‘Stop buying shoes in department stores’: Man says Carhartt shoes aren’t ‘real shoes,’ can’t believe quality. Viewers aren’t so sure

A department store shopper went viral on TikTok after calling out various shoe brands for essentially selling glorified styrofoam to customers. 

Tom (@sidemoneytom) posted his video, which he recorded from a nondescript department store, late last week. While he didn’t share his exact location, commenters guessed, based on the video, that the content creator was shopping at either Target or Meijer, a Midwestern supercenter chain. 

As he perused the various aisles of shoes, Tom told viewers that he was “honestly kind of shocked.” Then he explained why.

“When did we stop wearing real shoes and just start wearing styrofoam that’s stuck together with hot glue? I don’t know when this happened, but it seems like everything nowadays is literally just made out of foam,” he lamented.

His clip had amassed more than 4.4 million views.

What’s wrong with today’s shoes? 

In his video, Tom claimed that certain walking shoes—often those sold as discount or retail stores—are lightweight because they’re made cheaply. 

“The build quality of them is just horrendous,” he said while holding a pair of black shoes that cost $40. “There’s glue coming out of all the cracks.”

Tom identified himself as the “kind of guy” who will wear the same pair of shoes until “they wear out” or “completely fall apart.” As a result, he said he hasn’t bought new shoes in three years. Due to cheaply made shoes, he suggested, he wouldn’t be buying a new pair anytime soon.

“Everything I’m coming across is just this crap foam,” Tom said.

Then he stumbled across a pair of $100 Carhartt shoes. Unlike some other brands, Tom said, the Carhartt shoes in question had a rubberized sole and heel. But he said the rest was just styrofoam and plastic. 

And he estimated that these shoes, especially those primarily of rubber, can be made for as little as $2. 

“If you look at all these shoes, they’re basically just a piece of foam glued together with a little bit of fabric on top,” Tom said. 

@sidemoneytom What happened to the real shoes? #fyp #shoes ♬ original sound – SideMoneyTom

Price versus quality 

According to a post from the Shoe Shob, rubber soles are common for most cheap, mass-produced shoes. Most cheap shoes, it noted, are made in “large factories where the attention to detail is slim to none.” It also said that using glue to attach a shoe’s sole is easier and cheaper than stitching it. 

It concluded, then, that “shoes with better leather and more complex construction will almost always be more expensive by nature.” 

It’s unclear from Tom’s video, however, why the Carhartt shoes were made so cheaply. But the shoes he pointed out sell at DSW for the same price. They’re also sold at Journey’s, where the website notes that the shoes are slip-resistant and include “durable rubber traction pods.”

Overall, however, it appears as though the shoes Tom pointed out were made of cheap material purposefully. Especially if he’s shopping at a department store, viewers noted, it’s likely that he’ll continue finding rubber shoes. 

“Bro is literally in a discount shoe store,” one person wrote. “If you spend more than 100$ you’ll get a good shoe.”

“if you want real shoes you’re gonna have to spend more than $40,” another noted. 

“Stop buying shoes in department stores or the large generic ‘shoe’ stores,” a third commenter recommended. “Hoka & QC make fantastic walking shoes, but you might not see them in stores like that.”

Other viewers similarly shared shoe brands that they’re fond of. 

“Converse or Vans my man. They’re still making great shoes,” one man said. 

“Get some feiyue. I’m so serious,” another wrote. “Favorite shoe for 15 years.”

“Solovair makes some dope walking around leather shoes,” a third person added. 

The Daily Dot has reached out to Tom via TikTok comment and to Carhartt by email. 

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