Has anyone, either from Wal-Mart or consumers themselves, taken these flip-flops to independent labs to find out what exactly is causing the burns?

Perhaps Wal-Mart thinks it is cheaper to drag this thing out and hopefully people will forget about it, than actually do something about it.

This is another sign that consumers should not shop at Wal-Mart for "low price products."

[www.tian.cc]

This is exactly why I don't shop at Walmart anymore. On top of being a lousy employer, tax evaders, and ruining quiet neighborhoods .... their products are made in china and as a result are always subject to quality and safety concerns.

I just went to the beach for a week and needed some sandals or flip-flops. A stop at Wal-Mart was (regrettably) made for some other items on the way down and if not for earlier flip-flop stories here, I could've been a victim, too!

Thank you Consumerist for saving my feet :P

What about all the flip-flops that haven't burned our customers? Does anybody take the time to thank us for that? Ingrates.

People, this is a good reason you need to vote for more consumer-friendly and less giant-corporation-friendly senators in 2008. Hopefully if we get a congress who's not bought and paid for by big corps, we can confirm a few Supreme Court justices who will stop the tide of cases being decided, against precedent, that make things easier for big businesses to screw us and harder to seek redress when wronged (unlike our good buddies Alito and Roberts).

This is what happens when people are more concerned about price over quality.

@kimsama:

Hopefully if we get a congress who's not bought and paid f...

The only way to do that is not vote for either of the big two parties. If you think one is better than the other then you're fooling yourself. They just hide it better.

Look, I don't like Wal-mart either but just because a couple of people have an adverse(maybe alergic) reaction to the flip flops does not mean you should pull them. Wal-marts problem is the way they handled the complaint. No one is going to call a chinese manufacturer. A good example of this is latex condoms lots of people have reactions to latex but thankfully they haven't pulled those.

What evidence is there, exactly, that indicates these cases are caused by "chemical burns" rather than an allergic reaction to the materials used in these things?

@LazloNibble: Only what the first woman was told by the doctors she went to. The first woman is definitely not allergic to latex.

Everyone please, stop shopping at Wal*Mart. Is it even worth it? The other day I saw a commercial about people at a gas station all talking about how, since gas is so expensive, they need the "Wal-mart" savings.

Personally I found that buying a fuel efficient car helped me more at the pump than shopping at Wal*Mart ever could. Plus between Target and the local grocery store I get products that aren't created with "bottom-line" thinking... and molten lead.

This is why, even though they can be unreasonably expensive, I always buy reef flip flops. My oldest most used pair has been going strong for close to 3 years.

My friggen sneakers don't last that long!

@warf0x0r: That commercial is a riot because the punchline is that if you don't shop at Wal-Mart, you're crazy.

I am sorry, but I need my cheap necessities (flip flops can questionably count as a necessty I guess.... considering its shoes.... guess it depends on your environment *shrug*).

I rarely buy pointless junk at walmart. Heck! I rarely buy anything but the necessities anymore. I am extremely frugal & past the "I gotta have this & that & one of those" stage in my life. Money means much more to me now than junk.... especially with retirement looming ahead in the future.

Walmart should be held responsible for products they sell.

While Wal*Mart customer service is incorrect. While the manufacturer in China is responsible, Wal*Mart is responsible as well as they aided in placing the product in the stream of commerce.

Unfortunately, this is not a situation that will be remedied by walking up to the counter and filing a complaint. The customer service employees and in-store management are neither qualified or concerned with remedying the situation. This is a problem that will be remedied only when an attorney is contacted and a suit is filed, prompting action from the Wal*Mart corporate headquarters.

I have a friend who purchased non-rash inducing flip flops from Wal-Mart this summer and sent her this article, which she unceremoniously dismissed as a one-off...doesn't seem to be that,now, does it?

@KIMSAMA - so by extension, I am assuming you are not a Hillary Clinton supporter, as she was on the Board of Directors of Wal-Mart during her tenure as First Lady of Arkansas...no?

This is definitely contact dermatitis. I bought a cheap ironman watch with a plastic-ish band and had the same type of rash. It lasted for two, yes two, months - even with a prescription-strength steroid cream. I just tossed the watch and learned that it's not worth it to buy cheap items.

Anybody consider that this may just be god trying to tell you not to wear flip-flops?

In other news... Jim Kerry openly denies anything to do with this incident.

I have never heard of something like this in all my life, when I was a kid I wore flip flops from the grocery store that were probably cheaper than these even. There was never a problem like this. My mom has a pair of flip flops that she bought for ... 25 cents at target on clearance and they have never caused a problem. Note we only use flip flops for the occasional running to the mailbox or running outside, never for longer than that. There is an obvious problem with the shoes, I've heard of shoes causing all sorts of problems but nothing like this, and most other problems go away in a short while if you stop wearing the shoes.

Kerry wins

oh wait, this isn't a contest? My apologies;

for everyone going through the pain and suffering, I wish you the best; Hopefully all will come to a judicious ending

The nail polish is much more frightning

If it's of any interest, I bought a pair of these generic, $1.00 sandals in a rush before heading to an impromptu road trip to Myrtle Beach with a few of my friends (I usually don't wear sandals, but these were cheap enough to necessitate buying). I've been using them for about a month after the trip as something to plod around the yard in, or for other recreational activities, and I've not seen any adverse effects through using them. I'd have to imagine that the people who are suffering said problems would have to be allergic to some chemical used in the plastic.

That, or the salt water at the beach dissolved the "dangerous chemical". Hmmmmn.

"Product safety is a top priority at Wal-Mart and we are taking this report very seriously."

Well kiddies, there it is.

Thank god Walmart is "taking this very seriously". Are there one-or-two people left in the country that even remotely thinks that Walmart is sincere about this ?

That nail polish is horrible! Yo! Can anyone say: "HAMMERTIME!" -Looks like someone took a hammer to those toes... S-N-A-P!

Sam Walton must be rolling over in his cheap-ass Chinese-made coffin. Oh wait, the plastic probably burned the skin off of his corpse within the first few weeks. I guess his bones are rolling over. No wait, the Chinese use bones to make to make snacks for children. Oh crap, they use children to make toys. Oh crap, they use the plastic from toys to make coffins. Oh crap! Circle of Life!

@Hossofcourse:

Word....I can deal with people who have messed up feet due to bone structure, but chipped polish is just inexcusable.