Complaining about an employee's shoes...

[Monterey Jack]

The brand of sneakers I buy are expensive, they're $60 a pair BUT they last a few years. So I'll go about 3 1/2 to 4 years before I have to buy a new pair.

Holy crap, what brand are they?! I'm lucky if a new pair of sneakers lasts me four months. Then again, I don't own a car and have to walk everywhere, and that wears out new shoes quickly...a week after I get a new pair, they already look worn out and dirty.

[XCashier]

"A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap books would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."

Cookie to who knows where that came from. I bet it's many of you...

Discworld! Yeah, when it comes to footwear, I'm Sybil Vimes and my husband is Samuel Vimes. He'll buy $10 sneakers every six months, I buy $40 sneakers that last four years.

It's not just money this time around; I have a difficult to find size (10W) and my favorite shoe manufacturer is putting out nothing but neon-colored monstrosities now. I have to find something that's comfortable, affordable and not hideous.

[Racket_Man]

I tend to wear a pair of shoes to tatters before I buy a new pair, because I'm not made of money. As long as the heels don't wear down to the point where it's effecting my gait as I walk, I don't give a crap about what they look like. If they're still comfortable, I'm not buying a new pair simply for aesthetic purposes. Try looking me in the EYE, and maybe you won't notice how shabby my footwear is by your standards.

In my job I am out in the weather ALL kinds of weather good and bad from snow storms to torrential rain. I also get all kinds of stuff splashed on them while doing trash, dishes, cleaning, etc. My shoes get soaked in water, snow, pizza sauce, mopping chemicals, etc. I walk, twist and stop short enough to wear down the soles at the balls of my feet. With all of the steps I take I shred the upper at point where the toes bend. Sometimes I will even tear off the sole from the upper.

I will not buy the more expensive work shoes (say $60 or more) because they just will NOT last longer than the less expensive (say $30). I bought one pair of the more expensive work shoes and it lasted me the normal 6 - 8 months the same as the less expensive pair.

Yes my shoes may not look the greatest and that should not really matter.

[Seshat]

Discworld! Yeah, when it comes to footwear, I'm Sybil Vimes and my husband is Samuel Vimes. He'll buy $10 sneakers every six months, I buy $40 sneakers that last four years.

The Vimes 'Boots' theory of economic unfairness.

[greek_jester]

"A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap books would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."

Cookie to who knows where that came from. I bet it's many of you...

Commander Sam Vimes, Discworld. I have used this quote to explain why it's worth splashing out sometimes in real life!

[EvilEmpryss]

Phht! I buy my shoes at thrift stores. They usually look brand new, they're already broken in, I spend only $3 to $5 per pair, and I can change up my look whenever I want with at least ten pairs for the same $40 someone spends on expensive shoes.

I have a "friend" who needed to go job hunting recently and was complaining that he didn't have any nice pants or shoes for interviews and couldn't afford to spend a hundred bucks for an interview outfit. I dragged his butt to the nearest thrift store and had him outfitted in a really sharp pair of dress slacks, a dress shirt, and dress shoes for less than $20.

He refused to buy any of it because they were all used. Prima donnas.

[dalesys]

...He refused to buy any of it because they were all used. Prima donnas.

He still believes in cooties?

[EvilEmpryss]

He believes that he's above such things, and wishes to live at a socioeconomic level which he cannot afford. He'd rather lose three weeks of job hunting to wait for his mother to give him some cash.

Mind you, he's a mentally and physically capable 38 year old, but he's still depending on Mommy to dress him for school.

[notalwaysright]

I had toenail fungus for years. I will never, ever buy used shoes. Sorry, don't care if it's been disinfected, or washed, or whatever. It was a horrible thing to have, and took nearly a year, two rounds of generic lamisil, and several blood tests before it was gone. You can get it from other people, and although the risk is probably really low, I can't bring myself to put my feet in other people's shoes.

[XCashier]

If I were buying shoes for a costume, and couldn't find them new, I'd buy them used. Otherwise, I need new, so they conform to my feet and not someone else's. Plus, as NAR pointed out, less risk of foot diseases.

[Slave to the Phone]

Oddly, I've found some work-caliber jikatabi that might be what I'm looking for (safety toes, thickish sole--seems to be slip-resistant). Generally I've found that when I'm walking/standing in tabi my posture is far better. My only question is will it be considered 'professional'...? (I'd love to be able to get a doctor's note saying I require this style of shoe for my back, but that's unlikely)

In my experience, doctors love writing those sort of notes. They do understand that shoes make a world of difference in quality of life. I know this because my doctors have always been willing to discuss my shoes with me and write notes if needed.

"A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap books would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet."

Cookie to who knows where that came from. I bet it's many of you...

Discworld! Its oh so true.

I wear Sketchers. Expensive, but oh so comfy. If I put anything else on my feet, my left foot starts hurting after about an hour and I'm limping after 4 hours.

My oldest pair is 6 years old and I paid $120 for them. They aren't even near to being worn out and as long as I remember to polish them with that liquid stuff every 6 months or so, they look great. That works out to $20 a year for shoes that I wear 4-5 days a week.

Sometimes I worry that I'm going to get kicked out of the girl's club because I only own 4 pair of shoes, and I don't want anymore.

[Sliceanddice]

Discworld! Yeah, when it comes to footwear, I'm Sybil Vimes and my husband is Samuel Vimes. He'll buy $10 sneakers every six months, I buy $40 sneakers that last four years.

It's not just money this time around; I have a difficult to find size (10W) and my favorite shoe manufacturer is putting out nothing but neon-colored monstrosities now. I have to find something that's comfortable, affordable and not hideous.

i recently bought two pairs of shoes for 3 dollars each. one is a pair of walking shoes/sneakers the other a pair or canvas shoes. the walking shoes have withstood a storm so bad that it looked like hurricane footage and the canvas ones only have a problem around the heels when driving. i like these shoes.

[workerbee222]

He believes that he's above such things, and wishes to live at a socioeconomic level which he cannot afford. He'd rather lose three weeks of job hunting to wait for his mother to give him some cash.

Mind you, he's a mentally and physically capable 38 year old, but he's still depending on Mommy to dress him for school.

I was at the dry cleaners, and a young woman came by to pick up a suit for her brother. It turned out there had been a mis-communication about where bro's suit was. Sister assumed it was at our location, but it was at our sister store, next town over. A hissy fit ensued. We offered to have the regular delivery driver pick it up and bring it to us, but it wouldn't be at our store until the next morning. Sis didn't want to drive to Next Town Over, and Bro needed the suit for an interview the next morning.

"What is he supposed to do?" she asked.

Cashier and I looked at each other after she left. "I dunno, learn to take care of his own clothes?"

[Mytical]

On the expensive vs cheap issue. In 1992 I bought a $10 pair of shoes. They lasted (and we are talking no tears/etc.. ie not 'new' looking but not shabby either) 10 years.. and the ONLY reason they lasted only 10 years is because somebody put them in a basement (no clue why) and the basement flooded. I've never found a pair of shoes since that lasted near that long (regardless of price). $1 a year for shoes.. now that is a deal.

[XCashier]

Sis didn't want to drive to Next Town Over, and Bro needed the suit for an interview the next morning.

"What is he supposed to do?" she asked.

Maybe get a sister who isn't a self-centered brat. Oh, such a hardship, driving to the next town over! It's not like you have to hitch the horses to the buggy; you've got a car. Unless the next town over is 50 miles away, what's the big deal?

I get this nonsense all the time. I tell a customer that our Nexttown store has the product they're looking for, and they whine, "I don't waaaaannnnnttttt to drive to Nexttooooowwwwnnnnn!" It's four miles down the freeway. If I can get my beat-to-hell ten-year-old car down there and back home, you can drive your 2016 Suburban Yuppie Tank there with no problems!