Shoes
KatieBen
17th June 2009, 11:04 PM
Is it just me, or are shoes amazingly expensive over here?
Hubby was looking for a pair of slip-on ones, plain & comfy, nothing spectacular - cheapest he could find was $90! I'd probably spend about $25 on something similar in M&S. Are we looking in the wrong place? (Farmers) :confused:
beanbeanz
17th June 2009, 11:11 PM
Decent quality shoes are a lot more expensive. There just isn't a large enough market for prices to be competitive. I'd meant to pick up a pair of sandals while I was overseas during the summer, but forgot so ended up buying them here. Not only were they double the price (exchange rate factored in), but they were also available in only one colour; salesman told me that they just don't have the population size to facilitate the variety.
Unfortunate, but lesson learned ... buy shoes while on holiday (and clothes).
broadsword08
17th June 2009, 11:26 PM
good quality shoes are tremendously dear - stock up when in blighty... I came back with 12 pairs and customs did want to open my bags!
Ash3000
17th June 2009, 11:50 PM
yes, they are expensive in NZ :wah
if u want a cheap and quite comfy flip-flops check out at the number1 shoe warehouse
Ngeru
17th June 2009, 11:51 PM
$90 is a good price, for decent leather shoes you are generally looking at $150 -200 (even for sandals). :wah
Flutterby
18th June 2009, 01:21 AM
i would say that farmers is always expensive unless they have a sale on.
dusk
18th June 2009, 11:13 AM
cheap shoes that will last a few months - number 1 shoes are great for these ;) escpecially when they have buyone get one free offers.
persoanlly I brought a ton of shoes with me and Cj is living in one pair of expensive walking shoes from one of the shoe clinic places :laugh
cappuccino
18th June 2009, 11:17 AM
.... and shoe repairs are expensive here too!
Familyofmonkeys
18th June 2009, 01:06 PM
.... and shoe repairs are expensive here too!
We've found the opposite here......most repairs (new soles etc) are almost the same price in $ as they were in £ so far cheaper.
KerryS
18th June 2009, 02:11 PM
Yep - I find shoe repairs here incredibly economical. My local store even gives a 6 months guarantee on the work done - so if your heel wears down or pulls off (both of which seem to happen to me frequently!) then they will repair again for free. Great service!
I buy lots of shoes, and don't really think they are much more expensive than what I'd have paid in London for similar. You can get fantastic bargains in the sales too - I got an amazing pair of knee high leather riding boots for $150 at the weekend. Fantastic quality and really good leather. This was in a chain womenswear store. If you calculate cost per wear they're incredible value - far more so than some 'buy and throw' pair from No1Shoes or similar. I'm not keen on the disposable aspect of consumer goods, as I prefer to buy things to last from both an environmental aspect and because I only tend to buy things I like so want them to be durable.
dusk
18th June 2009, 05:41 PM
I buy some things that are classed as disposable wear (clothes and shoes) but I keep them and manage to make them last quite a long time usually :o:laugh
but i also tend to do a lot of my shopping in sales, some of my favourite clothes were bought this way and I love them just a little bit more because they were a bargain ;)
cappuccino
18th June 2009, 10:08 PM
We've found the opposite here......most repairs (new soles etc) are almost the same price in $ as they were in £ so far cheaper.
I just paid $48 for new soles and heals. I sure wouldn't have paid £48 in the UK!!!
akp713b
18th June 2009, 11:16 PM
Yes the shoe prices are shocking here. I've actually had a couple students at my decile 6 high school turn up to school in their summer sandals or no shoes at all, just socks, because their mums needed to wait to their next paycheck to buy them new school shoes. They wore socks because socks aren't allowed with the sandals and they said it was warmer to wear socks without shoes than sandals. This was during that incredible cold snap in late May.
925dancer
21st June 2009, 03:20 PM
I find if you convert it back it is much of a muchness but when you compare it relative to disposable income they are very very expensive. I used to buy new clothes and shoes all the time in the UK, mostly from New Look, Barratts, H&M and Topshop. Shopping the equivalent here, I haven't bought more than a cardy, a t-shirt and a pair of shoes, all from The Warehouse and all cleaned me out of my spending money for the week.
Bring on my pay rise!
shakyle2906
21st June 2009, 10:11 PM
Yes, No 1 Shoe Ware house are good for buy one get one frees, have had some nice pairs from K Mart also ..........
Sharon
KerryS
22nd June 2009, 01:09 PM
I find if you convert it back it is much of a muchness but when you compare it relative to disposable income they are very very expensive. I used to buy new clothes and shoes all the time in the UK, mostly from New Look, Barratts, H&M and Topshop. Shopping the equivalent here, I haven't bought more than a cardy, a t-shirt and a pair of shoes, all from The Warehouse and all cleaned me out of my spending money for the week.
Bring on my pay rise!
But this is only relevant if you have less disposable income. If your levels of disposable income are the same or greater then surely shoes should be considered good value.
Fretraer
23rd June 2009, 06:25 PM
Glad i read this. I think i should buy a few pairs before heading home.
Gran
23rd June 2009, 08:53 PM
If you want to buy the shoes in Farmers, just wait a week or so until they have one of their 20% and 30% discounts, usually on a Thursday, the ad will be in the paper!!
Familyofmonkeys
23rd June 2009, 10:15 PM
I just paid $48 for new soles and heals. I sure wouldn't have paid £48 in the UK!!!
:eek: I paid $15 last time I got some shoes resoled.
Bozeman
24th June 2009, 08:21 AM
The situation does make you scratch your head. I can order a pair of running shoes over the internet, have them shipped to my parents' home in the US (the company does not ship to NZ) and then have my parents ship them to me here for considerably less then it would cost me to buy them here - even when they are on "sale". I understand that we are tucked away in the corner of the world and that there is not a great deal of demand but even so there has to be some healthy profit margins at work.
(The last time I joined a discussion about saving money by procuring certain goods from outside NZ I was berated for not adapting to my new home. So, before anyone ties into me, let me make it clear that we like it here very much and no disloyalty to NZ is intended by my purchasing of runnng shoes from the US.)
Nathan
24th June 2009, 10:22 AM
...
(The last time I joined a discussion about saving money by procuring certain goods from outside NZ I was berated for not adapting to my new home. So, before anyone ties into me, let me make it clear that we like it here very much and no disloyalty to NZ is intended by my purchasing of runnng shoes from the US.)
The shoes were probably made in China anyway! :)
jeffanar
24th June 2009, 01:57 PM
I think I'll have to get some shoes made while I'm in Vietnam :D
I don't think shoe shopping here is awful, but shoe shopping in Sydney is heaven :nice1
Jacqi B
24th June 2009, 10:26 PM
I think I'll have to get some shoes made while I'm in Vietnam :D
I don't think shoe shopping here is awful, but shoe shopping in Sydney is heaven :nice1
I shall be stocking up on M&S shoes before I leave the UK. I shall have to remember to look for shoes when I visit Oz.
Farfields
24th June 2009, 11:06 PM
Try Dowsons. I got a good pair of mens slip on shoes 2 years ago. Claimed to be Italian made and cost $45 I think. Admittedly there is also a lot of crap in there but it shows that I'd is worth having a look evert now and then. More recently I got a great pair in Rodd & Gunn at 40% off during a sale, still cost $150 so they had better last 4+ years!
