Poll: price of shoes and inflation?

RedTiger · March 5, 2015 6:53AM

A search turns up this bit:
the average price per pair of shoes was $1.46 in 1860, $1.32 in 1880, $1.22 in 1890, $1.19 in 1900

All of this was during a time when circulating money was silver and gold based. Factories and more cattle operations may have contributed to lower shoe prices, during the 40 year period, 1860 to 1900.

The poll is for my curiosity. What do folks here pay for their shoes? The old figures are likely for working class people, in days when most people had maybe two pairs of shoes (no sneakers yet). To make my math easy, say $25 is the equivalent price for $1 in old silver coin. So maybe today's equivalent of $40 in 1860, and $30 in 1900. Using a straight silver multiplier would make those numbers lower. Using gold conversion, higher.

derryb · March 5, 2015 7:00AM

flip flops here.

I did splurge on some baseball leather/stitching Borne's while visiting Coronado a few years back. Have about wore them out.

MsMorrisine · March 5, 2015 7:25AM

Depends

Everyday beat tennis shoes, I go for cheap name brand

I'd wear more expensive and dressier shoes if I felt safe and found some high end ones that'd size for my feet

bronco2078 · March 5, 2015 7:38AM

my 1907 Sears catalog says $1.89 a pair around double that in the 1927 catalog but a lot more choices

chumley · March 5, 2015 9:16AM

I wear Frye boots at $200 a pair or I go barefoot (my 1st pair bought in 1972 were $35)

nibanny · March 5, 2015 12:44PM

I usually pay $0 because I have a clothing allowance but when I need to buy shoes I tend to stay under $100.
I have always been in the fashion business, I never paid much for clothing and shoes.

TwoSides2aCoin · March 5, 2015 6:26PM

"Hand me downs" cost nothing.

"Foot me ups" , on the other hand are around a hundy

DrBuster · March 5, 2015 9:52PM

I said around $40 although it's probably less as I shop the deals. Now, I did just customize these and you have to pay for that, but the closeout deals I get bring the average way down despite spending custom money once in a while.

Coulport · March 5, 2015 10:26PM

I voted around $40 but only buy at that price rarely.

I tend to get cheap old fart Velcro strap or slip-on from Big 5 or Wally World.

bestmr · March 5, 2015 10:46PM

My last several pair have averaged around $40. However, hiking boots I tend to spend around $100.

ricko · March 6, 2015 12:49AM

Tony Llama boots when I was working....tactical shoes now that I spend a lot of time training on the shooting range...Cheers, RickO

Baley · March 6, 2015 1:51AM

flip flops are 10-25, sneaks are 30-60, light hikers are 50-100, good boots or dress shoes are 75-150 (rarely more), ski boots, rollerblades, motorcycle boots etc 200+

Justacommeman · March 6, 2015 2:00AM

Well I'm a woman shoe designer so I think each pair should be tied to an ounce of gold.

We do talk about this all the time. People just will not pay more for their everyday kicks. This go back 25 years. Most companies over that time kept the same price points. Some actually lowered them. The cost to make shoes has gone up. Wall St. demands higher margins. End results=====poorly made shoes.

Mark

topstuf · March 6, 2015 2:27AM

Tevas sandals are kinda up there around 70 bucks but thanks for the thread to let me know I can soon buy a pair with an ounce of gold.

JohnnyCache · March 6, 2015 3:44AM

I have been known to fall in love with a pair of shoes now and then.

I think to myself..., I just got to get my hands on those shoes

roadrunner · March 7, 2015 8:42AM

I replied with $80 only because the poll asked about "shoes" and not "sneakers," two very different things imo. I pay less than $30 for sneakers. I only buy a pair of good shoes every 5-10 years....don't wear them much.

RedTiger · March 7, 2015 10:47AM

Yes, shoes not sneakers, there were no sneakers in 1860 or 1900 even. No flip flops either. Barefoot was a common state for poor folks. That's where the cliche comes from "Daddy needs a new pair of shoes." Another bit of trivia is that in 1860 there was a single generic shoe last. There was no left, no right. Eventually, each shoes would wear to fit each foot.

Interesting that Teva sandals cost about as much as some other person's dress shoes. The $70 to $80 range is about the equivalent of the old time prices if using a straight gold conversion. A $20 gold piece would have bought about 14 pairs of shoes in 1860, about 18 in 1900, so right in that range for an ounce of gold today for $70 to $80 shoes. Another anomaly is the clump of data at $100, not $80 or $125. I think that speaks more to marketing, that around $100 is a popular price tag for shoes considered on the nice side, and the shoe sellers know this.

Thanks for participating.

secondrepublic · March 7, 2015 11:59PM

Chose $80 price point since I usually wear Ecco shoes. Most of the ones I've bought have been really comfortable and well made. They tend to run around $120 to $150 but I've snagged them on sale for less.

CaptHenway · March 8, 2015 1:30AM

As Mark Twain said, "There are lies, danmed lies, and statistics!"

My vote skewed the average because my polio affected my left foot enough that I have to wear special shoes. They now cost me about 30% more than they did 10 years ago, so for me inflation is very real.

Poll: price of shoes and inflation?

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