Everything Falls Apart

A brief consumer report for those of you who prefer to get their sneakers on the cheap: stay away from Target's Pro Spirit brand.

I love sneakers. They're my default footwear except when I'm at work, when it's too hot or it's snowing. However, I hate trying on shoes, since there's generally some size variation between manufacturers. So when I find a brand, I tend to stick to it. Ten years ago or so it was Reebok, but nowadays I'm pretty much a New Balance guy. This is due in no small part to the fact that they have a factory store in Brookline, Mass, where I happen to have family. So every time we're in Beantown, I make a point to go the store, pick up a few pairs of sneaks at a considerable discount, and I'm generally good for a couple years.

Last year, my last pair of NBs got tossed after the Great Crapalanche of '07 (which I don't believe I've blogged about--feel free to thank me). This was not something that I could live with for long, lest I start wearing out dress shoes walking to and from work. The mini-BG and I were truckin' through Target, probably on a wipe-related errand, when I wandered into the shoe section. And there they were...bargain sneakers. And they had pairs for less than $20! Score! So, I tried on a few pairs and found one that fit well. What I didn't know was that, in this case, cheap was synonymous with disposable.

Around two weeks after buying the sneakers, I was lacing up when the laces on one shoe ripped through the eyelets. Some emergency repair work kept them usable, but it was just a harbinger of the what was to come.

Shortly after the eyelets ripped, the heel on the other shoe began to collapse, which turned out to be because the heel support was comprised of a lattice of cardboard. Then, the pieces of clear plastic embedded in the heels (whose purpose was, evidently, purely decorative) began popping out. And then the top and sole of the sneakers began to separate. That was enough. The next time the family went out shopping, I cracked open the wallet and spent the dosh on a decent pair of New Balance sneakers. Over a month later, and they're holding up well, thank you very much.

By the way, if any of you want an alternative to simply throwing out your old sneaks, they can be recycled. If your town doesn't offer special household waste recycling days, Nike has a program where you can drop them off at one of their stores and even mail them in. So don't just throw 'em out!