You’re not kidding, I can’t friggin’ believe how bad $70 sneakers can be these days. My shitty wal mart kids’ shoes for $10 or whatever in the ‘90s held up way better than a lot of these.

Oddly, the low end getting worse while prices also go up has made $200+ good leather shoes more attractive, LOL. Though I expect we’re about to either see most of those companies go out of business, or hike prices $100 or so in a short period of time, given post-2021 labor price increases. They’ve got to be hurting for margin right now.

I have two pairs of sneakers I wear for a lot of things. They get at least weekly use. Both are >4 years old. One was a pair of Sketchers I got for $40, the other was some pair that didn't even have a box I got for $9 at Walmart.

You don't say how long you wear them, how much you're on your feet wearing them, or how far you move wearing them. Shoes don't wear out (much) from being put on and taken off, and weekly use is light use.

On the flip side, four years is nothing. I have shoes I bought over thirty years ago, and all I've ever done is replace the insoles. Even the laces are original.

Trips to the office and general errands, work around the house and yard, walks through the park and neighborhood, playing with the kids at the playground, some light bike riding along with sometimes bike riding as a commute. Normal everyday wear stuff for an office drone. At least weekly, because I switch off between the two shoes (one's more grey and the other is black) and some flip flops depending on the weather for my general everyday wear. Some days I'll wear nicer shoes, some days I'll wear one of my pairs of boots, so its not really an every day thing to wear those shoes but each probably gets at least 2 days a week on average of all day wear.

I'd say over four years of this a few days a week on a $9 pair of sneakers is pretty decent. They'll likely hit at least six or seven before replacement.

And yeah, I have some nice dress shoes that I've had for twenty years that pretty much look like the day I bought them. They get worn like 2-3 times a year. I also have leather cowboy boots I bought over 15 years ago that had their heels replaced a couple of years ago and are otherwise still in great shape. Both were more than $9 though. I think the boots were like $110 back when I bought them at Cavender's. The comment I was replying to:

> I can’t friggin’ believe how bad $70 sneakers can be these days

Even in the 90s my sneakers usually fell apart within a few years, and I rarely even owned $70 sneakers back then even adjusted for inflation. These days I can get sneakers for about $15 that last just about as long as the sneakers I owned in the 90s. That's the equivalent of buying ~$6 shoes in 1990 by many inflation calculators.

These are my cheap sneakers, a little bit different but the same brand and general style:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Athletic-Works-Men-s-Banded-Jogge...

I've been disappointed in my $150 shoes that were made in the US. I'm about ready to get some leather and make my own.

Unfortunately, it costs $400+ these days to get quality shoes. It’s possible to find cheaper examples, but well made durable leather shoes are expensive if you buy them new.

We don't need to go back to the 1930s though. I have two pairs of leather winter boots that have lasted for a very long time now. How long these last obviously will depend on actual usage. I.e. keep in mind that these aren't work boots on a construction site. Just regular full leather winter boots for a HN type dude that drove to the train station and then walked to the office etc. plus some use for going on winter walks, going out for groceries, weekend activities etc.

One pair, $230, made in USA. Just looked it up, are now 10 years old. Perfectly fine and at this rate will last another 10, then be resoled and last another 20. These cost $440 now.

The other, which I used more often actually, made in I don't know where, are now almost 20 years old and still perfectly fine as well, tho the outsoles will need work soon.

I basically switch between the two whenever I need to wear some winter boots, except for when it's super cold, then I take out the Baffins, which are the only boots that have kept my feet warm no matter what.

In the same timeframe I've run through regular sneakers of the ~$50 kind from Costco about once per year (and I also keep 2 pairs around so I never have the same ones on two days in a row)

Rancourt starts around $200. Their styles lean casual, and their dressier options (and certainly their boots) cost more, but the construction and materials are really good.

Rancourt does make nice shoes for under $400, and so does Red Wing. Meermins are a Spanish brand you can get for under $400. Aside from that, it’s $400+ for Grant Stones and $600+ for Aldens, and even higher for Viberg, Edward Green, etc.

The desire to have a diverse and up to date wardrobe has changed whether someone is willing to only have one dress and if it is worth repairing. It’s not that people need to buy new every season, they want to. This puts downward pressure on price and quality.

People used to shop at goodwill or consignment shops. As a kid we went to church with a woman who never wore the same dress - it was affordable because she bought and sold on consignment most of the time - basically she was renting everything.

Vintage quality and style is back in, so there is a lot of clothing reuse in hip fashion. However, secondhand only works because people buy a surplus of clothing!

Secondhand only works when people buy clothing quality enough to be worth going secondhand.

People still do.