$32.59!
Manolo says, the Manolo was reading this inspirational article about the man who became the cobbler in middle age, when he came across these most shocking paragraphs.
Last year’s average retail price of a dress shoe — men’s, women’s and children’s — was $32.59, according to the NPD Group Inc., a market research company in Port Washington, N.Y. Dress casual shoes were even cheaper, averaging $30.46 a pair.
That’s considerably less than the $40 to $45 that most shops charge to put on a set of half soles and heels.
Also, dressier shoes make up a dwindling percentage of footwear sales. Last year, dress and dress casual shoe sales were $10.7 billion, roughly half of what Americans paid for sneakers and other athletic footwear.
The average cost of the dress shoes is $32.59!?! The Manolo does not even pay that little for his socks!
This is the catastrophe!
Millions of the Americans are going about their business terribly, horribly, wickedly ill-shod. It is no wonder so many peoples have the persistent foot problems. If you are putting your foot into the $32.59 dress shoe you are asking for the serious trouble.
April 24th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Manolo,
I agree that a $32 shoe is less likely to be well-made out of high quality materials, meaning that it probably won’t last as long and is likely to be less fashionable. But I have to wonder at what price point does the quality drastically change? For many women of fairly limited means, spending more than $50 or $100 on a shoe isn’t an option… does one really need to get into the designer range to find a shoe that won’t give the wearer foot problems? Wouldn’t a pair of Dr. Scholls inserts and a shoe that fits fix the problem? And aren’t women who frequently wear very high heeled (particularly stiletto) shoes going to have foot problems, whether they’re Manolos or Payless? I can understand why a cheaper shoe is more likely to give you problems, but I’ve always heard that it’s more of a problem of lack of heel support (meaning the style of the shoe) rather than the shoe’s construction.
Love,
Meg
April 24th, 2007 at 8:56 am
$40-45 to put on heels? I don’t think so! My local cobbler charges $20 for half-soles; add heels and it’s $25-30 total.
April 24th, 2007 at 8:58 am
The Manolo is so very right about the inspirational nature of that article. I grew up with tiny tiny shoe repair shops in my neighborhood, and I have despaired at their loss.
April 24th, 2007 at 9:03 am
thank god for the T. J. Maxx? :)
April 24th, 2007 at 10:37 am
Amen to the T J Maxx! If only I could find my size there more often. I agree that a proper fit goes far in ensuring better foot comfort and health, and I find the difference begins to surface at around the $75-$100 price point. I’ve known the pain of the low income-tough shoe fit dilemma, so I usually held out for shoes that truly fit, even if it meant having very few pairs. Meanwhile, my sisters pop into whatever low-priced shoe palace which carries the cute trend of the moment!?! My mother always made sure my shoes fit well when I was young, and I’m sure my feet are happier for it. However, with oddball size, one generally has to pay much more than $32!!!!
April 24th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Also, the balance of my costlier shoes is better, so they distribute my body’s weight more efficiently, and I can more comfortably wear the highest heels among these shoes for several more hours than my cheapies!
April 24th, 2007 at 11:35 am
We also have to remember the price point at Wal Mart. Those $32 shoes may be the high end, relatively well made shoe at that store. They are basically a pair of black sneakers, made in China. That consumer could walk into Payless and get a similar shoe for $20 but is choosing to get a “better quality” shoe at $32.
You are so right about poorly made shoes and back issues, but what is that guy to do?
April 24th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
The Payless shoes, while generally made with nonbreathable synthetic uppers and completely lacking in padding and arch support, have gotten me out of a sticky predicament more than once. If you wear a size 12, there is really no other store where you can walk in and buy a pair of shoes to match the dress you’re wearing to that party in 2 hours. Until Zappos opens a gigantic warehouse in Southern California with sizes 11-13 only, I shall have to remain loyal.
April 24th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
How about the $80 shoe marked down to $29.95? All hail DSW!
April 24th, 2007 at 2:01 pm
How about $199 short boots marked down to $29.95? All hail DSW!
April 24th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Haha, my parents raised me well. They refuse to let me wear cheap shoes. We’re Chinese and we can spot shoddy Chinese handiwork from a mile away. They both spend lots of time on their feet so it’s not just a matter of balance but also of the weight - a pair of Steve Maddens is like wearing the proverbial “cement overshoe” when compared with a pair of Blahniks.
April 24th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
I think it is all a matter of priorities. Since I value both the aesthetic and quality aspects of the super fantastic shoes, I save money to buy them. I only have a few pairs of shoes, but since they are all well made it is all I need. I would much rather have 5 pairs of $200 shoes than 40 pairs of $25 shoes.
April 25th, 2007 at 1:18 am
No no, you have all misunderstood. The shoes that are under $40, they are not dress shoes at all. They are “dress-casuals.” Some of my friends tell me, “But they are more comfortable.” They are not wearing good shoes, and have not tried them. Spectacular shoes cost a fortune and are so comfortable you can’t believe it. Decent real shoes cost a lot and are very comfortable. Bad shoes cost a fair bit, as in $50, and are uncomfortable. Really awful shoes cost very little, are sort of comfortable if you have no arches, last about a month before collapsing, and look like you put your foot in a garbage bag. If you want shoes like this, put your foot in a garbage bag — it’s cheap. If you don’t mind the color, try the bags that you get from the supermarket, which are free. What, not excited yet? You’re saving money! Isn’t that enough? You really want to save, just buy a black permanent marker and color your feet — black goes with everything, you know. Or, of course, you could buy real shoes, treat them right, and find that they love you back.
When you get a kitten, how long does it take before he really becomes your friend? What do you do — do you feed him, pet him, play with him, make him know he is loved? And what did that kitten cost you, if you had an ounce of decency and had him fixed and got him his rabies shots — $100? $200? If some sort of ridiculous fancy breed, $500? Then you feed him. Now how much? I won’t talk about some $1000 dog who eats like a horse. Think, all the time, how much your shoes love you. If you bought good shoes, they cost you $100 at least, and probably more. And then they cost you nothing but shoe trees and polish. But they love you, and they kiss your feet, and they make your feet happy. What more could you ask?
As Manolo might put it, the shoes, they are your friends. Lovers, ayyyyy, that gets kinky.
April 25th, 2007 at 8:00 am
I have the perfect solution. I almost never spend more than 30$ on my shoes and i walk around in manolos, prada, alaia, feragamo etc. I am in charge of the shoe section of a wonderful second hand store in Cambridge, MA. We have wonderful shoes pretty much all under 20$. Most are barely worn, unless your foot is size 11+ in whih case Payless is a godsend, there is no reason for ANYONE to wear cheap illfitting shoes. I am sure there must be similar stores in other cities.
April 25th, 2007 at 11:26 am
La Petite Acadienne has had much luck lately with the shoes of the Naturalizer. They used to be very…grand-mère, but have definitely started carrying more stylish items (or perhaps they simply look more stylish as I get older! Ha!) At any rate, they carry nice classics and a good range of sizes/widths.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:46 am
Unfortunately, you never know if shoes will be comfortable until you’ve worn them too much to return them. If price and comfort were perfectly correlated, this wouldn’t be a problem. But as far as I can tell, there’s not much correlation. Or maybe I just have weird feet, just as my podiatrist claims (in more polite and scientific terms).
April 30th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
La BellaDonna, she just had her beloved Buttero boots reheeled again, and this time, she had the heel taps put on. With the polishing, the total was $20 (and another $10 that she tipped the gentleman who put the excellent shine on her boots). Another year or two, and La BellaDonna will have spent as much on reheeling her boots as she spent on them originally. They are superb boots, gotten on sale, and she does her best to prolong the life of her two faithful supporters. La BellaDonna, she does not have the money for the $500 boots - or even the $300 boots - so she makes up for it with the serious hunting for the sale and the second hand.