Poor Product Quality strikes again. Here are my son’s back to school shoes after 1 month of wear.
This story has a happy ending though. My MIL used to work at Kohl’s. We bought the shoes there and she said they have a great return policy that doesn’t even require a receipt, so back they go. The nearest Kohl’s is an hour from me, so too bad I can’t shop there more often.
As an FYI, these were on sale for $19.99, and although I tried steering my son to a more expensive pair, he insisted on these. The reason? They had aliens on them and lit up when he walked. I have replaced them with a pair of $35 Sketchers. Let’s see if those hold up any better. Wish me luck.
The lesson I learned from all this is to shop at a store that has good prices AND a good return policy. It’ll save loads of frustration because product quality still seems to be in the toilet for a wide variety of items. My other lesson is that I need to save more receipts in general. I threw the receipt out on these because once my son wore them, I just figured I wouldn’t be returning them anymore.
Here are some but not all of my favorites from this week
Money Reasons has a good Ignored Tip for Building Wealth – Bounce back from Defeat. Heck, if you’re not learning from your mistakes, you’re doomed for failure. No kid ever learned to ride a bike by quitting after their first fall did they?
Greening of Gavin posted up a video tutorial on how to make Parmesan Cheese. The process really is very cool. If you’re curious about how your food is made, check it out. Gavin also has great posts on soap making, preserving, etc.
Squirreler does it again with his great post on how diverse your International Funds really are. I just checked my Vanguard fund and it’s very heavily weighted towards UK and Japan. I’m going to have to spend some time re-balancing my retirement account.
Live Real Now posted a hilarious Halloween Themed Zombie Guide to Saving. Now that’s some creative writing.
Money Funk has some good ideas about 10 Thrift Store Halloween Costume Ideas. I really thought I’d know them all, but there were some cute ideas on the article.
Throwback at Trapper Creek has a wonderful Week in Pictures. For those of you addicted to simple living and homesteading blogs, you should check this one out. Plus, many of the other commenters are also like minded folks with great blogs of their own. I really wish I had such a talent in photography.
Financial Samurai reminds us to Automate Good Savings Habits like contributing to the 401K. You know, a funny thing happens with life. It goes by super fast, and when your habits are good ones, you get pleasantly surprised and when they’re bad, you get a shocking wake up call one day. It’s still hard to believe I’ve been working for 15 years already. Thank God I started saving for retirement from my very first paycheck. I’m not nearly where I want to be but I’m sure glad I started from day 1 because I’ll never get that time back.
Everyday Tips shares some of the little things she appreciates in life. It’s a nice touching post.
Budgeting the Fun Stuff just reviewed a Solutions Website. You know, since I’m on my entrepreneurial kick lately, I’m impressed by the idea of a one stop shop for information that people will pay a nominal fee for. I can see it getting harder and harder to filter thought the thousands of pages of information on google. This idea has some potential and I hope it is successful.
Last but certainly not least, these chicken videos from Molly on Money are awesome. Babci would’ve killed for that automatic chicken plucker growing up.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for sharing my link!
I just came from ‘Greening of Gavin’ and I think I found my soul mate. I left a comment on his site that I hope didn’t come across too stalker-ish! You will vouch for me, yes?
Thanks for the highlight! When you have time, definitely stop by the Yakezie Public Forum and give your fellow challengers a ‘hello’!
My comment disappeared darn it!
Thanks for the link! I wanted to say that my Skechers are great! They are about to have their third birthday, and they look great. (keep in mind though, I am not a little kid running through the woods and climbing trees! 🙂 )
Kohl’s have a great return policy, I wish we had something similar in Romania. Thank you for the links too.
Shoes that light up! I remember those days. If only they made them in size 12. Your son has great taste!
Thanks for linking to my article!
Also, well said on 401(k) and saving for retirement: “Thank God I started saving for retirement from my very first paycheck. I’m not nearly where I want to be but I’m sure glad I started from day 1 because I’ll never get that time back.”
Couldn’t agree more!
Thanks for the mention!
Wow, brand new shoes and they split like that?!? I’ve had shoes that did that when I was 16, but the shoes were almost worn to my heel and I had them for 2 year. Plus, I was rough on them though!!!
I wonder if you wrote into the manufacture and included the picture, if they would send you a new pair for free. Some of the better manufactures will do that, even if you already did return them…
At least Kohls is cool like that…
Molly – Gavin definitely makes the most of his little plot doesn’t he. I wish I could do something similar to his 100KM diet..but with our long winters, it’s pretty much impossible to not get food trucked from all over carnation.
Sam – Thanks for the notes on Yakezie. I’m all plugged into the forum now.
Everyday Tips – You should see my son’s jeans. He shreds them in no time. Boys are so tough on clothes.
Romona – Romania…cool. I think you’re my most exotic visitor so far. I had a bad experience in Budapest and didn’t stay to enjoy the city. I still regret that decision to this day.
Ninja – I hear they make adult size feety pajamas for people like yourself…but I haven’t heard of adult light up shoes. Maybe you can get the ones with the springs on them.
Squirreler – I really am amazed at how quickly things seem to happen. One day I’ll wake up and it’ll be time to retire…and hopefully by then I’ll have $1MM saved.
Money Reasons – I used to make it my mission to complain and write letters and send stuff back if the items were grossly inferior. It’s just gotten to the point where everything seems to be designed with no safety factor.. and limited product testing. This shoe thing should have been caught during the product testing phase. This is clearly either a compatibility issue between the two elastomers, or a manufacturing short cut that led to poor adhesion.
Hi Sandy,
Thanks for the link to the blog. Really appreciate it. I have been looking through your blog and the Berkshires look like a nice part of the world to live.
Cheers,
Gav