Pink Fairy Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 If you shop at thrift stores for bargains, do you buy shoes there too? For some reason buying used shoes worn by strangers grosses me out in a way that buying used clothes doesn't. Set me straight--is this irrational? I want to know if I'm missing something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 If you shop at thrift stores for bargains, do you buy shoes there too? For some reason buying used shoes worn by strangers grosses me out in a way that buying used clothes doesn't. Set me straight--is this irrational? I want to know if I'm missing something. I can't buy used shoes, either. I think it's because I don't feel like I ever really can get them clean, and all I can think about is the fact that someone else had their dirty, nasty, sweaty feet in them. I think you're perfectly rational :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawn E Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I can't tell you whether it is irrational or not, but I can tell you you are not alone! I shopped consignment shops when Dh was in grad school and have continued because I can get great clothes at such a fantastic deal. However, I have never been able to buy shoes. It grosses me out, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I don't buy used shoes at thrift stores, but I have found new shoes at thrift stores! If you can tell that the sole is flawless and the shoe is new and the shoe fits... I am okay with it... But, I don't pick them up if they are used. That said, I did have friends once who gave us some used shoes. Knowing the family and the children and being little kid shoes, I did accept them and we did use them... hmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Well...I've never gotten as far as considering them--they're always way overpriced. I shop WM & Payless sales & clearance--$10 or less/pair. So there's no way I'm going to pay $7-$8/pair used, kwim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 If you shop at thrift stores for bargains, do you buy shoes there too? For some reason buying used shoes worn by strangers grosses me out in a way that buying used clothes doesn't. Set me straight--is this irrational? I want to know if I'm missing something. Not irrational and also better for growing feet to get new shoes that can "mold" to them and them alone :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I've bought some really cool docs at the goodwill for $15. For me, they're great! I probably have about 10 pairs and they are not "used" as you might think. Maybe a bit, but now they're molded to my feet:-) So, I guess it's what kind of shape and shoe you're talking about. When my parents were married, my father was totally embarrassed about my mom shopping at thrift stores. He asked my mom how much money he'd have to make for her to stop shopping at thrift stores, and she told him that there's no amount that he could make to have her stop. One of the seriously wealthiest couples we know goes thrift shopping together. With money comes freedom from peers! Who cares if you can afford $1000, if you can find it for $50! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RebeccaC Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Well, I have bought a pair of shoes but they were shoes that had never been worn still had original price tag on bottom of shoe. Main reason for this is it is a good way to get athletes feet or at least that is what I have been told. We do not buy used shoes or underwear, swimsuits, pjs and socks from thrift, garage, or yard sales. We also do not buy used or refitted mattresses. If it can be washed and is an outer garment I'll buy used but an ubelievable amount of clothes I just bought at a local thrift were new with the original tags still on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I love Goodwill for practically new boys' dress shoes! For myself, I can't remember ever finding anything that would meet my needs, although I do look. They would have to be like new for me to consider them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyable Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I'll buy used shoes at yard sales when I can see the family they've come from, and only when they look practically new. Most of the time we buy new from the store (we do hand them down from girl to girl if they have remained in good condition). Maybe we shouldn't but I've got enough other things to worry about.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Last night I bought sandals for next summer for my kids. The tags said 99 cents, and it was 25% off day. The sandals looked like they'd hardly ever been worn! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camy-7 boybarians 1 lady Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I don't have a problem buying them for myself and my smaller children, but when it comes to preteen and teenage boys or men's shoes....nah. Athletes foot and other such maladies come to my mind. Blessings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I love to shop the seasonal consignment sales in my area. I only buy shoes if they are in new or like new condition. If the soles are worn or the insides look dirty, I pass on them. The best shoes to look for are dressy shoes because they get so little wear. Think about all the people who only get dressed up for Christmas and Easter.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 For me it's not a cleanliness issue - shoes mould to the wearer's foot, so it doesn't seem right to buy them second hand when they are shaped to another foot. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 I do buy shoes at thrift stores, but only new ones. It is easy to tell if shoes are new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anissarobert Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 We buy used shoes at yard sales and thrift stores. Usually they are dressy shoes that have not had much wear. I don't buy athletic shoes, because they are in bad shape by that point. I get these on sale new. My dd has a huge selection of fun shoes that I bought at yard sales for $ .50-1.00 per pair. We have never had any problems with the shoes being molded to the wrong shape or anything, but I never buy leather, so man-made fabrics may wear differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 If you shop at thrift stores for bargains, do you buy shoes there too? For some reason buying used shoes worn by strangers grosses me out in a way that buying used clothes doesn't. Set me straight--is this irrational? I want to know if I'm missing something. I bought shoes when kiddo was little. I'd find Striderites that looked new. But, after about size 8, the shoes are always worn. Sometimes I can find great looking snow boots (we have snow once a year here). Shoes are easy to evaluate. Do they smell, are they worn at the heel, is the lace frayed. Really, shoes don't hide wear well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW in IL Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 unless, as some people pointed out, they are brand new with tags or obviously new. DS's doc says never buy used shoes because they seldom can be washed and infections are easy to pass through used shoes. Another reason is because shoes mold to one's foot. She said the same goes for passing shoes down among family members, something I had never thought of before. As far as shoes for DS goes, he has one pair of Crocs, one pair of sneakers, and one pair of boots. All are bought a bit big (also against doctor's advice but since DS hit a growth spurt about a year ago, I can't afford to buy him new shoes every month) and he's expected to make them last for at least a year (not talking about outgrowing them or regular wearing them out but about chewing on them, losing them, dragging his feet so he wears them out, etc). If he requests something more expensive (like name brand Crocs), it's with the understanding that they must last longer and will not be replaced before then. We also will not buy used underwear or socks (no matter how many times I'd wash it, I'd still be creeped out by it), and seldom will we buy used pajamas or bathing suits. Usually only for camp when I know he'll most likely lose said object. Used sheets or mattresses are other things I just can't bring myself to buy. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwilliams1922 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 If it can be washed and is an outer garment I'll buy used but an ubelievable amount of clothes I just bought at a local thrift were new with the original tags still on them. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delighted3 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 underwear, socks, and shoes :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 And I have some really strange, crazy ocd dc. They are all girls though and I think that they just find it really hard to pass up shoes. I don't seem to have the girl shoe gene but all my girls do. They can be magnetically sucked into a shoe store or dept. while chanting "shoes, shoes, shoes" in a trance. I have 4 girls and probably 50 pairs of girls shoes. I only buy needed shoes but they will spend their savings at the thrift store for extra shoes. They all get passed down too. My girls have blown our shoes from wearing them too much. I am funny about my shoes and have to guard them jealously. I once caught one of my girls wearing my brand-new, leather sandles outside in a rain storm. I almost had a fit. And my shoes all seem to mysteriously go missing so that when I try to leave them house I sometimes have to spend 10 minutes searching for a pair of my shoes. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I wear a particular SAS shoe because of nerve damage in one foot, and unfortunately they're over $100 new. I buy a pair anytime I run across them in a thrift store or on eBay. On eBay I ask specifically where they got them and how many times they were worn, and usually I pay only $30 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgilli3 Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 For me it's not a cleanliness issue - shoes mould to the wearer's foot, so it doesn't seem right to buy them second hand when they are shaped to another foot. Laura Thats my exactly my reasoning. I dont even pass shoes down between my own kids. They all wear their shoes down in different ways. Its new shoes...or nothing :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I won't buy used shoes and I won't let one dd pass hers down to her sister. The foot structure of every person is different. The wear on the shoe and the molding of the footbed could be problematic for the next wearer's foot. Then, of course, is the whole hygiene issue. ick,. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 If you shop at thrift stores for bargains, do you buy shoes there too? For some reason buying used shoes worn by strangers grosses me out in a way that buying used clothes doesn't. Set me straight--is this irrational? I want to know if I'm missing something. If not for used shoes my dc would be barefoot!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I always see shoes on lists of things you should NEVER buy used, right up there with car seats. It can really screw up your feet. The exception would be if the shoes were obviously not worn in, only worn once or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted October 29, 2008 Author Share Posted October 29, 2008 I've heard the thing about used shoes being bad for your feet--but I have to wonder. We pass on our shoes from kid to kid, and then give them to the cousins. So far so good, but since we are barefoot about 95% of the time they grow out of their shoes rather than wear them out. Maybe that rule only applies to shoes that have had a lot of wear. Anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in PA Posted October 29, 2008 Share Posted October 29, 2008 I buy kids' shoes, but not adults usually. Used shoes creep me out, but the kids don't seem to mind. Erica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shougmom Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 underwear, socks, and shoes :tongue_smilie: :iagree: ... or swimsuits! :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 :iagree: ... or swimsuits! :001_huh: And I will use all those things "used." Maybe I'm just gross!:D Really, though, if I were so picky, my dc wouldn't have clothes. I don't *buy* used underwear, but I take hand-me-downs. I imagine that used shoes are no worse for your feet than ill-fitting dollar store shoes. I wash the clothes and they wear them. Maybe it is because we really can't afford to buy stuff new. If we could, I might feel differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 I've bought used shoes for my kids at thrift shops fairly often, I have bought used shoes for myself a few times. I use lysol aersol spray in them to kill off anything. It may seem yucky but when you get as poor as we are, you have no choice. I do not buy under wear or bras used, and that is it. Everything else including shoes is fair game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 30, 2008 Share Posted October 30, 2008 It depends on what shape they're in. I've found new and almost new ones and have no problem getting those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.