These days there are crocs in many styles and colors.
Happy Wednesday to you all! For the next month, we’re going to be trying out a new feature here at Being Frugal. Kyle from Rather-Be-Shopping will be doing a weekly post, which includes some great coupons he’s come across.
I really enjoy Kyle’s blog, and I hope you will enjoy this new weekly feature. And maybe the coupons will help you save some money on things you need also! So read, enjoy, and let us know what you think!
First of all, I want to thank Lynnae for giving me the opportunity to try an ‘online coupon’ feature on her fantastic blog. Very exciting! A little about me, my name is Kyle James, I live in northern California with my wife and 3 young children. I own and operate a website called Rather-Be-Shopping.com which specializes in online coupons for over 500 stores, organized in 23 shopping categories. I also have a blog (RSS Feed), where I write about frugal living, tips on saving money, and other musings about family and life in general.
Speaking of family, it continually amazes me how kids, for good or bad, absorb everything around them like a sponge. Just yesterday, my wife came home from a shopping trip to Wal-Mart where she had bought our kids a pair of sandals for spring and summer. Ever heard of Crocs? Apparently they are the hottest sandal going and sell for over $30 at most places. I would sooner walk across hot coals barefoot than spend $30 for a pair of sandals! What a Croc! Sorry I couldn’t resist.
But anyways, my wife, in her better judgment, picked up a pair of Wal-Mart brand ‘Croc’ knock-offs for $5 a pair. My 3-year old girl was ecstatic with her pink pair and wore them all day yesterday and I had to pry them off her feet at bedtime. My 6 year old son, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with Wal-Mart knockoffs and was very disappointed they were not the real thing. First off, I was blown away that he even knew what Crocs were, and secondly, that he could tell the difference by looking at the shoe and price tag.
As parents, we are fighting an uphill battle against consumerism and branding. I read the other day that the average child watches over 20,000 TV commercials a year which translates into 55 per day. We limit TV viewing at our house and I don’t remember ever seeing a Croc commercial. Hard to say where the Croc seed was planted. Could have been at school, from TV, or from some subliminal message on the Disney Channel. The only thing my wife and I could think of was his cousins have a pair of “real” Crocs and he took notice. Sponges I tell ya.
As a father, I am always looking to turn situations into learning experiences for my children and this was no exception. I sat my son down and explained to him that what you wear, and the things you have, has nothing to do with who you are as a person. I went on to tell him that “you have a lot of good friends not because you wear a certain brand of shoes, but because you treat your friends how you would like to be treated. And your Mom and I will love you know matter what, you could wear those sandals on your ears or throw them in the air to see if they will fly and we will still love you.” That brought a smile to his face and he said “O.K., I like them.” He eagerly put on his camouflage Croc wannabes and joined his sister in some silly ‘ode to the sandal’ dance on the back lawn. Winning small battles as parents will eventually win us the war.
Interestingly, as someone who is pretty hard on their shoes, I tend to stay away from generic shoes and opt for name brands because it has been my experience that they are a much better value in terms of how long they will last. Especially work shoes and tennis shoes. For sandals, I refuse to spend more than $5, I actually like Old Navy flip-flops where you can often pick up 2 pairs for $5. But the bottom line is we all need something on our feet, so whether you buy brand name footwear or the cheaper alternative, these coupons should be able to help you save some money.
Shoebuy.com
Save 15% off your Online Order + Free Shipping and No Sales Tax
Coupon Code: ENTSHOE15
Expiration: 4/30/08
See All: Shoebuy Coupons
Shoes.com
Save 15% Off your Online Order at Shoes.com
Coupon Code: APRILSAVE
Expiration: 4/30/08
See All: Shoes.com Coupons
Payless Shoes.com
Free Shipping on your $50+ Online Purchase
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 5/05/08
See All: Payless Shoes Coupons
Old Navy.com
Save 20% Off your Order when you use your Old Navy or Gap Credit Card
Coupon Code: STUFFSAVE
Expiration: 4/24/08
See All: Old Navy Coupons
Footlocker.com
Save 15% Off your Online Order at Footlocker.com
Coupon Code: LKS18M15
Expiration: 5/03/08
See All: Footlocker Coupons
Finishline.com
Save $15 Off your Online Order of $60 or more
Coupon Code: 140387
Expiration: 7/31/08
See All: Finishline Coupons
Zappos Shoes.com
Free Shipping and Free Returns on your Online Order
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: Unknown
See All: Zappos Coupons
Photo by jespahjoy.
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
My son has been wanting a pair Crocs (like his sister received for a birthday present). We plan to go the Walmart-route ourselves! I like the new feature, and I do enjoy Kyle’s blog as well.
It seems I’m playing devil’s advocate all over the frugal web today for some reason. Perhaps I’ve not had enough coffee! I am one for saving money. I’m quite frugal really. :)
Now that said, let me offer:
I have 3 kids. Last spring my mother bought them each a pair of crocs. Like you, I said pish-posh!30$ for rubbery sandals? no thank you!
Well, I ate my words. The kids wore those crocs ALL SUMMER from about April to September of this year. They did not die. They withstood washing in the sink to remove mud and yucky stuff. They held up tremendously. What’s more? I didn’t have to replace them.
When the kids finally outgrew them, I went to walmart and bought the cheap made-in-china fake crocs for $5. They lasted about a month. They were cheap and wore out much quicker than the crocs.
Sometimes in cases like this, I’d rather spend a little more and get higher quality. And, Crocs are not exclusively made in China. They are moving much of their operation to Florida and some are made in the USA. :)
Hi Normal Middle, interesting points. I totally agree with you that sometimes it is better to spend more to get things of quality that will last. But what astounded me was that my son did not want the Crocs because he knew they would last all summer long. He wanted them because somewhere along the line he was told that they were the “cool” thing to have on your feet and anything else made you a 2nd class citizen. That is what bothered me, especially coming out of a 6 year old.
Frugal Dad, thanks for the compliment and I am an almost daily reader of your blog! I just gotta find more time in the day to read the great blogs out there……
I find it very interesting how early we are into peer pressure. Even a 6 year old child!
I think susceptibility to peer pressure depends on the child. My 10 year old daughter couldn’t care less about what’s cool these days. My 5 year old son, on the other hand, was noticing what was “in” at age 3. Yikes!
Great post! I love how you sat your son down and talked this all over. I know we’re dealing with peer pressure with a twelve year old who told us over the weekend that “we’re not the kind of people who shop at Goodwill.” Now I want to take her just to show her that you can get great deals there!
It’s a great lesson for kids to learn early on. I battled peer pressure pretty much from the beginning (kindergarten) for wearing older hand-me-downs and not watching tv. I think it would have been very helpful for a few people to reinforce that it’s not the clothes that matter.
The issue really isn’t the relative quality of the Crocs versus cheap knockoffs, it’s the issue of the son wanting Crocs just for the name.
I think this is a great opportunity for consumer education, though. Is the brand worth anything? I would have probably bought the older child Crocs, then bought *six* pairs of the cheaper kind for the younger child, so she could choose among them. Have them wear the shoes all summer, and as the wear appears, talk about it routinely. Have them observe which is really the better deal for the dollar.
It might have cost more money, but it could have been a very valuable lesson for the kids.
Oh I do understand the “branding” that happens at earlier and earlier ages. That bothers me too. Sorry that I didn’t address that in my comment. I totally agree with you and other commenters that it is sad that our kids are being marketed to and “branded” at such a young age.
But again, that said…
We’re simple folks. With three kids, a hubby, a dog and a small house, I’d rather have one pair of $30 shoes that will last than 6 pairs of $5 cheapie shoes anyday. Too much clutter.
But hey, we each do what works best for us. The older I get, the more I realize that. Whatever floats your boat! :)
Not having TV, (my choice) I have no clue about the ads nor the peer pressure there. My grandkids enjoy homemade items, and the specialness that makes them unique, and the oldest is already learning to sew and mend for herself.
My solution on the Crocs is – garage sale :)
Sooner or later (probably end of summer) I will find a pair in my size for $1 and then I’ll have a pair. Wal-Mart is not an option – closest is over 75 miles away. Here on the Oregon coast where it rains over 90 inches a year, something non-absorbable and washable is a necessity for muddy gardening and yard work- I’ve tried the knock-offs, from a garage sale or rummage sale, but didn’t find them sturdy enough.
Enjoyed the new “post-it” guy! :)
Wow I feel so happy to have my need for designer shoes validated for environmental reasons! THANK YOU
I like, I like! I already read Rather Be Shopping, but I love the little anecdotes thrown into the longer posts, and it seems we’ll see more of them here with this weekly series. I’m glad you two teemed together :) Thanks!
Great post! Glad you were able to sit and discuss with your son about the shoes!!
Just a heads up I don’t know if you get a kickback for people going through your site to zappos or not but zappos always has free shipping both ways…
Hi Carrie, thanks for the kind words. And yes I am aware it is an ongoing offer at Zappos, that is why I have the expiration set as unknown. Interestingly, I have a couple friends that swear by Zappos.com, but I have found them to be kinda pricey and I have wondered if they were making up for the free shipping offer by charging more. What has been your experience with Zappos?
I have very vivid childhood memories of knowing exactly how to tell the difference between the “real” brands and fakes. From the ages of about 8-18 I was incredibly concerned with this. In my young brain, I reasoned that the “real” brands came out with the idea first, and it was mean and dishonest for the “fake” brands to pretend to sell the same things. I never had a discussion with my parents about it, but they raised us frugally by example (I almost always used my own money to pay for my “real” things) so I guess I just naturally grew into how I am now – I really could care less about brand and buy the cheap version all the time! :) Interestingly enough, shoes are still the exception, since I’m very hard on my shoes and I prefer to pay for lasting quality.
Piperlime on sale is pretty good. Zappos is expensive but has widest selection. Piperlime has free shipping and free returns!
Flip-flops are cheap but I have high arches and they hurt.
Thanks for the great post – I love reading your blog and was able to get a great deal on shoes today. I have been putting off buying new work and home shoes for months and was able to get the 3 pairs I needed today for less than $130 – Me and my budget thank you. Keep up the good work.
I’m generally all for picking up inexpensive shoes when they won’t be worn much or whatever. But, I bought my kids all real Crocs and not knock offs because I think they *feel* different, both just touching them with your hands and actually on your feet. I tried on knock offs at Walmart and couldn’t figure out what all the hype was. Then, I tried on real Crocs and loved them. They just felt really different to me.
And, quite frankly, although, again, I couldn’t care less if something is a knock off, I can spot a fake Croc versus a real Croc from quite a distance — they do look quite different, so maybe he’s just observant instead of scrounging for a name brand. Or, maybe he just wants the name brand because it’s a name brand. Who knows. But, I don’t blame him on the fake Crocs.