Are cheap shoes dying out?

Stores like New Look, Primark and Matalan have been doing pretty well over the past few years, creating cheap versions of catwalk shoe styles, which have been snapped up by budget-conscious women desperate for a cheap fashion fix. According to an article in today's Independent, though, that could be about to change. In fact, writer Susie Measure suggests that women have got wise to the fact that cheap shoes tend to be less comfortable and not so hard-wearing as their more expensive counterparts (not to mention the ethical questions raised by the production of "disposable" fashion), and so are pleading to ditch the Primark habit and save up for better quality footwear.

These claims are backed up by figures which suggest that our shoe-buying habits are already changing, and that over the next five years, the number of shoes bought annually will drop by 7 percent.

What do you think? Do you buy cheap shoes, or prefer to save up for more expensive pairs? Do you agree that cheap shoes tend to fit badly and fall apart after a few wears? Or will you keep on buying them as long as the retailers keep on selling them? Drop us a comment and give us your opinion below...

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[Shoes: New Look]

shoppingdiva

I never go cheap on boots and I mean cheap as far as buying dirt-cheap, man-made crap like Anne Michelle, Michael Antonio, Delicious. You know the shoe they have in the bargain stores in the U.S. for $19.99. Those shoes are pure garbage. I always try to at least go with Guess, Nine West or Steve Madden higher line Steven. You can count on these national brands for good quality leather, comfortable under $150 dollars. Sometimes you can catch them at more than half price at the outlet stores or on Ebay. Anything less than those brands, you are putting your feet through sheer torture!!

Zoe

I buy cheap shoes occasionally because I'm on a budget and I can't always wait for the sales in the more expensive stores, but the thing that really bugs me is the hard plastic heels they always put on them - they're so slippy that I'm always falling over in the street! I took some gorgeous red (cheap) slouchy boots to the shoemenders to get them heeled and they told me that they couldn't do anything with them! So I ended up buying expensive boots aswell because I didn't want to slip over on the wet pavements anymore!

Lola

I've also recently become conscious to the cheap shoe = uncomfortable fit equation. I used to buy cheap shoes, and always wondered why I had so many troubles (blisters, pinched skin, cramped toes, totally uncomfortable for long wear). Now I am tending to buy better shoes. I'm not in the Louboutin range yet, but I'd rather spend $100 on Zappos on a good pair of Kors or Marc Jacobs (on sale!) than another $40 on some pleather crap. Nine West actually makes comfortable shoes at a good price point; they're reliable. Aldo is hit-or-miss; their heel construction tends to be very shoddy. I think these brands are US equivalents to Primark or New Look.