Review of TOMS Shoes – Like a WWJD bracelet for your feet, TOMS shoes are the latest and greatest fashion fad to surface. Like the trendy bracelets, TOMS allows you to show that you care about things bigger than yourself while remaining fashionably relevant. Also like the collection of WWJD’s that all of us have lost, TOMS comes in a variety of interesting colors and designs. However, unlike the bracelets, you can’t pick up a pair of TOMS for $1.
TOMS Shoes can be expensive, some pairs costing upwards of $80. While I totally agree with TOMS Shoes philosophy and I in no way want to diminish their great work, I also feel that consumers work hard for their money and have a right to know whether they are purchasing a quality product.
Since TOMS shoes currently do most of their sales over the internet, I decided to write this review to help other prospective purchasers know what they are getting, before committing their hard-earned money.
History
TOMS Shoes was started in 2006 by Blake Mycoskie. Mycoskie, who notably was an “Amazing Race” contestant has also started at least 3 other companies.
While working in Argentina, Mycoskie noticed the multitude of children had no shoes. This touched him and he began the “Shoes for Tomorrow” project to give away shoes to children in third world countries. That project eventually turned into TOMS (a shortening of TOMorrow) shoes, which allows his vision to be carried out.
Business Plan
TOMS business plan is simple; one for one. For every pair of shoes purchases, a pair is given away to a child in need. This is a very worthy cause, and very much worth supporting. The shoes are delivered during “Shoe Drops” where TOMS employees and volunteers personally deliver TOMS Shoes to villages in third world countries.
Purchasing TOMS Shoes is a way for everyone to get involved and help those less fortunate. Socially conscious business models are popping up all over the place, and I applaud TOMS for being one of the first companies to gather a worldwide audience.
The Product
Here’s what we all want to know. We can all get behind the vision of TOMS; we all understand the importance of what they do. However, we also want to know what we are getting in return for our hard-earned dollars. There are after all, many other ways to support the less fortunate.
Based on the Argentinean alpargata design, TOMS is a slip on shoe made of either canvas, burlap, or denim. Some designs, such as the Cordones come with shoelaces so you can tie your shoes if you like, however most designs do not have this feature. A few designs are made for cold weather as they are fleece lined but again, most designs are not. These are not shoes you want to get wet. With the exception of the fleece-lined designs, cold and water will penetrate these shoes fairly quickly. I would also suggest ordering a slightly bigger size if you plan on wearing socks with your shoes, as they are made true to size. For example, if your feet are a size 10.5, purchasing a 10.5 size in TOM’s shoes and then wearing socks will likely cause your TOMS to be pretty uncomfortable. Of course, all feet and different and TOMS does have a great customer service area for returns or exchanges.
My Experience
I purchased the standard pair of canvas TOMS shoes. My standard, I mean no fleece lining, no shoe laces. Delivery of the shoes was prompt and I was very happy with the experience…
…Until I actually wore the shoes. I wore them for several hours, trying to tough it out until they conformed to my feet, but they never did. I found them to be very uncomfortable. At first I thought that the discomfort was probably due to ordering the wrong size, but when I examined the shoe more closely, I believe it was the quality of the shoe that was causing me pain.
Honestly, for such an expensive shoe I expected a little better quality product. The rubber outsole was slightly better than a $3 pair of flip flops. Inside the shoe, pieces of canvas that weren’t completely sewn together left hanging strips of cloth that rubbed uncomfortably against my feet. On the outside, the canvas seemed incredibly thin. I felt like I could almost poke my toe up through the shoe.
After a couple of days of trying to get used to the product and trying to get that “broken in” feeling, I ended up returning the shoes for a refund.
Perhaps I just ended up with a bad product. Several of my friends own TOMS shoes and seem satisfied with them. I do feel that the social responsible purpose of this company lends itself to shelter from critics. I don’t want to take anything away from the fantastic vision of TOMS, but I also want consumers to see all different angles before committing their money to something.
Summary and Other Ways to Give
I do believe in helping those less fortunate, so I wanted to provide some other avenues to give.
Samaritans’ Purse ( http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ )– Samaritans Purse runs a campaign called Operation Christmas Child. This campaign allows you to fill shoe boxes with toys, clothes, shoes, toiletries, candy, school supplies, or almost anything else. These boxes are then distributed to children in third world countries.
Light Gives Heat ( http://lightgivesheat.storenvy.com/ )– This organization provides fair wages and a way out of poverty to Africa through making and selling jewelry. They also sell clothing and other accessories through Light Gives Heat, SUUBI, and Epoh (all linked off the website).
ONE (http://one.shop.musictoday.com/)– Many of you might be familiar with the ONE organization. They exist to fight global poverty. They sell clothing and accessories, the proceeds of which go towards their mission.
There are a myriad of different ways to contribute to the global fight against poverty. TOMS shoes is doing a great thing, but I feel there are other ways (and more comfortable for your feet ways) to contribute to this fight. If you want to get involved, I recommend doing what I did; send a few shoeboxes and buy yourself another pair of shoes. You’ll do some good and your feet will thank you.
Overall Grade: C I want to give TOMS the benefit of the doubt because I know several people are happy with their shoes, and the company provides a great service. However in terms of my product, I felt it was substandard in relation to the price, even if that price essentially purchases two pairs of shoes.
