Clark's Big Book of Bargains (12 page)

* SHOES *

Women’s Shoes

Women’s shoes are far, far less expensive than they used to be, so much so that women can now buy a very fine pair of shoes for about $25. There’s a tremendous variety and quality in that price range, so why pay more?

The lead character of the television comedy
Sex and the City,
Carrie Bradshaw, is crazy about shoes. She’s always spending $400 on a pair of designer shoes. Of course the show is about the luxury lifestyle, with all four lead characters eating, drinking, and buying high-fashion clothes and wasting an incredible amount of money. In a very telling episode, Carrie almost loses her New York apartment because, while she has plenty of money to spend on shoes, she doesn’t have enough, or good-enough credit, to buy her apartment when it goes co-op.

The reason shoes are so cheap today is that most are made overseas, where labor is far less expensive. Thirty years ago, almost all shoes sold here were made in the United States. Today, only 6 percent of shoes are made in the States. I’m in favor of free trade, so that’s fine with me. But I recognize that some people are saddened by the decline of that business in the United States.

Just as consumers have moved away from department stores for many purchases, they have moved to specialty stores for shoes. There are expensive specialty stores like those in
Sex and the City,
but for the most part the specialty shoe stores are like the giant “category killer” stores that now dominate many other retail sectors. DSW, Designer Shoe Warehouse, is a well-known chain that sells a wide variety of excellent-quality shoes for about $25. A pair of Coach sandals that originally sold for $115 was recently on clearance at DSW for $28. Payless Shoe Source is another place to look, as is Target, which sells great shoes for as little as $12.

As prices drop, there’s a risk of buying too many shoes. You may end up with 70 different pairs of black shoes, each a little different from another. If you reach the point where you can wear each pair only a couple of times a year, you probably have too many shoes.

Men’s Shoes

Men rarely own more than ten pairs of shoes, and prices for those have dropped as well. I have three pairs of black loafers and I bought them at Costco for $15, $24, and $29. They don’t sell them anymore. When I saw them go on clearance, I should have bought more.

One way to save on men’s shoes is to look in the boys’ department of the shoe store. Boys’ shoes are almost always cheaper than men’s shoes, even though the shoes may be exactly the same. That’s because people won’t pay as much for children’s shoes. Children are so big now that many of the sizes overlap the adult sizes. Some kids wear size 15 shoes, bigger than almost any adult. I wear a size 11 and I’ve bought dress shoes and running shoes in the boys’ department and saved about a third on the adult price. I bought a pair of brand-name Bass Weejuns in the boys’ department for $34. Normally, they’re $50 to $60 or more.

Men used to get their expensive dress shoes reheeled and resoled occasionally as they wore down. But shoes are so much cheaper, and shoe repair more expensive, that few people get shoes repaired any more. It usually doesn’t make financial sense to get shoes fixed, especially men’s shoes.

I wear running shoes far more often than dress shoes, because I like to run and I’m more comfortable wearing running shoes. Normally, I’m perfectly willing to accept lower quality for lower price. But I can’t do that with running shoes. They have to fit comfortably and protect my feet and the rest of my body when I run. I learned that the hard way because I used to wear extra-cheap running shoes, and I injured myself because of them. The doctor put the blame squarely on those cheap shoes.

But I’m still able to save on running shoes. I buy very good quality shoes, but in last year’s styles. If you think clothing is fashion-oriented, running-shoe wear is much worse. And prices gyrate wildly based on what’s in and what isn’t. So I buy all the misses—last year’s hot color or the style nobody wanted. I’ll usually pay $34 to $44 for very good running shoes. That’s far less than the $200 some shoes now cost. A lot of guys have a closet full of fashionable athletic shoes. I benefit from being unfashionable.

You can find running shoes in sporting goods stores—although they’re often overpriced—as well as warehouse clubs and discount stores. Outlet malls actually are a good place to score a deal on running shoes.

If you’re not a runner, and you wear athletic shoes mostly to walk around in, the most important thing is to find a shoe that’s comfortable. The price of those could be a whole lot less. Costco has its own brand of walking shoe that sells for as little as $12 to $15. My co-author, Mark Meltzer, certainly no shoe collector, likes to wear a pair of vintage white Converse All Stars he bought at Sports Authority for $25.

Kids’ Shoes

Parents will do what they want, but I think you’re crazy to spend a lot of money on kids’ shoes. Their feet just grow too quickly. Children two to three years old will change sizes three times a year. School-age kids change sizes once a year.

Hand-me-down shoes make sense within a family, but you’re probably not going to be excited about buying secondhand shoes for your children.

The best solution is buying shoes at Wal-Mart or Target, which have huge children’s shoe departments and terrific prices. For a young child, you can get shoes for $3 to $8 a pair. As the kids get older, into school age, $13 to $18 is a good range.

I bought a pair of shoes for my younger daughter, Stephanie, for $5. They’re good shoes, nicer than I would usually get, but they were marked down from $29 because they have a Pokémon logo on them and Pokémon isn’t the red-hot phenomenon it was a few years ago. But what does she care? She’s two and a half.

Parents sometimes worry that inexpensive shoes won’t provide the proper support for a child’s feet. But pediatrician Dr. Bob Kim says there isn’t much to worry about, as long as your child’s feet are normal to begin with. Children less than one year old don’t need shoes at all, other than maybe to protect them from the cold when they’re outdoors. For toddlers and pre-schoolers, there’s no particular advantage to better-made shoes. When children reach school age and start playing soccer and other sports, all you have to do is look for athletic shoes that have a firm sole—rather than a spongy one—to provide proper support.

It helps to make sure your children’s shoes fit right. The length should be about a half inch longer than the child’s big toe and the width should allow you to pinch a little bit of the child’s sneaker. The shoe should be snug enough to keep the heel from flopping up and down.

• Tips on Shoes •

• Buy quality women’s shoes for $25 or less at such stores as DSW, Designer Shoe Warehouse, Payless Shoe Source, and Target.
  

• Save on men’s shoes by looking in the boys’ department of the shoe store.
  

• Shoes are so cheap now that it usually doesn’t make financial sense to get them fixed, especially men’s shoes.
  

• Save on running shoes by buying last year’s hot color or the style nobody wanted.
  

• For children, hand-me-down shoes make sense within a family. Or buy from Wal-Mart or Target, which have huge children’s shoe departments and terrific prices.
  

* HAIRCUTS *

You can spend a lot of money getting your hair cut. But there are lots of ways to save.

Unless you have difficult-to-cut hair, there’s no reason not to go to one of the chains that generally charge $10 to $15 for a haircut. They include Great Clips, Hair Cuttery, and Fantastic Sam’s. Usually you get a great haircut, and it’s not expensive.

If you go to a salon instead, you’ll pay for the fancy environment rather than the haircut. Women have told me they’ve had terrible haircuts that cost $60 or more.

If you don’t want to go to a chain, try to find a smaller place in your neighborhood. That probably will be cheaper than a big salon. Some salons also have training salons affiliated with them. They have people who have been haircutters for years, but are training for a chair at the expensive salon.

Or look for salons that need models to try different hairstyles. For almost nothing, you can get a haircut for which others might pay $200. They’re more likely to choose you if you are willing to accept a major change in your style, but they’ll do a minor change as well.

Another alternative is a haircutting school. They have beginning haircutters who are being supervised by experienced cutters. They’ll give you a good haircut at a great price.

I’d skip the school if you’re looking for a cheaper way to get your hair colored. An inexperienced colorist can really mess up your hair. But you should be fine with a colorist who is training at one of the salon affiliates. The cheapest way is to use a store-bought hair color product, but the result is an all-one-color look that isn’t as natural-looking as what a colorist can provide. If you’re worried that it won’t look good, try one of the semi-permanent products that wash out after three or four shampoos.

One of the simplest ways to save when you get your hair cut is to avoid buying the high-priced shampoos and other products they sell at the salon. That stuff is pure profit for the shop.