An unassuming plastic shoe is attempting to revolutionize footwear. Covered with holes and available in a variety of colors, Crocs are hoping to provide savvy footwear fanatics with comfort and relief from the elements – and if sales are any indication, they are doing just fine.
Cory Richardson, sales associate at The Backpacker, said at $29.95 a pair, the shoes are selling like crazy.
“They walk out the stores with that everyday,” Richardson said.
Bill Lovejoy, owner of Bayou Birkenstock, said he was shocked at how well the shoes were selling.
“They are selling like wildfire, like crazy,” Lovejoy said. “I was a little hesitant because they come to me in large buy-ins, like many thousands of dollars, but we did it because so many people were asking for them.”
Tia Williams Mattson, public relations manager for Crocs, said the shoes were created as a boat shoe, but their function soon expanded.
“Crocs was basically founded by three Boulder, Co. locals marketed as their ideal boat shoe,” Mattson said. “But as they got into the market, the shoe’s ideal benefits were for comfort. They are the ultimate shoes for comfort.”
Now Mattson said the shoes have taken off. The shoes are available at more than 5,000 retailers in North America and are now available in international markets.
Mattson said the shoes are so popular because people can wear them for anything.
“They are one of the most functional shoes out there; they’re garden shoes, boat shoes, outdoor shoes, you can call them slippers if you want to,” Mattson said.
Lovejoy said the shoes are great because the plastic allows them to be cleaned easily.
“They’re good for gardening or fishing because you can just hose them off,” Lovejoy said.
Mattson said the shoe’s holes are designed to keep debris and water from settling in the footbed.
“The sand, water, and debris work their way through the shoe,” Mattson said. “If you are on a boat and had on a topsider, the sand and the water would just sit there. But with our shoe it just moves through.”
Lovejoy said he thinks the low price helps make the shoes popular.
“They’re only 30 bucks, that’s the crazy thing about them,” Lovejoy said. “The other day we had a crowd of college kids around them and they were getting two or three pairs. It was just stupid.”
Lovejoy said for the price, the shoes are designed very well.
“They truly are comfortable and orthopedically correct,” Lovejoy said. “They’re not quite as good as a Birkenstock, but they are better than most of the shoes I’ve seen.”
The shoes come in a variety of colors, offering customers a chance to stock up.
“The guys like darker colors – brown, greens, and blues,” Richardson said. “The girls like brighter colors, and the kids don’t care what color they are.”
Lovejoy said the shoes are offered in so many colors, he cannot even stock them all.
“They make so many colors we didn’t take all of them,” Lovejoy said. “They’ve got three shades of brown. I’m used to a given style like Birkenstocks having three, four or maybe five colors.”
However some think the shoes are just another footwear trend that will pass.
“It’s just another fad that people go through,” Richardson said. “They won’t be popular next year.”
Mattson said while the trend might draw people into the shoe, she thinks the comfort will keep them hooked.
“I think people are attracted to Crocs because they are a trend,” Mattson said. “But you wear them because your feet feel good in them, and who wouldn’t want that?”
But not everyone understands the shoe’s appeal.
“It’s plastic,” Richardson said. “It’s not that comfortable. I wore a pair around the store for two hours and my feet really hurt.”
 
Contact Kim Moreau at kmoreau@lsureveille.com