Which shoes should you buy part 1: Toms vs Bobs ...a surprising answer...

TOMS


Recently, I checked out Toms online (I'm late to the game, I know). I'm not a fan of the shoe design but I love those $100 boots! I came to several conclusions regarding Toms thanks to the lovely interwebs. 

1) Tom's is NOT donating a pair of shoes to children in need. The BUYER is buying two pairs of cheaply made shoes. I repeat, they are not giving away shoes.

 2) Tom's almost exclusively donates the black basic shoe. What about the children in cold or rainy climates?There have been issues with Tom's being too narrow for the children.  There's also been issues about how Tom's distributes the shoes.  There are pictures of children already in school receiving them, when the whole purpose of Tom's is to give shoes to children too poor to afford their own and not able to go to school because of that.

3) Most Tom's are made in China (factories in China are well known for their horrible labor conditions).  Shipping shoes from China, to America, to 3rd world countries leave a HUGE carbon footprint.

4) Going shoeless for a day to raise awareness?  Come on now, there's much better ways than going barefoot to help! I would love to go shoeless for a day btw, I hate wearing shoes.

When you buy Toms, you are paying $50 for two ugly pairs (one of which goes to the children). You are supporting Chinese factories, and leave a huge foot print.  Local shoemakers businesses are hurt (causing more poverty) when people get shoes for free.


Bobs by Sketchers

Bobs by Skechers PISS me off.  Of all the options, this is the worst.  They stole Tom's idea. They're freaking Bobs, look just like Tom's and barely cheaper.  They donate two pairs of gently used shoes to Soles4Souls (which cost $2) but only if you buy the Bobs for full price.  As a huge corporation they have the ability to do much much more, and this is nothing more than a marketing scheme.  By the way, where are Bobs made?  I'll let you guess. I wouldn't be so pissed if it wasn't a shitty marketing scheme stolen from Tom's. Skechers is a shady company. Did you get your refund for buying shapeups yet?


My plan: Buy some ace bandages and a black canvas shoe.  Make my self some Susan's, and donate the other $95 dollars to Soles4Souls which is a GREAT way to put shoes on children's feet.


There are two much better options than these, and I bet you've never heard of them....


stay tuned for Part #2