Average American woman buys 17 pairs of shoes a year

[pinkytoe]

Source? Sample size and location? Mean, median and mode?

Very interesting question. Now that I poke around a bit, I can't find the survey origin. I just heard it on the radio so who knows.
At the least, it got me thinking about how many I have/buy as their "findings" seem scary unreal to me and perhaps they are.

[Spartana]

I don't think I own 17 pairs of shoes either. I do buy a lot of running shoes all at one time though as I go thru about 8 pairs a year (distance runner). I usually buy them all at once when they are on sale and just use one pair for a month or 2 before tossing it and using a new pair. Can't use them longer then that as they get too worn. Otherwise I don't think I have bought any new shoes in years except a nice pair of boots. But I can borrow all my sister's shoes and she has a ton - mostly bought from the Thrift store though for a buck or two.

[early morning]

Well, I worked with a shoe collector, but it was a guy. He had 400 pairs, many unworn, or worn only once. They always matched his outfits. Shoes and cars, those where his thing. Always the first with the new Jordans or whatever. You say "shoe closet" - he had a shoe ROOM. I've seen the pix. Really strange.

[pony mom]

I think I own about 20 right now, and a few of those are 'specialty' shoes, like dress pumps, hiking boots, snow boots. I bought two pairs last year, which are now my seasonal 'go to' shoes---Sperry topsiders for spring/summer and brown loafers for fall/winter. When they wear out, I'll replace them with something identical.

Look at the Duchess of Cambridge. She wears the same black and nude pumps over and over, all the time. Even if I had a real job that required dressing up, I think my taste in clothes is simple enough now that I could get away with basic neutral shoes.

BTW, I have no problem spending $60 on a pair of shoes that I'll get a lot of use from. Luckily my LL Bean hiking boots were only $6 from the thrift store, which makes its once/twice a year use a bargain.

[Spartana]

I just went and looked at mine out of curiosity. Beside the running shoe "collection" (currently about 4 pairs in reserve for the rest of the year) I have 1 pair of each: dress heels, nice boots, crappy boots, snow boots (Sorrels), sandals, tennis shoes (to actually play tennis in), volleyball court shoes, 2 pairs slip on tennis shoes (no laces, no backs) and several pair of flip-flops that I have never worn. I don't think I've actually worn anything in years except running shoes or slip on tennis shoes most days and occasionally my nice heels or boots if I'm going out.

[Miss Cellane]

I remembered this video from a while back--I was searching for closet organization tips when I moved to my current apartment. For the record, I have a 42" x16" closet, nothing like the one pictured here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4RAqsg7Pzo

At about the 5 minute mark, she gets to the shoe collection. From what I can see, she has 6 pairs of flip flops, about 30-35 pairs of shoes and 6 (?) pairs of boots. And this is after weeding out some pairs.

So maybe this is a more typical US woman's shoe collection? What struck me when I watched it is that she has more pairs of dressy shoes than I have shoes in total.

I'll admit I have never been able to watch this entire video all the way through. While I would love a larger closet than I have, and I am so very not a minimalist, this is just too much for me.

[thinkgreen]

Wow, Miss C that was somewhat shocking. I just clicked at the 5 minute mark & watched about 10 seconds of it. She had belts with the tags still on so I would think she's never worn them. The wall of shoes ... what can I say? Her boots with all the same boot forms in them. Mine have empty wine bottles in them. Obviously she would never join this forum. But she is very organized!

[Gardenarian]

Right now I own a ton of shoes (about 20 pairs!) but that's because of foot problems and my feet have changed size several time in the past several years.
I'm holding onto them until my foot is healed and then will sell all the ones that don't fit.
17 pairs per year - I'm assuming that's shoes bought new? - seems outrageous to me.

[Blackdog Lin]

Well, if the statistic is true, it just makes me sad - sad that other poor women are having to buy way way too many pairs of shoes, to make up for my being a slacker in the shoe-buying department. I truly am not keeping up my (low) end of the curve.

[Florence]

Someone is buying an awful lot of shoes out there to balance my 1, maybe 2 pairs of shoes a year to make it come to an average of 17. Maybe it includes mothers buying shoes for their children???