A Shoe In

If there's one thing I like, it's getting a great pair of shoes at a great bargain! By no means should you start calling me Imelda Marcos, but I do have a self-diagnosed boot and sandal fetish. However, I do not like paying retail prices for said shoes. I usually try to find them during a major sale, at the end of a season, at Goodwill, a local second-hand shoe store, etc.  In recent months, however, I have discovered yet another way...

Have you ever purchased shoes (or clothing, for that matter) from Zappos.com and there was just something about it that you didn't like? Zappos' boasts the fact that if you don't like it, you send it back, & they even pay the return shipping. If I could be in love with a policy, that would be it, fo-real-do. :)

If you have ever ordered from Zappos, have you ever wondered what happens to the "stuff" that gets sent back? Techinically, they can't sell it as "new" and that's where the big savings come in...

photo credit

In Shepherdsville, Kentucky, (outside Louisville) returns from Zappos are re-sold at a fraction of the original prices at their outlet (find link here). AHHHH!(that's the sound of angels singing in unison for shoe-mecca) :)

Just like Goodwill, an outlet, or a thift store, and much like Forest Gump's box of chocolates, "you never really know what you're gonna get". You might make the trip and not find anything you like or in your size. However, you might just hit pay-dirt, like some friends of mine did recently.



My friend Tara found a pair of cowboy boots for her daughter, that were originally $160. It just so happened that the day they were there, all boots were on sale for $30. $30 for $160 boots?! Oh, but it only gets better!



Then she found a pair of black boots with an original price tag of $556 for a mere $30! Where do I sign?!

My friend Mandi's job requires that she stand & walk quite a bit, so she wears Dansko clogs almost daily. It just so happens that she bought a pair at the Zappos outlet for less than $30! In fact, Mandi tells me that many days, they'll have UGG boots there, but if you're looking for those on the cheap, you gotta get there when they open, as there are a limited number of pairs every day and they go fast.

The unfortunate part, for me, is that I don't live very close to Louisville. The fortunate part is, I have friends and family that do, so I totally feel a visit coming on! :) If you're in the market for shoes and don't want to pay retail prices, you might want to gather up some friends and make a road-trip to Shepherdsville, KY. You might just hit it big! Happy Friday and save on, friends! :)