worked (please no advice, I have tried everything). I have found that a £10 pair of shoes lasts about 160-180 miles so I get 4 pairs every 6 months or so and throw them away as they wear out (from the inside).
One good thing, I save on polish as the shoes go out before they go dull.

Buffy_the_Vampire_Bat

Slight spin off from my making shoes fit thread...having wide toes I tend to buy my shoes and boots from Evans but in the sale...I do tend to wear the heels down a bit after 3-4 months regular wear, so I just get them re-heeled to make them last longer (I only seem to have a problem with the heels on Evans shoes, otherwise they last really well...I think the problem is more with me, then with Evans on the heel front though) So I'll spend between £5-£15 on shoes from Evans, £10-£25 on boots from Evans and usually get them re-heeled at least twice at £6 each time...which usually means after two re-heels I've still spent much less than the original price tag - e.g I bought a pair of boots in the sale in March - £15 instead of £70 - have had them re-heeled once at £6 - so they've got me £21 so far.

I personally don't like Clarks shoes as I generally find that the ones that are wide enough for my toes are really not me (as in they look like something my grandma would wear, no offence to anyone!)

Gytha_Ogg

I agree - it's too tempting to pick up shoes for a tenner, but most of the time they're not fit to wear after a couple of months. I bought some flat heel boots once that I loved, but after a few weeks the fabric split and one of the soles was loose - just a waste. (I miss them boots....)

I usually wear trainers or skate shoes, like Vans/Airwalks, which cost about £50 - I've had my current ones for about 3 years and wear them almost every day!

Aril

If you have small feet it's worth looking at the children's ranges in Clarks as there's no VAT on them. Perhaps not ones that are pink and glittery but some of them look v similar to adult ones. Other than that I buy at the end of the Clarks sale eg boots reduced from £70 to £15 or places like M&S or BHS do sturdy leather ones [I walk a lot of the time] From time to time I have also taken a new pair straight to the cobblers [don's snigger children!] and have had soles put on them immediately. For the small person I grit my teeth and pay full price at Clark's for school shoes but pick up trainers in the sale and put them away until he's grown into them [you need to know their width to do this] I keep my shoes polished and reheeled.
Aril

culpepper

I've found that it depends a lot on the wearer.
My last shoes were £10 bought in TJ.Hughes which is a sort of discount dept store.I wore them 3 years before they cracked across the sole. The uppers are fine so I could wear them in the garden when its dry .
My new ones are clarks and look new 4 months into wearing but cost about £65 which is the most I have ever paid for a pair of shoes for myself.
My daughter managed to ruin 2 new pairs about 2 months into using. The first pair we had replaced by the shop as faulty but the second pair were just her uneven walk(she has a lazy ankle) and had worn all on one side of the heel almost through to a hole.They were clarks. She now has 3 pairs of cheaper shoes which she rotates between wears. All of them are fine still after 6 months.
I look out for the better made and in good condition shoes (for myself)when I am in charity shops. That gives the best of both worlds as they are cheap to me but well made and durable.
My dad always bought 2 pairs and immediately had them soled over the new soles. He would rotate wear and have the sole replaced as it wore through.

carted00

A timely thread for me. My daughter (9) got a new pair of shoes for school and has worn them through in a month. We bought her another pair recently and they have gone after less than 2 weeks. Not particularly cheap at £20 a throw. The problem I have is she must walk on her heels because that's all that gets worn out.

Any suggestions for something with a very hardwearing rubber sole?

Darren

reehsetin

i still use a pair of kickers shoes i got over 5 years ago (my old school shoes) for work

they were about £60 and theyre only just starting to come apart, all the other ones ive had have tended to mess up after say 6months

Buffy_the_Vampire_Bat

I have to say though, I wouldn't ever buy shoes in Tesco again, after buying a pair of ballet pump style shoes last year which within an hour of my leaving the house in them, the little teeny heel started peeling away from the rest of the shoe :eek:

The sales assistant told me it was my fault for driving in them...needless to say I had a word with the manager about that one...

Culpepper...both my feet turn in so I also have a problem with the heels on shoes wearing unevenly...and I get this problem in all shoes. That's one of the reasons I try to buy the more expensive shoes in the sales and on eBay.

culpepper

Buffy_the_Vampire_Bat wrote: »

Culpepper...both my feet turn in so I also have a problem with the heels on shoes wearing unevenly...and I get this problem in all shoes. That's one of the reasons I try to buy the more expensive shoes in the sales and on eBay.

We tried one of those heel mending kits from woollies, the ones where you glue a new heel on. Unfortunately the way she walks(DD) flipped the newly glued heel off after about a week. She has some doctor martins which seem to be surviving really well.The soles are very durable on DM's.