To expect shoes to last more than 2 months? (And to take them back each time?)

[rightsaidfrederickII]

I usually wear a pair of black ankle boots to work, but over the last couple of years or so I've found that they're wearing out ridiculously quickly. I work a semi-sedentary office job and wear different shoes to walk the dog, so I'm not exactly running marathons in them.

I typically buy Schuh or Office and usually they get to around two months old and then the sole will wear through or the sole will detach from the upper. The current pair cost £50 and have gone through in two months. Even a £150 (but reduced in the sale) Ted Baker pair didn't make it to the three month mark.

I keep taking them back for a refund on the basis that they're not of satisfactory quality / didn't last a reasonable period of time - partly because I can't keep parting with £50 every two months for work shoes alone, and partly to send a message about the shit quality they're selling, but from an environmental point of view it's awful as they keep going to landfill.

AIBU to expect at least 6 months wear from a modestly used pair of sensible shoes?

YANBU - shoes should last at least six months. Although it is not a straightforward rule but I do think the more you pay the better quality you get in return.
I would expect 6 to 12 months for a pair of shoes costing upwards of £50.

YANBU I’d be mighty miffed if I had to keep returning faulty goods like that left right and centre, what a bloody waste of your time as well.

I only buy “pricey” shoes and boots from Clarks now (admittedly it’s partly because I have massive size 9 feet) but also because they’re the only place where I’ve paid over
£50 for a pair that’ve lasted for more than 3-6 months. It it’s fashion tat from Asda, Shoe Zone etc then I expect it to not last more than the season, but if I’ve paid out nearly half a days earnings then they’d better last!

Have you tried taking them to a shoe repair shop? Just get some new soles put on them. Very old fashioned I know but there are still repairers about.

You need some Dr Martens, I have some that are 10 years old and they still look good
There are lots of styles available, not just the traditional DM look
I think that it is well worth paying for good shoes and boots; it might be a larger initial pay out but you won’t constantly buy cheaper, less durable shoes.

ankle boot

I recently wore a hole in my favourite shoes, but I bought them 18 months ago and have worn them a lot. They were hush puppies.
I'd expect a pair of cheapies from Primark to last longer that 2 months.

Office are shockingly bad quality

I agree with PP, Dr Martens are fantastic! I wear them constantly and they are still going strong (4 years).
My DS also has a pair that actually haven’t been scuffed yet!

Also I would see about visiting a podiatrist. Maybe you are walking abnormally and it is wearing out shoes quicker than they should be worn out?

Want to swap? I've been known to wear shoes non-stop and they always look pristine, which makes it very hard to satisfy my obsession with buying new ones. Especially wearing a hole in the sole - not going to happen, never. Sigh ....

Many female shoes are now designed to be impossible to reheel. We are assumed to be dumb broads who are happy to waste money and who enjoy shoe shopping.

Buy as cheap as possible ( says the shoe repairer in my town) and chuck. Yes, it is a terrible waste but there is no choice in smart shoes.

A shoe repair person would weep to read this thread . Normal slim soled shoes wear out quickly, just take them to a shoe repair shop, there are some in supermarkets you know.

Oh and it's best to wear different shoes or boots every other day for your foot health.

Shoes shouldn’t go to landfill when the sole or heel wear out. You take them to a cobbler and get them repaired. There’s a timpsons in most towns if no independent cobbler.

That's terrible special ,

Exactly museumum I spend much more than average on good shoes, it's worth it because they CAN be repaired.

I love office shoes. Lovely leather and leather inside so you can just resole them.

I read an article where they said that fashion shoes are only designed to be worn a few times before they need to be replaced. This includes certain very expensive designer whose shoes are designed to be worn from the car for a few steps to the venue etc, I always visualise this a red carpet. I bought a pair of ankle boots from an ethical clothing store an 4 years later they're still going strong

I've got some shoes that I have resoled, but they've been ones which have already lasted a good while and I'm confident will last a good amount of time again once resoled.

Office / Schuh shoes, on the other hand, seem to fall apart so quickly that once I've spent £20 having them resoled, something else will go. It's ultimately cheaper for me to take them back, get a full refund and then go and buy a new pair of shoes with that money (and I suspect that if I had them resoled they'd refuse a refund even if it was the leather that went a month later). I've tried Doc Martens (and actually own an old pair from my days of manual work) but they always feel so dreadfully clumpy and unfeminine to me, when I need to look reasonably smart - it's a customer facing role some days.

Really I just want mid-market shoe retailers to go and make shoes that last a reasonable length of time.

You can always sell your tatty shoes on Ebay.

I gage just thrown away a pair of cheap ankle boots from new look which lasted me 2 years! So yanbu!

I have a very comfy pair of ankle boots from Primani, i wear them every day and this is the third winter - and I'm dreadfully hard on footwear. These are indestructable; I do at least 15,000 steps a day

I bought my husband some fairly expensive boots from a brand via ASOS. They had £150 off the price tag but were still fairly spendy.
He probably wore them once a week for 3 months before the bloody heel wore down, he was going to get them reheeled when he realised the heel was basically made from cardboard! Ridiculous.

do ou have a weird walk or something? are you very.. dense? i’m still nursing along my favourite pair of £50 zaras from about 4 autumns ago. just had them resolved for the first time last week for 12.50

@bathghter - I'm not aware that I have a funny walk, though this thread is starting to make me wonder! Mind, it's usually the heel that goes rather than the inside / outside of the foot or something odd like that. Not overweight either - having tested recently, despite being an adult woman I comfortably fit into New Look's age 10-11 clothes (normally a size 8!)

Do you drive in them?

That has never happened to me. Not even after years of wearing them. Is there something wrong with the way you walk perhaps?