S/o s/of criminal shoe prices

amother

Forestgreen

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 1:30 am

OP how do you find such great deals? Not everyone has time to shop online looking for great buys....

I actually buy shoes from black velvet for $49.99 when they have their sales. I got weekday and shabbos shoes, and the quality is great.

As a side point, Brooklyn changed a lot. More affordable stores are opening. Kidichic, tottini, brits, designer spot.....
There are always going to be those in designer clothing, but this yom Tov I actually saw most of the kids dressed in clothing from the above stores.

sky

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 1:59 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I think we are getting away from my message. This is not about getting the "right" shoe (that concepts escapes me). This is about prioritizing expenses and stretching every dollar....

It seems that families with low-income/low earning potential/lots of expences cannot afford fancy Jewish 120$ pair kid's shoes. Therefore, I thought that finding quality shoes at lower prices, and thereby saving a few dollars would be their #1 priority. If their priority is recreating the above-mentioned "European look" (please do share photos as to what that entails exhastly)...then I am even more confused.

If I have a $100 for groceries for a week for a family of 10, I am not bying steak. I am buying lentils and rice....

No. I think if you are saying you do really well buying shoes for a 4 and 2 year old and buy 16 pairs. I’m not sure how amazing that is. Try for 13 year old boy. Pre-teen and teen girls. Many children. There becomes a point where it just isn’t as practical. I have 6 kids. Should I be buying 60 pairs of shoes to find the right one?
I started a thread on bargain shoes and I wasn’t the only one suffering from cheap shoes and having it cost more.

If I have $30 to spend on shoes and the pair I buy breaks in 7 weeks what do I have?

Don’t get me wrong I’m thrilled it works for you. I too won’t spend on shoes for kids of any ages. But there comes a point where budget shopping online doesn’t work that great.

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 4:54 am

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

I have $30 available on my credit card. #povertydoesthat

If you have 30 dollars in your account how will you pay for the shoes in a Jewish store when they are 100 dollars per pair?
Youll go into overdraft. That's exactly what you can do online aswell.

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 4:59 am

amother [ Burlywood ] wrote:

If you have 30 dollars in your account how will you pay for the shoes in a Jewish store when they are 100 dollars per pair?
Youll go into overdraft. That's exactly what you can do online aswell.

Ah, the luxury of such thinking. There is no overdraft on my card.

No, I will simply not buy shoes, despite the top separating from the bottom and the shoes being too tight. Then, as soon as there is $100 in the account, my maternal feelings will not allow me to pay any other bills before buying said child shoes. And so we will go until the next crisis.

amother

Burlywood

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 5:32 am

amother [ Fuchsia ] wrote:

You can still buy several shoes online for a 100 dollars when you have them. Seems like you just don't want to which obviously is your choice but not having money isn't a reason not to buy online.

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 5:43 am

amother [ Burlywood ] wrote:

You can still buy several shoes online for a 100 dollars when you have them. Seems like you just don't want to which obviously is your choice but not having money isn't a reason not to buy online.

Sure I could, if I could justify risking buying a few pairs of shoes, tying up our card, when they might all not fit, delaying the shoe purchase even more.

(I personally buy at Walmart or Target, but the same rule applies. THEORETICALLY I could get better deals, but practically I am stuck dealing with the crisis du jour with whatever $$ I have.)

DrMom

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 5:45 am

amother [ Cerulean ] wrote:

My husband is VERY European if his accent wasn't apparent from a mile away and he is constantly laughing at the in town interpretation of what Europeans wear or wore... I call it the American European look.

I also find the claim that the overpriced clothes in frum stores constitute a "European" style to be amusing.

I certainly don't recall any kids in any country in Europe which I have visited dressing this way at all.

Last edited by DrMom on Wed, Oct 16 2019, 8:56 am; edited 1 time in total

Simple1

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 7:35 am

I agree with others, sometimes you just have to spend the money. I remember once going into Stride Rite for one of my kids thinking I'll save money, but the only shoe that fit properly was an $80 shoe (a common brand in frum stores). I ended up buying it because I was there already, but I could've gotten a bigger selection in a frum store.

For Shabbos I'm usually able to find suitable shoes, and they don't need to be that strong because they don't wear them so much.

33055

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 7:57 am

My kids are older now. I didn't find the frum stores had such exclusive brands when my kids were little and I shopped for them. I could find the same brands elsewhere. I also was not pleased with the supposed magic fit and the returns only for store credit. And I don't like pushy salespeople and croweded stores.

People pay more at the frum stores for a variety of reasons. One being that this is what their moms did. The second is that it is convenient. The third is they don't have on line access. The fourth is they like to "air out" - get out of their house. The last reason is they don't have confidence in their taste. They want what everyone else has.

I dressed my kids from whatever store sold items that were a good value. I shop cut and fabric. I spend a fraction of what things cost in the frum stores. It also helps to have an eye for having some pieces fit to the child. That's why Princess Catherine can wear off the shelf items and look like she's in custom. I have an eye for upcoming trends. I also fill on with expensive pieces from time to time.

The proof this works that I live in town, and I was constantly asked for my children's old items while they were using them. They are known to be well dressed.

The on town frum style is a bit formal which is what other posters are calling European.

Raisin

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 8:03 am

DrMom wrote:

I also find the claim that the overpriced clothes in frum stores constitute a "European" style. I certainly don't recall any kids in any country in Europe which I have visited dressing this way at all.

Yes, european shops like H&M often have no formal clothing for children at all. (british shops might)

I buy my kids shoes in a (non Jewish) shop that has a fitting service. I buy about 2-3 pairs of good shoes per year that they wear every day. They don't necessarily have seperate shabbos shoes. Its important that kids wear well fitting shoes, I could care less about the fashion. I pay about $60-70 for shoes like this. Whenever I buy cheaper shoes from stores like next the quality is never as good.

I wouldn't buy shoes online unless I knew it fitted my kid. Eg if the shop only had that type of shoe in a different colour. I'm bad at returning things.

amother

Cerise

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 8:53 am

After having girls I have a ds. I thought it would be easier shopping for him in the department stores guess what he ripped 4 pairs of his sneakers! These were good sneakers but not the best out there. So this is what next happened when we tried Marshall's. For companies like rebox and Nike's we ran into other problems. His yeshivah has a rule about twhat colors sneakers are aloud to be. So that eliminated half the sneakers. It cant have white on the bottom, ok maybe we can try to bend that rule if the shoe is conservative enough maybe they wont care. Next problem, laces! I know years ago all shoes had laces. But it was different back then. We tried laces and my d.s kept ripping them. Tripple knotting them that took hours to open so now we are limited to velcro also. A quick Google search showed that I can buy sneakers online that fit all these criteria for $50, or buy in the Jewish store for $70 I voted for the more convienent option. It so much easier seeing the shoe in fro t of me seeing. And I know whatever the store is selling is of good quality.

singleagain

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 8:57 am

amother [ Cerise ] wrote:

Next problem, laces! I know years ago all shoes had laces. But it was different back then. We tried laces and my d.s kept ripping them. Tripple knotting them that took hours to open so now we are limited to velcro also.

There are no tie laces made of silicone.. That might be helpful in a situation like this

DIAGONAL ONE No Tie Shoelaces for Kids and Adults - Elastic Silicone Shoe Laces to Replace Your Shoe Strings. 20 Slip On Tieless Flat Silicon Sneakers Laces (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071.....YPXDZ

DrMom

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 9:05 am

amother [ Cerise ] wrote:

...For companies like rebox and Nike's we ran into other problems... Next problem, laces! I know years ago all shoes had laces. But it was different back then. We tried laces and my d.s kept ripping them. Tripple knotting them that took hours to open so now we are limited to velcro also.

I have one son who is pretty hard on shoelaces. I buy a pair of replacement shoelaces for a few cents when his rip or fray.

33055

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 9:10 am

amother [ Cerise ] wrote:

I had very good luck at the New Balance store on 17 for long wearing black sneakers with black on the bottom. They sell a higher quality New Balance sneaker there than you can buy in department stores or other places.

I also buy myself boys sneakers. They sell them also with the latest colors for $55 instead of the higher priced ladies sneakers.

southernbubby

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 9:30 am

Squishy wrote:

I am still wearing a pair of boys all black Nike shoes that I bought 3 years ago at a non-Jewish sneaker store in a non-Jewish part of Crown Heights. The shoes that I had worn to NY fell apart while I was there and I had not planned for a big expense. Boys shoes are $50 cheaper than women's for the identical style. I have changed the insoles a few times but got those on sale at drug stores.
I do agree that people who are involved in sports need to be careful about shoes in order not to develop injuries.

urban gypsy

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 9:50 am

amother [ Teal ] wrote:

Geox, stride rite, camper sneakers can work well for boys for weekday, but not for girls for school or for shabbos...

Geox makes beautiful formal shoes for boys and girls.
My son's Shabbos shoes are Geox and they've lasted very well into the second year.

I think a lot of the complaints about buying online come from three problems

1) People are disorganized shoppers. They wait until their kid can't fit into their shoes anymore before taking them shopping. If you buy one size up from what you need, you have the luxury of taking your time and enjoying the sales.

2) People are bad at keeping track of coupons, return deadlines, packing slips, etc. I guess this is part of the disorganized shoppers thing.

3) People are bad at reading size charts and user reviews. To shop online you need to get very good at measuring, comparing size charts, and seeing comments from other customers. You may even need to call customer service once in a while.

I only shop online, for everything for myself and my kids. I can't understand the mindset of schlepping around to stores when in a couple of clicks on my keyboard I literally have the entire world of products at my fingertips, but to each his own...

pinkpeonies

Wed, Oct 16 2019, 12:01 pm

I’ll tell you honestly why I do it...
I really really like the styles. Maybe I’m a conformist, a sheep, whatever you want to yell at me... but fashion always spoke to me from when I was really little. I enjoy dressing very in style and I enjoy dressing my kids in the latest European fashion. I set aside a big part of my budget for clothing and shoes (I am not irresponsible btw, I budget very exactly every month)
It’s something I value so I spend on it. If you don’t value it, then don’t do it!! It’s pretty simple