Shoe Shopping 101 – The Best Buy With Mike

Ok. Before you even think about laughing let’s get a few things straight to quiet you down.

First: Shopping is a part of your everyday life, you need to buy things to live and I don’t care if you don’t count buying food as shopping, it does count.

Second: I wear shoes, you wear shoes, someone bought those shoes and unless you told your mom exactly everything thing you wanted you had to go shopping and buy the shoes.

Third: Let’s be real. One day you will have a girlfriend (theoretically), she will become your wife (also theoretical and perhaps not probable), and you will have kids (refer to first and second) and there is no possible way that you’re going to get out of shopping with her. After all, you will want to be with her at all times and shopping is one of the top 3 hobbies of women (I think). Furthermore, I am not saying you have to like shopping, go shopping every day, or even leave your house to do so. I am here to be brave and help all the guys who shop (6 out of 10), publicly.

Now that we have those details out of the way we can get started…

You might be saying to yourself, Mike, I like shopping and I am not afraid to admit it. But let’s be real. How can a guy improve the shoe shopping experience to make it more bearable? In all honesty, even though I actually enjoy going to the mall, department stores disappoint in many ways. They’re small, expensive, and a mess to sort through. The only store that actually has a decent sized area for us guys are the athletic stores like Academy, Dick’s, Sporting Goods, etc. Most guys go for these types of stores because they are easier to deal with but the downside is the expense. There is hope however with a store like Ross.

Ross is by far my favorite store, they offer high quality stuff: Nike, Adidas, Under Armor, Polo, Vans, etc. at prices that are more in line with Walmart. This weekend I went to my local Ross because I had a shoe emergency. No, I didn’t need them for an outfit, so stop laughing, but in all seriousness my Nike’s heel cup broke through and was tearing up my heel. My mom doesn’t want to buy a really expensive pair of Nike’s yet and I have personal reasons as well (release dates) to delay. Anyways. I needed new shoes and I only had fifty dollars. I can walk into a Ross knowing I can buy good shoes like I want and stay in my budget.

Sadly, after searching far and wide I couldn’t find Nike’s in my size and had to settle for some $40 Adidas running shoes. Since I had enough to splurge on something else I went on a hunt for Nike Elite socks and found a pair for $6. Only spent $50 (right on budget), got what I needed and something I wanted, so I am happy. What makes this shopping trip so great? The original price of the socks and shoe I got would be around $130 after taxes. That’s only two items! Guys get no love when it comes to sales. Ross isn’t the only option but it is a good one! Many companies also have outlet stores that sell last season’s stuff with huge discounts. Frankly what does “last season” even mean for guys? If it looks cool, it is cool and nobody cares what season its from!

Companies like Ross and outlet stores offer an escape plan from the mall to anybody trying to save money and that’s just about everybody. I needed something but couldn’t afford the latest and greatest shoes. Instead of getting bummed out and complaining about shopping I get proactive. I have a theory that most guys hate shopping because they drop a ton of money on the stuff they want or need in comparison to women. The stores don’t seem to have the same sales and clearance items in the guy category like they do for women. It’s hard to justify spending $150 on basketball shoes, especially when your sister or girlfriend can buy shoes for like 46 cents (true story) and be happy. Also I think us guys are just not excited by the fact that we have to go out of our way to find deals for high quality stuff. Let’s face it that is time away from ESPN.

Shopping at Ross takes work. Finding stuff that I like, fits, and is under budget takes me at least two hours and I’d rather be shooting hoops than looking for new kicks. Then again, is it just we are sometimes too lazy to do the important things in life? It really isn’t asking too much to actually put in some work to save big. My mother taught me how to budget while shopping with her when I was younger, and made me work to find something I liked that was also affordable. That’s an important life skill that I’ve implemented into my everyday life, whether shopping or going out for dinner.

Life is full of areas that take effort. The satisfaction of a great deal and extra money in your pocket when you get home is well worth the extra effort when you are shopping. If you aren’t sure where to start you can always look online at prices for the items you need so you know what things cost and can recognize a good deal when you see one. If you really don’t know what to do next consider asking your mom to help you shop the sales and find the best prices. It’s a game to be won! I won’t say that it’s as good as watching your favorite team win a game but when you get a great deal you definitely feel like a winner!

Do you think it is easy for guys to shop and get great deals or do you think it is easier for the girls?