by Hope
Last night, Beauty and I drove to the outlets about an hour from us. The intention was to find me some good, supportive non-slip work shoes for my part time job at the fast food restaurant. I have two pairs that they provided for me. However, after 6 months, my back is KILLING me.
I am certainly not used to standing for hours and hours on end. Okay, it’s typically 3-6 hours several times a week. But I’ve not done that in over 3 decades. And now I dread going to work there because of the pain I know will come. (Also, the pair that is the most comfortable now smells terrible, but that’s a whole other issue I have to figure out.)
So off to Sketchers we went…
Holy Cow, the cost of Work Shoes
Now I know that Walmart has non-slip shoes. The kids all purchased their fast food job shoes there. But I had heard such good things about the comfort of Sketchers and figured that is what I need to help with my back pain – support and comfort!
When I tell you that I was shocked at the cost of those shoes. My jaw dropped.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for buying quality and willing to pay for it. But in my pretty extensive experience having watched all 5 of my kids work full time jobs over the years that required these shoes…they don’t last. They have to be replaced fairly regularly. And not a single pair was less than $65 and most were $85+.
These jobs pay little more than minimum wage and most workers are part time. For instance, I make between $100-200 every two weeks. Not a lot of money.
My Daughter Pointed It Out
As I proceeded to try some of them on, it was my daughter who pointed it out. “Mom, you are going to spend more on shoes, then you make in two weeks. And you know you will have to replace them in a few months. They get wet and smelly.” (A wise girl, I wonder where she gets that wisdom?! – I’m joking goes, don’t jump on me.)
I thought I found a pair that were $64, but then realized they were not NON-SLIP. So I left empty handed.
We tried three more stores with no luck.
Tough It Out
I’ve reconsidered and decided to tough it out for at least a while longer. I have other things I would prefer to spend that kind of money on. It was nice to get out of the house. But it doesn’t make sense to spend 1/2 of a month’s income on a pair of shoes that I will most likely need to replace by the end of the year.
Maybe some insoles with help? And I’ve got to figure out how to deal with the smell. Ugh!
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
