Sirocco Jerry
Active member
I used to buy shoes a Payless shoe source,
and I wondered why my feet ALLways hurt at the end of the day..
I looked closer at those $20 tennis shoes, and realized they had no "sole"
Being smart, I proceeded to locate "inserts".. bought the mid-priced one, and put 'em in.
After a week, I realized my feet still hurt, just not as much.
Now, I'm convinced I'm a smart shopper, as I found "athletic"versions with "gel"..
now I went from $8. inserts, to $12 versions..
Very happy now.. a week later, my feet don't hurt.
..new total on $20 shoes.. $40.
A month later, I realized both shoes had separation around the molded rubber at the leather.
Crap ! .. I spent an hour shopping, now I have to glue the edges before they fall apart.
AND.. the shoe-strings are splitting open. ..Aaaargg!
..$40 plus my time, .. they might as well be $90 shoes.
Hmm.. who had those great inserts ?? .. those are beefy, and ..I rike-dem "gel" things.
but the shoes have gosta-go !
Good inserts found at Big 5 Sporting Goods.
they have $40-80 shoes on sale for $25-40..
These look much better than the disaster shoes..
I look, and find some are over-priced to begin with, others have beefier construction,
and after an "isle-walk".. they seem to have good in-sole. (..aka.. cushion).
The $80 shoes on sale for $35 are mine !
I added the inserts for good measure, and I'm SET !!
A week later, REI has the "biggest sale EVER".
I've never liked their prices, but one thing clear.. the quality is AWEsome.. leading-edge..
I'm talking real mountain adventure guys buy here.
I rolled up in all the traffic that Saturday morning, and went to see"real" shoes..
Their shoes range from $50 to $400. yeah, 4 hundred, for the most amazing boots I have EVER seen..
they even come in a narrow width. (I guess aggressive hiking makes you skinny or something. Eh?)
Anyway, I tried on the $350 super-cush super-rugged, (and still light-weight) Mountaineers by Montrail.
Simply the most awesome shoes on this planet.
Big sigh, push-em away, too expensive, sigh again, done, but never to be"over" them sweet shoes.
I promised myself I'd TRY 'em before considering price, and I did.
I took a few steps down the wall.. to the $ 60-150 shoes..
Ohh how nice !.. $140. half-high hikers, built similar to the crazy-nice ones, and on sale for $69 DEAL !!
But wait, that's not all..
the very considerate (and cute) sale-girl says.. "you REALLY liked those Montrails, right?"
I asked if she'd date me if I bought them..
not really, I just sighed again.
She says they are also having a "loading-dock sale" out the side of the building.. "go look'n'see !"
I walked out to see 2 big pallet-bins marked "shoe returns"..
Apparently, when you buy REALLY REALLy good shoes, you get a money-back guarantee, that "means" something..
And those shoes looked barely worn once, ..I mean Perrrrfect !
they were marked with strange numbers on a string-tag.. 8 to about 32 .. like a size, but clearly not, so I just looked at whether I liked 'em or not, looked inside to see the real size.
Just as I found a pair of those $150 shoes that were in-store at $69..
here's a perfect fit !.. MY size !
I looked up right then, to see that pretty 'n sweet sales girl checking on me.. and she says.."happy?"
I asked about the price, and she said those magic words.. "look at the tag, silly !"
Low and behold.. $150 shoes for $14. .. .. I asked her "Am I in heaven ??.. you clearly ARE and Angel !"
She said.. "keep digging.. there's a 2 pair maximum !"
O M G !!!
in the 2nd bin.. the Montrails !! ..marked $32. in MY size ! with only a small scratch, which half rubbed off with my finger.
This is clearly, a Lucky day !
That was in 1986.. the same year I met Doris, my amazing wife, and same year I started my business.
I still have both pairs of shoes.. the $150 half-highs I actually do the aggressive hikes in.
The Superboots.. the Montrails.. are SO comfortable, and of such beautiful workmanship..
I wear them on long-distance "walks.. like Disneyland, other theme parks, and big conventions.
..even on the wet rides.. they are TOTALLY waterproof. (..as are the $150 boots.)
2 Morals to this story..
moral #1) Even if I had paid FULL PRICE for BOTH shoes.. I saved money..
the "cheap" shoes thrown away every 9 months were costing $10 per month to own..
the $350 shoes.. are still in PERFECT condition, and down to $1.17 per month to own !!
..sure I only wear'em once a month, but I like to tell my story, as people do ask where I got such nice boots.
The $80 shoes with inserts I buy about every 12 months.. that's $5. per month,
but I thrash 'em around jobsites, and on hiking trails, so I soil 'em to death too.
That is "relative value".
moral#2) IF I had gotten a 2 for 1 deal every time I bought the crap shoes..
I still was wearing crap shoes, and they hurt me, on long walks of any kind.
By Looking of something "more realistic" I was not only able to find better functionality,
I found better quality, and an amazing thing.. "Workmanship"..
That's where you also find suppliers with a "back-bone".. and real honest warrantees.
That my friends, is how you get to "Long-Term-Low-Cost"..
..The place you actually get "Lucky".
and once in a great while.. Amaaaazingly lucky.
If you shop at the cheap-price stores,
you will find limited heaters with "hiding bugs". (call me for explanation.)
You find mini-coils in maxi-shells. (call me.)
..you find pumps with inlet fittings that rust "down the pump's throat",
you find pumps with the "@#$^&!" unloader "built-IN" to the head of the pump,
..like a wimpy pogo-stick.
You find pumps that overheat in bypass WAY too easy, and SAFETY-relief valves completely missing.
You can even spend "good" money.. and get..
H.V. Igniters that mysteriously fail every 6 months persistently.
A pressure switch that allows the heater to stay ON when the unloader fails..
..leading to the biggest expensive fix of them all.. a blown coil.
I believe there are only 2 mfr's that get Heater coils to last over 8 years..None are of the "top 10 producers".
Our heaters last 12 to 15 years. (CALL me.)
MOST mfr's have serviceability issues, and are NOT properly plumbed for tank-feed applications..
even if THEY installed in on the trailer WITH the tank, "FOR you".
How many mfr's do you know that EXPLAIN HOW to get reliability ?
How many suppliers explain HOW you will achieve "Long-Term-Low-Cost"?
Think before buying ANYthing. ..and CALL me.
My favorite phone call..
"Can you PLEASE help me configure what I 'really need' in a system ?"
..He has already realized he's been spending $90. on CRAP "shoes".
the other favorite phone call..
"THANK you.. I LOVE what you've done for me !"
..he sees with his eyes the differences.
and I wondered why my feet ALLways hurt at the end of the day..
I looked closer at those $20 tennis shoes, and realized they had no "sole"
Being smart, I proceeded to locate "inserts".. bought the mid-priced one, and put 'em in.
After a week, I realized my feet still hurt, just not as much.
Now, I'm convinced I'm a smart shopper, as I found "athletic"versions with "gel"..
now I went from $8. inserts, to $12 versions..
Very happy now.. a week later, my feet don't hurt.
..new total on $20 shoes.. $40.
A month later, I realized both shoes had separation around the molded rubber at the leather.
Crap ! .. I spent an hour shopping, now I have to glue the edges before they fall apart.
AND.. the shoe-strings are splitting open. ..Aaaargg!
..$40 plus my time, .. they might as well be $90 shoes.
Hmm.. who had those great inserts ?? .. those are beefy, and ..I rike-dem "gel" things.
but the shoes have gosta-go !
Good inserts found at Big 5 Sporting Goods.
they have $40-80 shoes on sale for $25-40..
These look much better than the disaster shoes..
I look, and find some are over-priced to begin with, others have beefier construction,
and after an "isle-walk".. they seem to have good in-sole. (..aka.. cushion).
The $80 shoes on sale for $35 are mine !
I added the inserts for good measure, and I'm SET !!
A week later, REI has the "biggest sale EVER".
I've never liked their prices, but one thing clear.. the quality is AWEsome.. leading-edge..
I'm talking real mountain adventure guys buy here.
I rolled up in all the traffic that Saturday morning, and went to see"real" shoes..
Their shoes range from $50 to $400. yeah, 4 hundred, for the most amazing boots I have EVER seen..
they even come in a narrow width. (I guess aggressive hiking makes you skinny or something. Eh?)
Anyway, I tried on the $350 super-cush super-rugged, (and still light-weight) Mountaineers by Montrail.
Simply the most awesome shoes on this planet.
Big sigh, push-em away, too expensive, sigh again, done, but never to be"over" them sweet shoes.
I promised myself I'd TRY 'em before considering price, and I did.
I took a few steps down the wall.. to the $ 60-150 shoes..
Ohh how nice !.. $140. half-high hikers, built similar to the crazy-nice ones, and on sale for $69 DEAL !!
But wait, that's not all..
the very considerate (and cute) sale-girl says.. "you REALLY liked those Montrails, right?"
I asked if she'd date me if I bought them..
not really, I just sighed again.
She says they are also having a "loading-dock sale" out the side of the building.. "go look'n'see !"
I walked out to see 2 big pallet-bins marked "shoe returns"..
Apparently, when you buy REALLY REALLy good shoes, you get a money-back guarantee, that "means" something..
And those shoes looked barely worn once, ..I mean Perrrrfect !
they were marked with strange numbers on a string-tag.. 8 to about 32 .. like a size, but clearly not, so I just looked at whether I liked 'em or not, looked inside to see the real size.
Just as I found a pair of those $150 shoes that were in-store at $69..
here's a perfect fit !.. MY size !
I looked up right then, to see that pretty 'n sweet sales girl checking on me.. and she says.."happy?"
I asked about the price, and she said those magic words.. "look at the tag, silly !"
Low and behold.. $150 shoes for $14. .. .. I asked her "Am I in heaven ??.. you clearly ARE and Angel !"
She said.. "keep digging.. there's a 2 pair maximum !"
O M G !!!
in the 2nd bin.. the Montrails !! ..marked $32. in MY size ! with only a small scratch, which half rubbed off with my finger.
This is clearly, a Lucky day !
That was in 1986.. the same year I met Doris, my amazing wife, and same year I started my business.
I still have both pairs of shoes.. the $150 half-highs I actually do the aggressive hikes in.
The Superboots.. the Montrails.. are SO comfortable, and of such beautiful workmanship..
I wear them on long-distance "walks.. like Disneyland, other theme parks, and big conventions.
..even on the wet rides.. they are TOTALLY waterproof. (..as are the $150 boots.)
2 Morals to this story..
moral #1) Even if I had paid FULL PRICE for BOTH shoes.. I saved money..
the "cheap" shoes thrown away every 9 months were costing $10 per month to own..
the $350 shoes.. are still in PERFECT condition, and down to $1.17 per month to own !!
..sure I only wear'em once a month, but I like to tell my story, as people do ask where I got such nice boots.
The $80 shoes with inserts I buy about every 12 months.. that's $5. per month,
but I thrash 'em around jobsites, and on hiking trails, so I soil 'em to death too.
That is "relative value".
moral#2) IF I had gotten a 2 for 1 deal every time I bought the crap shoes..
I still was wearing crap shoes, and they hurt me, on long walks of any kind.
By Looking of something "more realistic" I was not only able to find better functionality,
I found better quality, and an amazing thing.. "Workmanship"..
That's where you also find suppliers with a "back-bone".. and real honest warrantees.
That my friends, is how you get to "Long-Term-Low-Cost"..
..The place you actually get "Lucky".
and once in a great while.. Amaaaazingly lucky.
If you shop at the cheap-price stores,
you will find limited heaters with "hiding bugs". (call me for explanation.)
You find mini-coils in maxi-shells. (call me.)
..you find pumps with inlet fittings that rust "down the pump's throat",
you find pumps with the "@#$^&!" unloader "built-IN" to the head of the pump,
..like a wimpy pogo-stick.
You find pumps that overheat in bypass WAY too easy, and SAFETY-relief valves completely missing.
You can even spend "good" money.. and get..
H.V. Igniters that mysteriously fail every 6 months persistently.
A pressure switch that allows the heater to stay ON when the unloader fails..
..leading to the biggest expensive fix of them all.. a blown coil.
I believe there are only 2 mfr's that get Heater coils to last over 8 years..None are of the "top 10 producers".
Our heaters last 12 to 15 years. (CALL me.)
MOST mfr's have serviceability issues, and are NOT properly plumbed for tank-feed applications..
even if THEY installed in on the trailer WITH the tank, "FOR you".
How many mfr's do you know that EXPLAIN HOW to get reliability ?
How many suppliers explain HOW you will achieve "Long-Term-Low-Cost"?
Think before buying ANYthing. ..and CALL me.
My favorite phone call..
"Can you PLEASE help me configure what I 'really need' in a system ?"
..He has already realized he's been spending $90. on CRAP "shoes".
the other favorite phone call..
"THANK you.. I LOVE what you've done for me !"
..he sees with his eyes the differences.
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