Shoes

[binky boy]

These are 8 pair of Clark shoes that I have bought through the years from QVC .They should have lasted for many years. They look like they are stitched together but I am finding out they are glued together. They have come apart just setting in the box, and some I have worn very little. Even the soles are all cracked just setting in their box. How can Clarks sell these shoes, do you know how much money these shoes cost. I have gotten other shoes from QVC and never have had this problem. Clarks cost 70.00 to 100.00 and more.I will never buy Clarks again, very unhappy QVC.You can probably send them back if you had a few months to QVC, BUT WHAT IF YOU HAVE HAD LEATHER SHOES LONGER ARE THEY JUST THROUGH AWAYS, 1.00 FLIP FLOPS WOULD LAST LONGER!!!!!

[Scooty]

The exact same thing happened to me.  I have many pairs of shoes in their boxes and only the Clarks' shoes disintegrated.  The stitching unraveled, the soles came off and split.  And like you I barely had worn them.

[millieshops]

The same thing happened to me with 2 pairs of Aravon shoes I bought locally.  They had wedge heels which just distingrated from the inside out.  I paid close to $250. for each pair of those.  I'd say one pair lasted 5 years, the other 6. 

Given that experience, I'm now buying new shoes only when I know I'm going to do the bulk of my wearing very soon.  I have no other solution -  seems shoes either die early or go so far out of fashion that I don't even care if they survive!

[TY]

I looked at the photos you posted in the other thread and can tell how old two of the three pair of shoes are, one was made in July 2001 -- it has 07/01 in the first line inside the vamp -- and the second pair was made in September 2001 as it has 09/01 inside the vamp. The soles certainly are rotting, those TPR or thermoplastic rubber outsoles do rot and split even without using the shoe or even sitting in a box. The soles are air injected when they are made so the sole is light and flexible but that is why they wear out and rot. And those soles can't be repaired.

I tossed out a pair of older Clarks clogs that started to develop a hairline crack on the bottom. 

But other brands with similar construction are vulnerable. I had a Born pair of clogs have one sole split in half where the bending point is when walking my dog. I had a pair of Sofft wedge sandal sole start crumbling, they had seldom been worn. An unworn pair of Naturalizer wedge sandals kept in the box for 4 years insole started peeling. 

Ir's a good idea to take a magnifying glass and inspect your remaining shoes to look for signs of rot.

[TY]

So I took a good look at two older pairs of athletic shoes and tossed an old pair of Reebok aerobic high tops into the trash. The glue has dried out and the leather is starting to separate from the rubber sole when I pull on the upper. It's not bad yet, but I am not taking any chances. I've salvaged the shoe laces and removable insoles before tossing the shoe out in the trash.