Do people need a reason to SAH?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-1999
Do people need a reason to SAH?
1244
Sun, 07-18-2010 - 9:28am

This theme was touched upon in another thread and I wanted to discuss it further.

Pages

Avatar for rollmops2009
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2009
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:19pm
Like I said, I am personally too cheap to spend that much, but I can understand why people do it. A really good pair of shoes is worth something and there is significant craftsmanship involved.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
– George Orwell
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2010
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:19pm
That's what *I* assumed you were talking about, and I agree.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2010
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:20pm
That pretty much sums it up.
Avatar for rollmops2009
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2009
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:25pm

Because the 90-buck pair is not anything like the 900-buck pair, although the 90-buck pair may be perfectly nice. The 900-buck pair will have a nicer design and line, better leather, usually a proper and nice leather lining, a proper stacked heel (not a plastic heel with strips of leather glued on the outside) and so on. It does actually make a difference, usually, in how long the shoe lasts and how it looks as it lasts.

That said, you can get high-quality shoes for less than 900 bucks, obviously, but buying in a high-end store like Barney's means that the collection has been edited for you, which to some people is worth something as well.

Lastly, good shoes mean that you don't have to worry about the rest. So if you have to look "proper," but can't be bothered with the details, good shoes can be a real lifesaver.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
– George Orwell
Avatar for rollmops2009
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2009
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:28pm
Well, yes, it can be a fine line, lol. Minis on anyone over 30 is usually a bad idea.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
– George Orwell
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2002
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:30pm

" I'm sure it's well-made, looks good, comfortable, blah blah blah, but lots of $90 pairs of shoes fit those criteria. What makes it go from $90 to $300 to $600 to $900?"

Materials perhaps? Labor costs, depending on design and time required to make the shoes? If, for example, it took 2 weeks for an artisan to make a pair of shoes, that would work out to be an income of $1800 per month, and that's not including materials. I don't know that this particular pair would require such a long time to make, but I could imagine some designs requiring that long or longer to make. Is it then unreasonable to pay what the labor was worth?

Just read your ETA: As I said before, I can't speculate on the motivations of the person buying the shoes. Perhaps he/she wants to show off, perhaps he/she wants to support a particular artisan, or perhaps he/she just fell flatly in love with something he/she considers to be a beautiful work of art and is prepared to pay that much for the pair. What I don't really get is why the act of buying such shoes is necessarily "sad".

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2005
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:38pm

<>

What does that mean?





















iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2005
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:55pm

<>

I only used the word "sad" because I have no idea what word to use for how i feel about it. I guess it's just a personal perception on my part. In my mind, things like shoes and purses are purchased for primarily functional reasons. If I need a pair of shoes for work, I need something that is black or brown, professional-looking, comfortable enough for me to be walking in them all day, and sturdy. If you put two pairs of shoes in front of me, both of which fit the criteria, one of which costs $90 and one of which costs $900, I have no earthly idea what would possess me to go with the $900 pair. The kind of rationalization that I would have to make to myself to spend an extra $810 would make me feel a little... sad (or whatever the word is that I'm looking for here).






















Edited 9/12/2010 4:56 pm ET by finally.me




Avatar for rollmops2009
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2009
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:55pm
It means that the store does not carry every shoe from every designer. Somebody has taken time and effort to pick the best pairs from each designer.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.
– George Orwell
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2005
Sun, 09-12-2010 - 4:58pm
Thanks.




















Pages