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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FINALLY!
Most comfortable shoes ever. Goofy looking, but really comfortable.
These shoes are so ugly! In August, a few people were saying to short their stock.
Now I wish I had…
@sohmc: People also said Bear Sterns was in good shape.
you mean grandma’s garden shoes aren’t really a lasting fashion staple for young people? !SHOCK!
Why would you buy crocs stock in the first place?
It is beyond time for these disgustingly ugly things to die their rightful death.
I never understood how they became acceptable for everyday social wear. No, if you’re headed to pick up some groceries, you don’t have to dress to impress, but when did it become acceptable to wear pajama pants, wrinkled and/or stained t-shirts and these ugly things as an outfit?
I love them. I have wide feet. For as much as we like to bash them…they are JUST shoes for crying out loud. Nothing to get overworked about them for good or bad.
@FreeMarketGravy: There have been some pretty weird fads out there.
Remember jellys?
Leg warmers?
Wearing boxer shorts as shorts?
Remember what our parents said about those?
I have seen tons of new versions of the croc type rubber shoe. Target had a bunch that looked sort of like a Sketchers ballet slipper made out of the same rubber junk. The local big box sporting goods store had all these variations on the cast rubber shoes too.
These things are so ugly. I can’t wait until they go away.
I like my Crocs just fine. But I just wear them around the house or if I’m doing something legitimately “summery” and “outdoorsy” like going to the beach.
THANK
GOD
I pray they don’t disappear. They are the ONLY shoe that I can wear without excruciating pain, as I have plantar fasciitis.
@chiieddy: Wait, I’m not SUPPOSED to wear my boxers as shorts? Maybe that’s why I get strange looks from the school across the street when I put the trash out/do yard work.
Got some of the boat-shoe style ones. Between the leather upper and the unbtrusive tan color, some people don’t even realize they are crocs. Like the rubber Super-Birki clogs, they have a lot of good functional uses and I hope that if the fad wears off for the unwashed masses, they will stick around for the rest of us to keep using.
@chiieddy: Oh, sure. I’m just saying that usually your worse fads are one clothing item that usually accompanies a “normal” outfit, but even going back to the heyday of grunge fashion, people walking around in torn flannel, ripped/bleached jeans and with unkempt hair didn’t look as slob-like as seems to be the in fashion today.
Ugly and unsafe. I think these are the shoes that get stuck in escalator steps and cost people toes to wear them!
@chiieddy: Guess what my daughter just wanted from Target? Jelly shoes! I had to laugh.
@GotanOrange:
If you’re on your feet all day (like nurses), they’re nice. Just don’t buy the ones with HOLES.
I own a pair. They are god awful ugly, but when I go surf fishing they are perfect. Solid enough to feel comfortable driving, enough protection to avoid sunburned feet and the sand rinses off in seconds.
I saw a very beautiful woman dressed to the 9s on the T the other day. Her hair was in a perfect ponytail and she had this beautiful green dress that was showing all the right curves, with a hint of gold around her neck and on her ears and the georgous brown pointy dress heels.
She sat down on the train across from me, put down her matching brown bag, looked up, smiled coyly, took off those heels one by one, and put on CROCS instead. PUKE GREEN CROCS. Wah, wah, waaaaah.
@chiieddy: I do remember Jellies! I had to have them when I was like 6. They were the best thing ever back then
@Me: I’m sure duct taping pillows around my feet would be pretty comfy too.
@Drowner: I hate it when beautiful women do stuff to make themselves stand out in all the wrong ways. Ugg boots, crocs, brown belt with black shoes, mom pants, bra with halter top, etc.
Ladies, I appreciate it when you look nice. I appreciate it when you feel good about yourself, but please have someone check to make sure you aren’t doing one of these hideous fashion faux pas.
@cashmerewhore: Yeah, I understand that they’re comfortable. I asked why anyone would buy crocs STOCK.
@CRNewsom: Are you for real? I think the woman in Drowner’s story was finished impressing whoever needed impressing that day, and didn’t really care how Drowner felt about her footwear.
That said, I don’t own Crocs and wouldn’t be caught dead in public wearing them even if I did. But I’m not that woman.
I wear appalling outfits, but even I won’t wear my Crocs outdoors.
@deedrit: Could not agree more! I knew eventually people would be turned off by how stupid and ugly they look. I would NEVER date someone who wore these. FUGLY! They belong in the garden not in public.
Who bought the stock of a gimmick company? With an easily knocked-off product.
Jellies weren’t ugly like Crocs. I am always offended when I see an entire FAMILY wearing Crocs, like they made a special trip to purchase overpriced ugly. Especially after those reports came out about the elevators, and I STILL saw parents sticking their kids in them. Same thing goes for Uggs. I live in So Cal, so there is literally NO TIME when that is appropriate.
I came here to rip on Crocs, but seeing as I wear sandals all the time in the spring and summer, maybe I shouldn’t.
Now if only Crocs can take Uggs down to Hell with them…
I am mystified by people who believe that these shoes are comfortable. They have zero arch support.
@GotanOrange:
420% Return from Feb 06 to Oct 07.
It was a major momentum play before the market started to decline.
I have plantar fasciitis and bunions. If you were to hobble a mile in my shoes, you would be praying that they were Crocs. In a nice, subdued blue shade. I hear that cowboy boots are good for wide feet and plantar fasciitis, but with my cankles, I’ll never be able to find a pair off-the-shelf.
After announcing the shutdown on Monday, which was due at the end of July, CROX has hastily shut down the factory on Wednesday.
source: [www.cbc.ca]
“decreased traffic in its US stores.” The article just says “US stores”; it doesn’t imply, as the Consumerist posting does, that the Crocs company actually opened its own entire stores just selling Crocs. I couldn’t believe the company would be that optimistic about the brand’s lifespan.
As a parent of two kids on a swim team, Crocs have been a godsend. I can see why people may object to their use as a everyday shoe, but for poolside, they really can’t be beaten.
Great, we can bury them next to our Doc Martens.
The only thing wrong with Crocs is the price. They cost a couple of bucks once they make it to the US from China and then are sold for $50. They are what they are, but Tractor Supply Store carries a similar shoe for $15. For ugly, comfortable shoes I know that I’ll pay the lower price every time.
@Propaniac: around here in MI i think i have seen quite a few mall kiosks/stands where they sell crocs only. i dont know if they are corporate sponsored or what, but i’ve definitely been witness to large concentrations of ugly while visiting the mall.
@Propaniac: No, but they have thier own entire Croc kiosks.
Thank god the fad is over, seriously. When I see people wearing them, esp. ones that clash with whatever else they are wearing, I wanna gouge my eyes out. Seriously, you decide to wear a pretty decent outfit (say a maroon t shirt and cargo shorts) but then put on bright yellow crocs?
$50 for crocs? What are they, black market? Christ. The most I’ve ever seen them was $25.
And, I laughed – Crocs’ ticker is “CROX”
The shoes are ugly but sad for a factory closing, even if it’s just Canadians.
And French-Canadians at that.
@weakdome: Seriously… I’ve seen the actual Crocs (not an off-brand) sold at Walgreens. Not a mark of prestige.
A dumb fad from the like-to-think-they’re-cool-but they’re-not town of Boulder, Colorado.
I guessed this business didn’t have a whole lot of sense when they paid 10 million for Jibbitz-a company whose only product were buttons to put in Crocs shoes. Talk about a company with more money then they knew what to deal with…for a while. They should have been saving up for a rainy day. Jibbitz was a company started in a Boulder garage and I think it was still operating from a Boulder garage when Crocs bought it. It would take a long time to make 10 million back selling buttons for shoes.
Crocs are good for what they were meant for-garden shoes. That’s it.
Looks like Crocs are rather divisive – those who’ve tried them, love them, those that haven’t hate them. Personally I have tried them, and they are some of the most comfortable shoes I’ve owned. The cheaper knockoffs aren’t as good – the plastic Crocs have is a slightly different kind than the others use.
Of course, the picture hits the real problem right on the head. Do we REALLY need every store to stock 15 pairs in various sizes at in all colors of the rainbow, Disney branded, football branded, with various styles including light sandals, hiking, boating, and more? No.
ill go as far as saying that crocs are the single most beautiful thing ever created in the history of the universe.
they are like 1 billion paris hiltons, 3 billion lionel richies and 10 trillion sarah jessica parkers all wrapped up in one single display of perfection.
but seriously folks, they will not go away if someone smart at crocs pursues design a little more. there are a billion options that could look and feel great. they dont have to look like that to still be comfortable and functional.
@ionerox:
There is an outlet store near me. I saw a standalone Crocs store (don’t think it was an outlet) somewhere, too. I want to say Boston…but a lot of those urban shopping areas run together after awhile.