Like Zubaz pants before them, Crocs seem to be well on their way to assuming their rightful place of honor in the bad fad hall of fame as the company slashed its sales forecast and announced that it would be closing a plant in Quebec due to decreased traffic in its US stores.
Crocs CEO says:
“Current macrotrends in the environment” have led to weaker-than-expected sales, according to Crocs Chief Executive Ron Snyder, speaking to analysts during a conference call on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Japan is tired of children’s feet being mangled by escalators and has instructed the shoemaker to fix a design flaw that causes the shoes (and toes) to be sucked down into the escalator’s moving parts. CNNMoney says the Trade Ministry issued the warning after receiving 65 complaints about Crocs getting stuck in escalators. From CNN:
The Washington Metro _ one of the nation’s largest transit systems _ has even posted ads warning about such shoes on its moving stairways. The ads feature a photo of a crocodile, which is the company logo, though the signs don’t mention Crocs by name..
Crocs shares plummet 40 percent after outlook slashed [Reuters]
Japan seeks design change for Crocs because of injuries [CNNMoney]
(Photo:loop_oh)
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@Neecy: Try New Balance sneaks…my feet helped get me retired from the Navy and New Balance are the only sneaks I can wear (which really really sucks, because I would SO like to wear cute shoes!) My current brand new pair of New Balance M83s were so comfy right out of the box, I haven’t had to stuff my orthotics in yet!
Damn, you’re not supposed to wear boxers as outerwear?!
Okay, that’s it. Next time I pick up the kids at day care, I’m not bothering to switch out of my leopard-patterned man-thong. And Crocs, ‘natch.
I hate to tell everyone this. Zubaz has announced their big return. With all new colors.
Scary.
All the elitist hatred for Crocs drives me crazy. Considering how long it took our feet to evolve into the current perfectly utilitarian form, and in less than 100 years humans forgot how to use them and think they’re only there to look pretty. For those of you that hate Crocs and complain about people wearing them, 1.) its a shoe, get over it, and 2.) they’re one other peoples’ feet, why do you care what other people wear on their feet?
Fad over? Only if Mario Batalli says so!
Also, though I dont like Crocs, I agree with acasto. While I would never wear em, who am I to say that others shouldnt?
Crocs are made in factories? I always thought they were pustulent fungal growths harvested from diseased trees, then thrown in a dark room until they changed colors and multiplied.
@acasto: only if it’s considered “elitist” to have a smidgeon of taste.
Well-fitted and fugly aren’t inexorably linked, btw.
They have more than just that one fugly style, you know. I happen to own a pair of neat, black ballet flats and a pair of tough ass mary janes that you would never in a billion years believe were Crocs.
@Propaniac: There’s one at the Round Rock outlet mall. I couldn’t understand why they’d have their own stores either.
I picked up a nice pair of Athletic shoes from a Red Wing store for $45, if Crocs go for MORE than that I’m not surprised that their popularity has dwindled. I have real shoes for my $50 bill.
But they’re supposed to be the shoes everyone wears in the future, according to Idiocracy!
@Propaniac: I saw a store opening last summer in London, England.
@sleze69: You’re welcome.
they are so. bloody. ugly.
@rickhamilton620: Oh, cool, I’ll bring a teaspoon the next time I wear my Crocs so you’ll have it handy to use to gouge out your eyeballs.
They cured my plantar fasciitis. If you don’t know what that is, I hope you never find out. And I only wear my Crocs Athens sandals out of the house… most folks don’t even realize that they’re Crocs.
Thank Fracking (thank you Battlestar Galactica for the new word) God!!!!
I actually saw an FLDS woman wearing them the other day (yes, i live close enough to Colorado City to actually witness this) and said to myself “This must mean the fad is over”.
@Me: Maybe so, but they aren’t worth $30-40. They’re the Monster Cable of footwear. I imagine the margin on these things is just absurd seeing what goes into them.
@kiwikim: it doesnt take that long when people are paying $6 a piece for a stupid button
Please god, let all Crocs wearers be chewed up by escalators.
A-the freak-MEN.
crocs SUCK
There IS a God!!
I like how he blames people hating crocs on global warming.
dream on sucker.
My god, you’d think they were Hillary Clinton! Reading Consumerist these days is like hanging out at Obamington Post. Rabid ignorance and flailing arrogance. Why can’t people do what they want and wear what they want? If you think they’re ugly, DON’T BUY THEM! This site is also controlled by fashionistas, as shallow and pointless as you can get, girls. And stilettos for the boys. Boring. Guess it’s back to Consumer Reports (from whence Consumerist steals most of its REALLY interesting material). I think the end came when page views determined paychecks, right?
I’ve never worn a pair, so to me they’re ALLEGIDLY the most comfortable pair of shoes on Earth. Never will they touch the soles of my feet.
C’mon, they should have know it was over when they started making clothing!
@CapitalC: Thanks, I’ll tell my 8 year old and 11 year old they will soon be toeless because YOU don’t like the way Crocs look. And their sneakers will get wet at the pool. Good thinking there, slick.
@Quilt: That’s fine – at least you’re not wishing dismemberment on those who do wear them, unlike others on this forum…
I too think Crocs are awful, ugly footwear, but they are not the only shoes getting stuck in escalators. I’ve had my shoes caught in escalator teeth twice, once with a pair of loafers from Target, the other from a pair of sneakers from Gap Kids (I have small feet). Honestly, I think escalator manufactures should be the ones to redesign their products, not the shoe companys.
I made fun of my mom for purchasing a pair of these before they were the hot ticket they’d become. They looked rediculous. I never let her hear the end of it. She swore to me that they were the most comfortable things she’d ever owned, I told her it didn’t matter, they looked beyond silly, no amount of comfort was worth it.
A few weeks later I needed to run outside quickly and wanted something to cover my feet, so I slipped them on in a rush.
It was like walking on a fluffy cloud filled with rainbows and kittens. Seriously.
I held out to buy any until next summer when new styles had come out (I quite like the mary janes, just wish they didn’t have so many holes in the top), but count me in as one who was sold by wearing them just once. Now I have three pairs– and once I can track down some black mary janes in my size I’ll have a fourth!