Skechers

[XMFmazske]

I called Skechers a month or two ago to see what they recommended for me for a good walking shoe. They told me a few models and I saved one on my tablet.

Amazon had it for $52.99 or so.

My local shoe store is Super Shoes. I figured I’m in no rush so I’d wait to see if they had it on sale anytime.

This weekend, they had a buy one, get a another pair at half price. My wife wanted a pair of Skechers also.

So, I went over and got two pairs of shoes, each was priced at $59.99, but got one at half price.

So, two pairs before tax for about $90.

Not bad.

I’ll work out sometime tonight and walk on the treadmill so I’ll try them out then.

Fool on,

mazske

Long SKX

[gia100]

I’ve purchased 3 pairs of Skechers (with a friend getting the second pair) on the buy one get one half off in the last two months. This morning, I ran my first race in them (8:55 miles for a 5K–not bad for a 69 yr old). They felt great. Since the Skechers running shoes are about half what the name brand shoes sell for, they are a great deal.

My friend had a quality issue with one of the pairs she bought. She brought them back to the store and they offered to give her the money back or exchange for the same model, but they had none in stock. She loves the shoes so much she kept the pair she was going to exchange.

[SaulR80683]

She loves the shoes so much she kept the pair she was going to exchange.

I think that this is a factor that some skeptical investors don’t yet understand. People LOVE their Skechers shoes! It’s not because they are a fad, or copying some style. It’s because they are so comfortable. The ads may be nice, but I think that Skechers mostly spread by word of mouth from a friend.

Saul

[XMFCochrane]

Since we’re sharing our Skechers testimonials…

When I first became interested in Skechers as a potential investment through this board, I decided to do my usual Peter Lynch-type sleuthing: Did anybody I know wear their shoes? If so, what did they think?

My wife, a teacher, thought her pair was her most comfortable and wears them often to school.

My mother-in-law, a nurse, always wears her pair to work because of how comfortable they are.

My sister, a pastry chef, wears a pair to work too. Yep, because they are comfortable.

My father had a pair, thought they were extremely comfortable, but also said they started falling apart far more quickly than he would like.

In February my family of six went shopping for shoes. We went to a Skechers store and I was anxious to see how my four kids, ranging in ages from 10 to 3, reacted to the selections. I need not have worried.

My youngest boy loves his Star Wars sneakers with an image of Darth Vader on the side. Both my girls picked out bright pink shoes with flowers and such decorating the shoes. And my oldest son seems very happy with the pair he selected with some green and blue combination. I bought a pair of running shoes and brown sneakers that are nice enough to wear with my uniform at work.

Here’s the pair I got for work: https://www.skechers.com/en-us/style/64276/diameter-murilo/c…

Here are the shoes I purchased for working out: https://www.skechers.com/en-us/style/53996/skechers-gorun-4-…

All in all, we escaped the store with six pairs (four for my kids, two for me) for just about $300 thanks to the perpetual “buy one get one half off” special.

My work shoes are great. They’ve held up very well, they’re comfortable and, like I said, they’re just nice enough for me to wear with my uniform at work (khaki cargo pants, polo shirt).

The athletic shoes are the most comfortable things I have ever put on my feet…period. They’re so light, it’s hard to believe they can be durable at the same time. Yet they’ve held up very well and still almost look brand new.

From time to time (not too often but more than I would like to admit) I hear complaints that echo my dad’s. They liked the shoes, they’re comfortable, but they just didn’t hold up well. Thankfully, that was not our experience nor anyone else I know. But that is my one nagging worry with the company.

Other than that, the verdict seems to be unanimous: Skechers makes the most comfortable shoes on the market at a very competitive price.

Matt
Long SKX
MasterCard (MA) and PayPal (PYPL) Ticker Guide
See all my holdings at http://my.fool.com/profile/CMFCochrane/info.aspx

[XMFmoatster]

I have bought atleast 15 pairs of Skechers for myself over the last 10+ years. I usually buy them from shoebuy.com. After applying a 30% off coupon they are usually the best price.

I didn’t know they were the most comfortable. Perhaps their latest models are that. Btw they aren’t the most long lasting either. I had a pair of reeboks that lasted me for more than 3 years. Most of my Skechers wear out in 6-9 months with heavy use.

I have tried other brands that are pricier but last longer. Eg Keen. My latest is Merrell which appears to be very comfortable and durable.

Overall I think Skechers are relatively good value. But frankly I didn’t expext people to be so impressed by Skechers.

Btw my family members have also used Skechers and are happy. But no one is as blown away as you guys with these shoes.

I own Skechers stock.

[jdc115]

My father had a pair, thought they were extremely comfortable, but also said they started falling apart far more quickly than he would like.

Here are the shoes I purchased for working out:
Matt
Long SKX
MasterCard (MA) and PayPal (PYPL) Ticker Guide

This is my finding, I have bought 2 pairs of walking shoes and 1 pair of slip on shoes to use for morning dog walks. They are comfortable for sure but combined haven’t help up as my Nike or Asics. I still don’t mind buying them, especially the slip on as it allows me to get up early and quickly go to the park, I just have to buy more of them

[XMFmoatster]

I still don’t mind buying them, especially the slip on as it allows me to get up early and quickly go to the park, I just have to buy more of them

And I believe that’s their secret sauce. Don’t sells hoes that are built to last!

I gravitate towards Skechers because Nike’s dont attract me. I have got used to the Skechers fit. Skechers have some cool designs. And they aren’t just sneakers. They also had good semi casual shoes that had a feel of sneakers but with a leather upper suitable for business casual (They dont use genuine leather by the way).

I am a bit confused why the PE has contracted recently. I am hoping this goes back up to $50 for a cool 50% gain.

[fullofcarp]

And I believe that’s their secret sauce. Don’t sells hoes that are built to last!

I started a post earlier this morning then scrapped it partway through, but now I’m feeling inspired again. I believe that they have a double strength. The same very soft soles that provide the comfort that so many customers (including me) rave about is also a product/business model feature, because it means that the shoes don’t wear well.

In my case, I don’t walk a lot because I can’t, so durability isn’t a concern. However, even if it was, I would happily make that trade off and buy shoes more often in order to receive the benefit of the added comfort. Not all customers will feel that way, but for those that do, there’s an inseparable connection between the product’s benefits to customers and their need to make purchases more frequently than they would with competing products.

Pure magic, IMHO, because customers who are true believers won’t begrudge the company at all, since the business model benefit (intended or not) can’t be eliminated without sacrificing the benefit to the consumer.

BTW, I mentioned a few months ago that I learned of the shoes thanks to this board … I then bought the shoes, then the stock, and am happy with both.

as always, i am full of carp

[anthonyms]

And I believe that’s their secret sauce. Don’t sells hoes that are built to last!
Wasn’t that where Crocs went wrong? They build their fugly shoe things out of completely indestructible plastic and after they saturated the market they never got the repeat business.

Sony were the masters of built in obsolescence with electronics breaking down the day after the warranty wore out.

A

[oceanbluela]

I am a recent convert to the shoes. I never thought twice about them until I read about them on this board and then bought the stock. I love how they feel, and now that I am in the know, when I look around I see more and more people wearing them. Glad it’s one of my top three positions. Thanks!

Vivienne

[othalan]

Perhaps this just shows that nothing is universal: I found Sketchers shoes to be uncomfortable. Admittedly, I have hard to fit feet. But after quite a long time trying on different models, nothing felt even close to comfortable.

Still invested in SKX.

[XMFmoatster]

Perhaps this just shows that nothing is universal: I found Sketchers shoes to be uncomfortable. Admittedly, I have hard to fit feet. But after quite a long time trying on different models, nothing felt even close to comfortable.

I think the point of this thread is, Skechers shoes are pretty good even though they are not a top brand like Nike. They are also very comfortable. But honestly, its not rocket science. The technology behind making most of these shoes, be them Skechers or Nike is universally available. What sets them apart is the athelet who wears them for a 30 second commercial. Skechers is a good shoe company. There is nothing special. They make a wide variety of shoes and have “slowly” grown to this size over many years or hard work, marketing and experimentation.

They had unsustainable growth spurt when they introduced shapeups that eventually flopped, but they manage to rise again. I think the difference is management. Their management seem to have history with shoe business (Tom Engle highlighted that). They learnt from their past mistakes and now shareholders are benefiting from their experience.