No, I. Goldberg, I’m Not Paying $40.00 for a Pair of Converse All-Star High-Tops.
I went down to I. Goldberg today to pick up a pair of Converse All-Stars today. You know the shoe: canvas uppers, rubber sole, metal grommet eyelets and vents. I have a soft spot for them dating back to my punk-rock skater days, and in fact wear them at my rockabilly gigs for a little 50s punk flair. the pair I have is wearing out quickly, and I need to replace them.
Let’s make one thing clear about the All-Star: despite the shoe’s classic looks, these are not quality footwear. The canvas is thin and tears easily. There’s neither ankle nor arch support, and the eyelets have a bad habit of popping out. They fall apart, a tribute to their cheap manufacture.
And yet these shoes go for $40.00 at I. Goldberg. And the low-top version goes for an inexplicable $50.00!!!
I was planning on tearing the I. Goldberg company a new asshole for gouging their customers, but when I looked into buying them straight from the converse company, they were closer to $45.00.
With all due respect Converse, WTF? The All-Star, if it were properly named, would probably be the “No-Star”. They are not made from durable, long-lasting materials. They’re not even particularly good for your feet! The one thing they have going for them is the classic look, and as a function before form kinda guy, that is not enough to convince me to buy your shoe. Not when I can get something that looks exactly the same for far less at my local Payless Shoes. Not when I can find a used pair for $5.00 or less at my local thrift store.
On my facebook page, a friend quipped “Ohh, I get it: you think the price of things is related to their WORTH?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA”.
he’s got a point: as a society, we don’t necessarily price anything by what it’s worth anymore. depending on where you shop, you can buy a flat screen TV for the same price as buying 100 12-ounce cans of Coca-Cola. For that matter, depending on where you shop, that same 12-ounce can of Coke costs as much as a 16-ounce bottle. Prices are just warped by so many factors, from the emphasis on brand over quality, to the Returning to the price of shoes, I can buy Airwalk’s imitation of the Converse-All-Star, identical in every way from materials to place of manufacture, except for the circle-star logo, for about $20.00 less than Converse. Is that little patch on the side REALLY worth an additional $20.00?
Not to this guy. I turned around and walked out of the store. I didn’t even buy the wallet I’d planned on getting, or the Wrangler cowboy cut jeans i like so much. I know I can get both of those things cheaper if I look around. as for the Converse, I found out the company’s owned by Nike, a corporation with a reputation for labor abuses and sweatshop slavery. I’ll either buy my shoes used, or go with an entirely different (and cheaper) brand.
July 27th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Broke my heart when Converse moved their shoe manufacture operations to China. I can’t buy them any more, though I have fond memories of the pairs I wore when I was a teen.