Would you like to have a new pair of shoes in your favorite styles sent to you every month, at a discount, without having to visit stores to try them on, or slog through online catalog pages trying to find just the right pair? Millions of women think that this is a great idea, and have joined online shoe-of-the-month clubs like JustFabulous, ShoeDazzle, and ShoeMint.
It works like this: customers choose the styles that interest them, and choose a small group of shoes in that style every month. The cost is low compared to brick-and-mortar stores and other sites, and members can skip a month occasionally when none of the offered shoes appeal to them.
One woman who has bought “dozens” of shoes through the clubs explained to the Los Angeles Times that the club isn’t just about buying shoes: it’s about bonding with other women over the need to buy large quantities of shoes. “I’ve made a lot of good friends from the shoe clubs. We keep in touch in real life: We email, we text, we call,” she explained. “We understand our love of shoes, that it’s not weird to have so many shoes, and you can never get enough.”
I thought that was called “enabling.”
Online shoe clubs are in step with fashion-forward women [LA Times]
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// WTF is up with women and shoes, anyway?
I haven’t the foggiest idea. I find it rather baffling.
I have no idea, actually. I don’t especially care about shoes. I have maybe a dozen pairs, and half are dress shoes that go with specific outfits. Some of those need to be donated because they don’t fit.
Maybe those millions of women are trying to express a Finnish man?
(How do you recognize a Finnish extrovert? He’s looking at *your* shoes)
One theory: No vanity sizing, far less discrepancy over what one’s size actually is from one manufacturer to another. One can indulge without the carnival of confusion and/or self-loathing based on a number.
Not sure, but some girls seem to come out of the womb that way. My friend’s daughter is a little over a year old and has been fixated on shoes and purses since she could crawl.
I’m not into shoes, but I’m a tough fit, so it’s easy virtue I guess.
It was said best in “In Her Shoes”: “Clothes never fit right. Food only makes me fatter. But shoes always fit.”
Even if you feel dumpy and fat, you can still have great shoes. Even if you’re too fat or too busty or too whatever to get into designer clothes, you can still wear Manolos, Jimmy Choos and Louboutins. They’re the ultimate equalizer.
Jeez, how many pairs of kitchen shoes do you really need?
Totally right. Kinda like a woman doesn’t need a watch either – there’s a clock on the stove. JEEZ.
Momma needs just ONE pair of shoes: only to take out the garbage in the winter time.
Ya know, I’ve read your, erm, contributions on other topics and you are truly clueless when it comes to women. If somehow, you manage to find a woman who’s willing to date you, hand onto her for dear life. Her like will not come along again. Ever.
I like gloves and backpacks….
different gloves for different things. and different backpack depending on what I”m doing.
I have 3 type of shoes….1 motoboots, 1 sneaker, and 1 flip flop.
And to think their are people in Haiti with no shoes…
And someone in America not buying a pair of shoes magically creates a pair for that person in Haiti, right?
Feel free to sign up a random Haitian for the shoe club.
Buy some Toms if it bothers you that much. Or buy some and send them down yourself.
The misogyny in this thread will be strong.
/will never understand anyone’s obsession with shoes, women or otherwise
//why would I want, or care about, men looking at my feet?
While buying stuff from the Steam Holiday Sale, I realized something. Out of the 100-odd games I have, I haven’t spent more than an hour playing almost 70. It’s like women and shoes. My game that I bought because it seemed so awesome, played for 10 minutes, then neglected is just like your totally cute shoes that go so well with that skirt and oh my god it was such a bargain.
I’ve got about 150 games or so on my Steam list. Or something. I lost count, actually.
And yep, almost all of ‘em came through Steam sales. And in almost every instance, I get a game, start playing it… get another game from another sale, play that… and NEVER go back to the original game.
It’s sort of a gamer’s version ADD. If I start another game mid-way through a game I’m already playing… the chances of me ever going back and finishing are slim-to-none.
Yeah… Steam electronic delivered games are my equivalent of shoes… I have about 20 games I’ve never finished installed… and a number that I have finished which I won’t reveal the exact number, but it’s a good 3 digits worth.
Oh, dear lord, thank you! Now I have a perfect argument to use against my boyfriend when he says I have too many shoes! I am actually a very light shoe shopper – I only have maybe 10 pairs, and mostly buy new ones to replace worn out ones. But he has several hundred games on Steam, and even more Xbox games that he barely plays. PERFECT analogy! THANK YOU!!!!
Is there a woman around who isn’t her own Shoe of the Month club? (ok, ok, not all…but a lot of them seem to be)
But I’ll tell you this much, as a male (not like that needed to be said after the last statement): compliment a woman’s shoes, and you’re golden.
I’m a woman. I own three pairs of shoes – 2 sneakers and 1 flip flop. One of the sneakers should really find its way to the trash soon. Although I guess it’s nice to hair a pair to wear when gardening/mowing/etc that I don’t have to worry about messing up.
Yes, my gender is probably very ashamed of me.
But I make up for it in books!
compliment a woman’s shoes, and you’re golden
NO! No no no!
Do that and you’ll either A) become her gay male friend or B) have to go shopping with her “because you have good taste”.
The idea of getting 12 new pairs of shoes every year is bad enough, but 12 pairs that I’ve never been able to try on and thus likely don’t fit me right? Even worse.
I’m a woman who doesn’t give a flying you know what about shoes.
I have a pair of sneaks, two pairs of casual boots, one pair of winter boots, one pair of sandals, and one pair of dress shoes. This is all I have at any given time, because I’m more interested in computer games and books.
*shrug* I like shoes. I also have hobbies like yours. Women can like many things without being told they’re shallow or that they’re frivolous. Shoes are important. We need them to protect our feet. It’s totally okay that they’re also aesthetically pleasing.
I want a shoe that is actually going to keep my toes warm. It doesn’t matter how many pairs of socks I put on, my toes are always cold. And I’m not even in that cold of a location (FL). Whiiiiine.
Have you considered that you may have poor blood circulation?
Eh. I know a lot if people who belong to a sock yarn club. Pay an up front fee, get one skein of hand dyed sock yarn, plus a pattern, every month or two. They are very popular among knitters. I’d join one if I didn’t already have a personal yarn store is the spare bedroom.
I’m a ShoeDazzle member, and it is a joke. I skip almost every month because I never get offered what I asked for. I ask for flats or low heels in blacks or neutral colors for work and I get bright blue stripper heels. I think they offer the same shoes to everyone regardless of what they asked for.
I’m in the exact same boat with JustFab. I want low/mid heels, neutral shoes. I get crazy boots with 5-inch stilettos.
I suppose they offer what they think is popular, so maybe most of the women who join those sites are in … ahem… old professions?
” the need to buy large quantities of shoes “
what? how is that a need?
The psychological kind, not physical.
I have size 11 feet, so I just have the need to buy large shoes.
I wouldn’t join a shoe of the month club because you couldn’t try them on before, and even if the price was better than brick and mortar stores, I only buy shoes on sale anyway – so I probably wouldn’t be saving money. And I probably only buy about three pairs of shoes a year anyway.
Now, t-shirt of the month club I would totally be on board with, as long as I could specify the colors I would not receive (I don’t look good in yellow or white, for example) and I could make sure the shirts being sent weren’t in a style I wouldn’t like (curse words, fairies, etc.)
Not sure what kind of style you like, but you could check out Stylemint which is sort of…”fashionable” tees for $29.99/month (though I always wait for coupon codes). Most are pretty plain and basic (which is my style) but they have some different cuts and design options. Only problem with it is that they sell out pretty fast.
$29 a shirt is pretty steep. I like Threadless’s plan ($200 for 12) but there’s really no way of screening the tshirts. Threadless is good about not allowing anything potentially offensive, but the tshirt color and style is still kind of a dealbreaker. I mean, $16 is too much for a shirt that could end up being a pajama shirt.
A shoe of the month club seems like it wouldn’t be all that useful. Now a pair of shoes of the month club might have a larger target market.
Clever!
These monthly clubs are becoming extremely popular lately…shoes, cosmetics, shirts, nail polish, jewelry, grooming products (I’m sure there are a ton more I haven’t come across). I think they’re nice, if the monthly price fits within your budget and you will actually use the items you are getting. I’m personally subscribed to Stylemint, which is a new shirt every month (most of which are good quality, soft, and a basic design, which is what I prefer and will wear) and if I don’t like the selection that month I can skip it and not be charged. I run a beauty blog, so I’m also subscribed to a fairly cheap cosmetic club thing as well…gives me new material to post about and samples to try out and review. I would personally have no need for a new $80 pair of shoes every month, but I guess if women can afford it and are able to wear those kind of shoes everyday, then its beneficial for them. Everyone has their own interests after all…and if some women love to collect different shoes, then so what?
That’s why I belong to the hooker-of-the-month club!
So you get to keep the hookers? Sounds expensive! hahaha
I like getting stuff in the mail and if it wasn’t for the co$t I’d join more of those clubs – cookie of the month, coffee of the month…etc. Bring it on!
What cosmetics club did you join? I especially enjoy getting beauty/skin care stuff in the mail
A shaving soap of the month club would buy me major brownie points with the husband.
It’s the gift that keeps on giving the whooooole year.
The unneeded, over the top consumption for consumption sake is ridiculous. You can never hope to wear them all. You have to keep buying to keep up with your “friends”. Whatever.
365-366 days per year, four seasons of the year, work, social life and special events…there are plenty of opportunities to add a new pair of shoes into the rotation if one desires to do so. You may find it distasteful; good for you, spend your money on other things and enjoy your life without tearing down others.
O.M.G. Why did I not know these existed until now?? Must. have. more. shoes.
I like shoes (especially sandals, a feasible year-round shoe for SoCal), but not enough to buy 12 pairs per year at $80+ a pop. Maybe 3 pairs per year, of good quality, on sale. Nordstrom Rack is more my style of hunting ground. No hate for those who love shoes like that, though; if you can afford it and it hurts no one to indulge, have at it and God bless ya.
NONE of those sites offer wide or narrow sizes, so they only cater to a small select group of normal-feeted women. Fark ‘em.
(Obligatory zappos.com love inserted here.)
It’s nice thing that this is not available in Italy, otherwise I would need another room just for the shoes.
I don’t know, but I do love them!
My wife has about 180 pairs of shoes and boots and I know because I’ve paid for all of them. We get many of them on sale and only once did I spend close to $100 on one pair. If you don’t need Blahniks and other designers shoes aren’t that big of an expense especially if you know where to shop for them.