Discussion of the Day
Why are "Trainers" now disposables?
andrew 102-Mar-22
Trainers became fashionable in the late 1970s you had the cool looking shoe mounted on a bed of what looked a lot like silicone...and then a hard wearing sheet of sole with grip marks on the bottom...you bounced around, you walked on air, I could work 16-hour shifts in a kitchen on concrete floors and my feet were fine...these would always last at least a year...and a lot more........now they look "cooler"...more colours, more styles....most give you "firm" support or other benefits... just don't make your feet feel great.....and the worst crime is that they now all wear out or unusable within 3 months...the soles start showing wear in a couple of weeks...it is ALL about what the market will take...they want you to have 3 or 4 pairs for different reasons, and they want you to buy six or more pairs a year...what to you think?
Comments
  • Megan K 659578
    Everything is made to be tossed away these days.Nothing lasts long anymore but it also depends on how much wear and tear you are putting on them. I have had sneakers last4 years but I barely wore them, maybe a few hours a week if that. Alternating shoes and styles of shoes are best for your feet and the health of your shoes.
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    • Leslie D 488751
      Anything that lasted more than a year were altered because of greed. That goes for everything today.
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      • Imperia S
        Why are they disposable ? because they want you to spend more money, my trainers use to last me at least 2 years if they got dirty I would wash them and when I got sick of them I would throw them out
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        • Debra F 499651
          Never heard of trainers.
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          • Rifat H
            I found a quote about training which is sort of related to trainers. By the time you finish reading it'll sound more like Climate Action ;-) "Less Sugar, More Fruit. Less Soda, More Water. Less Driving, More Walking. Less Worry, More Sleep. Less Words, More Action" - Pradeep Kp
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            • PETER M 134659
              memories
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              • Pam G 449028
                I still have my old nike??
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                • Viola
                  I only ever buy Nike. They last for ages.
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              • Jania S
                dont pander to the big business. Recycle, The older styles lasted years, I stilly have them, and they dont distinergrate like the newer ones. I would go without..... OR FIND A GOO BOOTMAKER and have a pair made to last longer. MIght cost more initially but cheaper in long run, ALSO you are supporting a mom/pop not big industry
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                • Tiffany L 690503
                  I really don’t think any shoes are disposable unless it becomes unwearable
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                  • Edith v
                    it is all about sales & profits
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                    • marni k
                      Only bought my trainers a few months ago. They were Grey but now green thanks to lawn mowing. Have already go a split in the sole and the material on the side is wearing thin. Walked on the wet lawn today and found my socks soaked. I'm afraid i will have to buy a new pair and in few months another and then another. Frustrating. Hate shopping at the best of times let alone shoe shopping (no fetish there).
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                      • Paul C 392065
                        the people wearing them are disposable too
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                        • Greg B 520364
                          I thought trainers were always disposable
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                          • Emmi G
                            Trainers are often made so you buy more to fit with your clothing
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                            • Helen L 750218
                              I keep it simple these days and buy one black pair at a time. Black goes with any outfit. :)
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                              • allin
                                if perhaps i were a spider i would buy 4 pair ;-))
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                                • Sheree T
                                  Depends what you buy and where from. My trainers are Hoka and cost me $249 AU dollars I expect them to last me a lot longer than something you may buy from Big W.
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                                  • View all 3 replies
                                  • APB
                                    Let me know how long they last..I would be very interested...
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                                  • Sheree TAPB
                                    I have had my Hoka's for nearly 2 years so far, and I walk 5 days every week and do at least 10 K's per day sometimes more. A friend I worked with is a marathon runner and he advised me to try them as that is what he uses. They are so comfortable and worth every cent I paid.
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                                  • APBSheree T
                                    Thank you very much Sheree...I'll have to give them a try!!
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                                • Carolyn K 714554
                                  I bought a good quality pair of joggers for $20. End of stock. The price tag had $120. Lasted a long time I wish I could get a bargain like that again.
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                                  • Jenny L 591463
                                    I know a lady she does that much walking she goes through about 4 pairs of walking shoes a year but she can afford to. They used to rather expensive but like most things they are made on the cheap so every one can afford them. Every one can buy pair after pair, they would rather you buy 4 cheap pairs than 1 good pair that lasts. I think if you want a pair to last you have to buy a better brand. I brought a pair of Michelle Bridges training shoes from BIG W for $50 and I have had them for about 6 years okay grandly I don't wear them every day but they are good. Not water proof so when it rains can be a problem but a part from that they have done very well. I am quite heavy on shoes so I make sure I get a good brand or ones that I think will last like my Colorado boots.
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                                    • Gaza
                                      That's so you have to buy more, same with just about everything these days. Nothing is repairable, so you have to buy new. not like the good old days anymore.
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                                      • roger l 315504
                                        It's called 'fashion', just watch the car ads...all about 'style' and 'safety factors'. Now if a vehicle can 'avoid' a rear ender, reverse park itself and stay within it's lane the vehicle gets a good 'safety rating'. Used to be those were just what a reasonable driver learned. And if the cars are arguably safer why are accidents and serious injuries both increasing?
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                                        • Paul J 94868
                                          Mine tend to last a year or 2...
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                                          • GRAEME W 313058
                                            You obviously do not buy brand names like Nike, Oasics etc, Kmart, Bigw shoes are cheap and not meant to last!
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                                            • Roslyn A
                                              And why do people buy 4WD's when they never hit the dirt anyway? I wear my trainers for training!
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                                              • Bill B 394870
                                                consumerism has become the sole purpose....
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                                                • Larry S 382961
                                                  Don’t follow shoe fashion. I use thongs around the house. Soft shoes out. I do wear joggers but only to NRL games or if raining ( yeah I know it pouring rain in Sydney and so just wear them)
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                                                  • Claire L 349406
                                                    Because they’re cheaply made and mass produced
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                                                    • Carolyn7 P
                                                      Never heard of such a thing and the shoe in the photo are ugly. The fact they wear out in little time does not seem like it would be a good thing to spend my money on. I like my Nikes.
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                                                      • Joe B 288252
                                                        I dispose of my shoes by wearing them out…lol
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                                                        • Dada WA
                                                          Buy unfashionable trainers. Plenty good trainers around that last over a year. If you want fashion then you have to live with crap trainers. I would never buy trainers as shown in that photo.
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                                                          • Colin L 88398
                                                            Marketing works well.
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                                                            • Matt M 461986
                                                              If I didn't have wide feet, I'd be able to get shoes that last longer but there's no extra wide shoe I've ever found that can last me more than a year or so
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                                                              • kristian s 513441
                                                                I really don't know.
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                                                                • Allen B 175494
                                                                  everything is throwaway these days.
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                                                                  • Sandra C 12043
                                                                    No different to clothes or electrical goods these days. Everything made in China or India. Not quality materials or quality control. You have to check a garment or shoes for faults before you buy them. Electrical goods break down within the first few times of using them.
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                                                                    • Michele W 394946
                                                                      Who are they? Are there voices in your head telling you to buy things?
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                                                                      • Bugalugs
                                                                        I think you will also find that in the past, before Australia's Federal Government under the care-less watch of those Champions of the Working Masses the Australian Labor Party handed Australia's Clothing, Textile and Footwear sector over to their mates in the Chinese Government, all these "Trainers" and all other Footwear were "Made in Australia" by Australian Workers and they lasted for years. The faster they wear out, the more uncomfortable they become simply means you will discard them and try another brand/style. What really gets up our noses is that the prices charged for this cheap, disposable garbage is at the level at which they would cost if they were "Made in Australia" by Australian Workers on Australian Wages. They're not they are all - no matter what brand or how expensive they are - made by workers who are paid subsistence wages or by Slave Labor in Chinese Prisons.
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                                                                        • misfortune8
                                                                          I deliberately sought out a pair of volleys because I wanted Aussie-made - they're now made in China! I didn't buy them.
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                                                                      • Sonya F 68771
                                                                        All about making money its a throw away society
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                                                                        • Julie K 348980
                                                                          The unpleasant thing is that shoes “break down” from the inside out so when you see wear and tear on the outside it means the “innards” are even worse.
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                                                                          • Kristina
                                                                            I don't buy trainers. But I know what you mean. All of my shoes wear out to fast. They don't make things like they use to. I liked my jeans from back in the day we they fit perfect and we're made tougher. Then they started making them stretchable. I can never find jeans that fit right or even shoes anymore. I wear a 5 to a 5' 1/2, and most women shoes start at size 6.
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                                                                            • Chosen
                                                                              Crocs are king.
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                                                                              • Christina C 466456
                                                                                Planned obsoletion is the term and it's still legal in many countries. Is it ethical? No, but companies employ it to make more money.
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                                                                                • Ceasar 156113
                                                                                  I actually learned to repair my own Trainers, Sneakers, Dress Shoes ; during the pandemic ( Covid). I saved myself a lot of money. I guess corporations ( Brand Name Sneakers or Whatever) do not understand the power of creativity. Either a person will progress or regress (Depress) during tough times.
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                                                                                  • Lyn A.
                                                                                    I agree, most shoes don't last as they should. I have 2 pairs of 'walking' shoes [for dog walk each day] which I alternate weekly, both pairs at around $80[on sale] cost per pair they have only lasted a year [only walk bout 3k's per day]
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                                                                                    • Chosen
                                                                                      Don't know as I wear Sandshoes.
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                                                                                      • Tupulua S
                                                                                        so many brands to choose from, whatever happened to bare feet walking. I wall bare feet inside and outside our home
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                                                                                        • Brietta 617888
                                                                                          Because the United States outsources to other countries for cheaper labor costs and to add higher price tags for the sneakers. American made is quickly becoming an obsolete concept for most if not all industries
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                                                                                          • Mariaj
                                                                                            I didn’t know that… I’ve had me Reebok Trainers 20 years now lol They are a silver grey and I still think they look cool haha
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                                                                                            • BLACK LIVES MATTER
                                                                                              One, I n(ever) heard of "trainers" - till today (03/01/2021. Two, in the late 1970s I was seriously into Disco (not the type of shoe you wear - to go Disco). Three, we are a disposable society - nothing is made to last forever these days (obviously) :-). Four, I am a corrupt, decadent, and hedonistic American - I am still spending MY money very foolishly (but I am a spender not a saver) - regardless of what " any market" implies what I should do with MY money (since I cannot take MY money with me (obvious) - when - I (unfortunately) DIE!).
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                                                                                              • Linda C
                                                                                                It is all rubbish these days. Cheap imported shoes. Perhaps if you pay $3000 plus for a pair of shoes they might last a bit longer. I do not wear trainers/sneakers as I find they make my feet smell as they do for most people.
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                                                                                                • Rhonda D 522615
                                                                                                  I agree with Christine M. Not very attractive.
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                                                                                                  • Sandra H 2204 NSW
                                                                                                    Never had any or wanted any - just not a dedicated follower of fashion.
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                                                                                                    • 'smee,SWQ!
                                                                                                      overpriced and my critique is same as Christine M's below!
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                                                                                                      • Christine M 323842
                                                                                                        I think they all look shit and are overpriced.
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