Shoes

[TY]

On 5/9/2014 MrsT said: My husband has been in the footwear business (he's a Last Maker) for close to 40 years. You never want to leave your shoes in shoe boxes. Back in the day when shoes were all leather, including the soles, it wasn't an issue. Now that the soles are made using man made materials like EVA, they tend to degrade when stored in shoe boxes or other containers. It doesn't matter where they're made...the materials most companies use just aren't of the same quality as years ago. Some of that is due to technology changing, some of it due to costs. All those sneaker heads who buy up expensive tennis shoes and keep them stored in the boxes they came in, are in for a rude surprise a couple of years down the road. But then NOTHING is made to the same quality standards as years go. Refrigerators used to be built to last 30+ years. Now you're lucky to get 7-10 years out of them!

I notice that most of the newer cardboard shoe boxes have a circular cutout in them so that the boxes aren't totally closed up where as older shoe boxes don't. Nonetheless, where would I be storing all of my shoes if they aren't in their boxes? It's not practical for me to store them in the open as I don't have storage space to keep all of my shoes on a shelf or on the floor without using some sort of storage container like the boxes that the shoes came in.

I have been going through my older shoes and inspecting them and then wearing them for the day and seeing how they do. So far I did have to toss out at least 3 pair of shoes where the shoes were showing signs of deterioration from sitting in the boxes as well as tossing out some shoes where the footbeds were wearing out.

My feet have also changed a bit, I've always had a wider forefoot and narrow heel and with time or age, my feet cannot tolerate shoe vamps that cut into the top of my feet. I don't have bunions just a wider forefoot and I ended up donating more than 30 pair of shoes that for one reason or another I didn't find comfortable any more. I noticed that the shoes I kept were usually a W and the ones I donated were an M.

Currently I'm trying out my older ballet flats and so far they are all good.

[1MrsT]

Personally, I have my shoes on racks and shelves. None of mine are in boxes because of what I've been told and articles I've read. The old days of keeping shoes in boxes, for me, is done. I'm happy to report I've had no problem with any of my shoes falling apart or having the soles split. But everyone has to do what works for them...

[mizzlizz]

I also took a pair of Sofft loafers I had never worn out of the box to walk to dinner Saturday night. Halfway there I noticed something wasn't right. By the time we had gotten to the restaurant the left shoe had completely fallen apart, the right one's sole wa peeling off. WTH??? Never be buying this brand again.

[TY]

@mizzlizz

Wow, those shoes have really fallen apart. I started this thread 4 years ago but I'm mindful about how shoes are made and how injection molded shoes and sandals can fall apart easily. Whether the issue is glue, stitching, the nature of composition soles or a combination of all of these, shoes should be able to last and not fall apart even if they are stored in the boxes they came in.

[kivah]

You shouldn't store the shoes in the box -- and they use glue instead of stitching the shoes - especially the ones made in China. The glue dries out.