Shoo, Man, You CRAZY!

[blackeagle603]

Sam Walton did'nt wear a Rolex. Warren Buffet still lives in the same suburban ranch house he bought 50 years ago before he hit it really big.

[blackeagle603]

I'd rather be reasonably bright and prudent with my spending, saving, investing and debt avoidance like John Adams than a chronically overspent, living beyond my means, odying mortgaged to my eyeballs financial fool genius like Tom Jefferson whose estate went straight to liquidation to pay it all off.

[skb12172]

Well, the summer after graduation and before my first teaching job, I sold new cars. We were told to never brush off "The Mullets." Especially before you had run a credit check on them. The reason being, you never know just who really does have money. They could have just inherited a windfall from Grandma, or maybe be willing to spend whatever just because they were so happy to actually be financed. The story was told of a guy who didn't make it in the business. One day, a man and his son show up in farm work clothes. They were a little dusty and were looking at new, expensive farm trucks, plus a sports car. Long story short, the salesman blew them off and was overheard saying, "This old hayseed is going to take up half my day and he probably couldn't even get financing for a candy bar."

It turns out that the dusty old guy was a large land owner and a hands-on, Sam Walton kind of farmer. They were dusty because they had just sold a bunch of livestock and were ready to buy that truck and sports car…for cash. Dusty old guy was also a friend of the General Manager of the dealership. He went straight to the boss, got another salesman to do the paperwork, then the guy who blew him off got a huge ass-chewing, lost a big commission, yet somehow still failed to learn a lesson, seeing as how he didn't end up making it in the biz.

As for my personal experience, I've been ready to buy a couple of new suits before, ready to spend around $1K in cash, and shown up to be sized in a t-shirt and sweats, due to the ease of changing for trying on things. I've been totally blown off on a couple of occasions. Yeah, that store didn't get the sale. I sought out the highest ranking manager on duty, showed my wad of cash, explained the situation, then told the manager I would be going to their competitor to see if they had a better grasp of customer service. Sadly, the "other place" wasn't really any better. Dumb, clueless, and in need of "Sales 101" training…

[blackeagle603]

Meh, it's a non-problem. Me? I'd druther shop in places where my natural mode of dress and accessorizing is considered haute couture...

Hydroscape, Home Depot, Grange Supply, Walmart, Murphy's Electronic Salvage, Grasser's and Violet Prairie Autowrecking, auto swap meets...

[Weetabix]

I appear to have given the wrong impression. As anyone who has met me can attest, I don't dress to impress. I'm asking about good shoes because I'd like to buy some comfortable shoes whose quality is such that they might outlast me, though I may need some heels or soles at some point. I do believe that you can spend less over time paying more up front. That's what I'm looking for pointers on. I know google is my friend, but I tend to trust the opinions here.

Of course, if I ever meet BE, I'm going to show up in a powder blue tux with a ruffled shirt just to show off.

[blackeagle603]

Come with a change of clothes because if I can't buy it off ya I'll steal it off ya.


Dress shoes other than Boot issue oxfords? Florsheim classic wingtips or if you prefer a cap toe. Keep 'em on stretchers and in socks. 23+ years and going strong on the pair I bought at MCRD Exchange at EAOS.

Buy one well fitted pair and you're good to go till you die. Unless you're like my Dad who could wear a pair out every 5 years or so of daily wear with periodic trips to the cobbler. On the 3rd resoling he'd have them install a golf spike sole and keep em going another 5-10 years with proper treatment after each trip to the links.

[MelodyByrne]

Want a lesson in how little how you dress has to do with your net worth? Go work in a bank in a rural area. Take care of your first $1M+ customer as he stops at the drive-thru to get his spending cash. Usually it will be in a beat up truck with his farm dog with him.

However, as others have pointed it, his watch and shoes will give him away. Why? Because those are tools, not fashion accessories. Buy the most indestructible watch available (so if it gets dropped and stepped on by a cow it won't break) and good work shoes that will still be comfortable after 12 hours straight. Similarly indestructible winter coat.

They could afford to drop the cash in the first place, then saved the cash they would have otherwise spent replacing everything every 6 months. The work truck probably has 200k miles on it so they're not buying new vehicles either. However you can make small talk with them easily by discussing the relative merits of various trucks, engines, and transmissions.

However, unless you've got an eye for the various brands and styles of all of the above, that kind of signaling will pass you right by. Usually the brand and style will give away whether it's bought for fashion or longevity.

Same thing with women's shoes and handbags. Something you can wear and carry for years to come may have a high price tag but a low per-use cost, whereas something from Payless will die in 6 months and cost much more per use. But once again you need to be able to identify the designer and styles to make that distinction. Usually only those with a high enough bank balance can invest the time and cash to test these things, and therefore tend to be the ones that wear such things. If you're good at service or sales (or just have an eye for detail) you can learn and use it to your advantage.

[Weetabix]

So, indestructible shoes and watch brands are....?

[skb12172]

Come with a change of clothes because if I can't buy it off ya I'll steal it off ya.


Dress shoes other than Boot issue oxfords? Florsheim classic wingtips or if you prefer a cap toe. Keep 'em on stretchers and in socks. 23+ years and going strong on the pair I bought at MCRD Exchange at EAOS.

Buy one well fitted pair and you're good to go till you die. Unless you're like my Dad who could wear a pair out every 5 years or so of daily wear with periodic trips to the cobbler. On the 3rd resoling he'd have them install a golf spike sole and keep em going another 5-10 years with proper treatment after each trip to the links.

I've always wondered about that. Please explain the necessity of stretchers and socks. Thanks.

[Greg]

Come with a change of clothes because if I can't buy it off ya I'll steal it off ya.


Dress shoes other than Boot issue oxfords? Florsheim classic wingtips or if you prefer a cap toe. Keep 'em on stretchers and in socks. 23+ years and going strong on the pair I bought at MCRD Exchange at EAOS.

Buy one well fitted pair and you're good to go till you die. Unless you're like my Dad who could wear a pair out every 5 years or so of daily wear with periodic trips to the cobbler. On the 3rd resoling he'd have them install a golf spike sole and keep em going another 5-10 years with proper treatment after each trip to the links.

I've always wondered about that. Please explain the necessity of stretchers and socks. Thanks.

Keeping them on stretchers or shoe trees maintains their shape. Covering them with something, like putting them inside socks, maintains the finish (no dusty shoes).

My own wingtips are around 15 years old.