CHEAP SNEAKER
 |
| Starburys |
Stephon
Marbury, a professional basketball player of some note, has his own sneaker
line. He recently announced he was
selling a sneaker that is made at the same $5 price, in the same Chinese
factory as Nike’s Jordan sneaker in China.
Nike sells their Jordan sneaker for $200. Marbury is selling his sneaker, “Starburys”
for $15.
First of
all, kudos to Mr. Marbury for selling his sneaker at a (more than) fair price
and not ripping off the sneaker buying fanatics in the country. Extra kudos as most of the sneaker buying
fanatics in this country can ill afford to pay $200 for a shoe. Sometimes kids with the $200 sneaker get
beaten up or even killed when their sneakers are stolen because they represent
status.
I am curious
about how successful Marbury’s sneaker will be.
I hope he sells them as fast as he has them made. I expect they will not sell very well. I suspect those that buy them will be mocked
for wearing a “cheap” sneaker even though it is just as good as the overpriced Jordan’s.
I don’t know
when this status thing started with young kids.
I think it was in the eighties and started with blue jeans. I remember you could buy a pair of Levi’s,
the inventor of blue jeans, and the maker of the best jeans, for about five or
ten bucks. Then Jordache came out with a
jean advertised by women with very nice butts and they charged $75.
The Jordache
jeans became the must haves, and the Levi’s were out. Then came Gloria Vanderbilt and a whole bunch
of other “designer” jeans at exorbitant prices and parents all around the
country heard,
“You just don’t get it!”
And their
children did get them.
Other manufacturers
caught on quickly and soon the $10 Timex watch would not do, your kid HAD to
have a $100 Swatch, which was just a crap watch with a colorful strap. My son bought a pair of sunglasses for
$120. I said,
“What, are you crazy?”
“Dad, their Oakley’s!”
I drank inexpensive Fleischmann's Vodka; college kids that didn’t have a pot to pee in had to have Absolute (now it's Grey Goose).
My
Grandfather used to drink Four Roses Whiskey, now considered rot gut whiskey…and
he was RICH! Kids today only eat, drink, drive and wear “Top Shelf” products,
and often the only thing that puts them on the top shelf is advertising and
hype.
Nice try
Stephon, you want to make a profit and still do something good for kids that don't have a lot of money. I doubt your new sneaker will
sell. It is too inexpensive.
Now if you up the price to $205 you might have a hit.
I hope his sneakers do very, very well and make him rich. Maybe he's already rich?
ReplyDeleteI've never been a slave to logo's, my kids went through a short phase, but they soon got over that when they had to pay for their own stuff.
I am old enough to remember the days when if you had a tee shirt with a logo on it the manufacturer gave it to you free!!
ReplyDeleteI hope the sneakers sell to but I suspect you are right and they won't be valued because they are too inexpensive. I don't know when it started to matter. As the youngest of four girls I practically lived in hand me downs and just having something new of my own was a huge deal.
ReplyDeletePeople believe far too much in the advertising hype. I remember the time when price dictated a purchase... the less, the better!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the kind i will buy to work in.
ReplyDeleteMy girls were in high school in the midst of the Jordache revolution. Made no difference, I couldn't afford them.
ReplyDeleteYep, this is exactly the way it goes too. I've seen these rants and raves about I'm not wearing anything but whatever it is they want. The parents almost always fold.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Branded dresses are always costly and people buy them for prestige value. These branded items may not necessarily be the best and they can be over priced. Most brands spends a lot of money on advertisement.. All famous personalities are used for the purpose of advertising these expensive products.
ReplyDeleteSome times cheaper goods can be excellent but people hesitate to buy them because they have no brand value. All of us have a great ego and want to attract the attention of others by wearing the best brands even if those things are expensive for us.
We human beings are funny in the sense that we want to show off to others with the things we wear even if such things are beyond our budget.
Very interesting post.
I remember paying $3.75 for Levi's.
ReplyDeleteI had to have them because everyone else had them.
My mother made me pay for them out of my own money because she wasn't gonna pay more than whatever it was that Sears charged for the double knee denims.
It will be interesting to see whether the Starbury sells. I think he has plenty of street cred, which will have a lot to do with whether kids want the shoe.
ReplyDeleteGrandma talking "Street Cred" This is why I love bloggers!
DeleteAh yes, these kids today, with their music, and their hair.....
ReplyDelete"ncreasing urban life with its temptations, prematurities, sedentary occupations, and passive stimuli just when an active life is most needed, early emancipation and a lessening sense for both duty and discipline, the haste to know and do all befitting man's estate before its time, the mad rush for sudden wealth and the reckless fashions set by its gilded youth--all these lack some of the regulatives they still have in older lands with more conservative conditions."
Stanley Hall, PhD 1904
"Who ever the hell Stanly Hall was, he was right then and he would be right today." Cranky, BS (barely) 2015
DeleteI really hope he makes it. Good guys should finish first and it is a good looking shoe. Just one really cool kid has to wear them proudly and they will be come a "must have".
ReplyDeleteThere are instances where you get what you pay for when it comes to shoes and clothing. It's hard to believe a sneaker can be made for $5 or even sold for $15. The cost of shipping alone!
ReplyDeleteMy husband grew up living on food stamps and such, and when he was a teenager the VANS tennis shoes because really popular. His parents came home with a pair of VANS for him and he was SO excited. He wore them, proudly, to school the next day. When all the kids pointed at his shoes and laughed, and said "Look at the IMO's...." my husband was confused. IMO's? What? What were IMO's? Then his best friend pulled him aside and said, "Dude...you are wearing IMO's...you know, "imitation" VANS." (imo's for short) So my husband remembers this day, vividly, and hates the memory. Now as a grown man making a good income, he has about 50 pairs of tennis shoes, and he buys our kids tennis shoes at any sign of wear of their current tennis shoes, even if they still fit, even if they aren't too worn. The kids always get new shoes. And never "imo's" -- but he draws the line at the $200 shoes. No WAY. He does buy them Nike and VANS, but $200 shoes? It ain't happening in this house.
ReplyDeleteI tend to shy away from expensive brand names and labels. I choose not to pay for intangibles, and the most expensive items are usually not the best.
ReplyDeleteI think that status label thing has somewhat subsided....I think. For myself, I wear Wrangler jeans because they are modestly priced and comfortable, and LL Bean T-shirts because they wear well AND HAVE NO OUTWARD LABELS. Maybe this is just my observation based on those I associate with. Of course I don't "hero worship" any of today's celebrities, either....never even heard of most of them!
ReplyDeleteNo Froot Loops for my boys growing up. I fed them Circus O's from Save A Lot. Same thing. We don't put on airs. Except for my son Genius, who must have the fanciest electronic gadgets reserved for the day they are released. He's spending his own money now.
ReplyDeleteThis will be interesting to watch...
ReplyDeleteMy older kids were in the middle of the Nike Air Jordan craze and they wanted them badly. We had a budget for sneakers, and it was WAY LESS than half the price of one of those air shoes. But I told my kids that if they paid for half of the cost, I'd splurge and pay the other half. One of them saved...allowance, birthday money, Christmas money, Easter money, money made from extra chores. It took him a LONG LONG time, but he saved up his half. He got those fancy shoes. He did like them and wore them for a long time, but about three weeks after he got them he decided that "next time I'm getting 'regular' gym shoes again."
My youngest son is a lot younger than this brother - he isn't much into labels and such. I think he buys stuff at the thrift shop. I do think Lowandslow is correct - that label thing has let up a bit.
I am going to have your grandson read this. I'm considering sending him to a private charter school (for various reasons, one being the HS we're slated for has a reputation for rich, clicky, materialistic druggies). He will have to wear a uniform. That to which he said, "cool, then I can focus on my shoe wardrobe." I am certainly, as you know, not immune to being materialistic but I would buy these $5 sneakers and wear them proudly! In fact, get me a pair for Christmas, ladies size 8!
ReplyDeleteI have worked in Fashion industry for over twenty years and I know the real cost and the marked up one. I usually wait until the last sale or even Clearance to buy things for my self. Gifts are an other story. I buy things at a reasonable cost and give the gift receipt so the person receiving the gift can exchange one for two if they want.
ReplyDelete