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Crocs Are So Over
Crocs are dying. The Washington Post has predicted he shoe company’s demise, running this article about its increasingly dire financial situation. 
As the story reports, the company last year lost $181.5 million, cut a couple thousand jobs and now must pay off its debt before September’s end if it expects to stay afloat. As one investment fund manager rather bluntly put it: “The company’s toast … They’re zombie-ish. They’re dead and they don’t know it.” Crocs already scared me a little, but thinking of them as the stars of a George Romero horror movie? That’s a place I never thought we’d visit.
Here’s the weird thing about the Crocs situation: even though it does sound like they’re in a big mess business-wise, it doesn’t necessarily feel that way culturally. Maybe people aren’t as into them as they used to be, but I still see plenty of kids at my son’s daycare clomping around in them, and little girls begging their moms to buy them a pair of the fancy, bejewled kind at the store. I also see a fair share of grown men walking the streets, displaying no apparent sense of irony, with Crocs on their feet.
I suspect the problem is that Crocs are durable. And that means most of the pairs we still see are the same ones people bought two or three years ago. The loyal Crocs fanbase may remain loyal, but doesn’t necessarily need to replace the ones they one. And the people who never bought a pair in the first place aren’t buying them now, hence a supply that far exceeds demand.
Do you agree? Are your kids (or you) still fans of Crocs? Have you bought a pair recently? And if the company has to shut down, will you feel sad or happy to see them go?
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12 Comments
Sylvie commented on Jul 18 09 at 1:07 pmThose things are hideous! I don’t care how comfortable they are. I am in no way saddened by their demise.
Madeline Holler commented on Jul 18 09 at 1:23 pmI’m sure it doesn’t help Crocs the business that you can get $4 knock-offs at the drugstore. And that Sketchers and other brands are making their own version of foam shoes. They’re hideous, sure, but I think I’ll miss seeing an entire family in matching shoes. Crocs were the suburban fashion statement for the whole fam!
TolaniLucia commented on Jul 18 09 at 5:03 pmI like Crocs! I like them in my garden and on the go.I like them to go into the dank basement with. I really, really liked them when my already big & wide feet got bigger and wider in my 7th month and stayed that way till I stopped BFding 15 months later and all my hormones flew out the window. Yes alas they are ugly like UGGs which I also like.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Jul 18 09 at 8:52 pmGotta say, I love my crocs. I use the ugly ones in the garden, wear the mary jane style ones at work (in a spa) and I have a really comfy pair of croc flip flops. But yeah, I bought them all three years ago and haven’t needed to replace them. Sad that the company I’d going to be done in (in part) because they made such a durable product.
Nicole commented on Jul 19 09 at 3:01 amTimely post for me; just bought my son his first pair of Crocs today (upon his insistence… he’s 3.) I’m Croc-neutral fashion-wise, but I heard the company is owned by someone of the political persuasion opposite to my own, so that somehow brightens the news a bit.
rre commented on Jul 19 09 at 5:55 amhttp://www.thebigmoney.com/blogs/sausage/2009/07/17/why-crocs-are-perfect
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Jul 19 09 at 10:03 amReally, Nicole? Political pursuasion determines your sympathies? That’s mature.
ToddlerCraft.net Onna commented on Jul 19 09 at 11:19 amI love my crocs!! I live in them in the summer and so do my kids!! Perfect for outdoor fun in my opinion!!
Onna @ http://www.toddlercraft.net
MomofBeans commented on Jul 19 09 at 11:31 amI wore mine when I was preggers, and now they are mostly for gardening and walking in our backyard (we have two dogs and poop is an issue). My toddler has several pairs and loves them because she can put them on herself. I like them because they can be cleaned easily. That being said, the first time she wore them for a whole day she ended up in the emergency room. She has a tendency to drag her feet and trip a lot when wearing them, and I don’t know if she’s just accident-prone or if the crocs are to blame. At any rate, I have no major beef with Crocs, but I can tell you it would be a cold day in hell before my husband donned a pair.
Maureen commented on Jul 19 09 at 11:50 pmI don’t wear crocs, but my kids do. They seem to have outgrown their first pair, so we will probably purchase a generic version soon. They work well for my daughter who can’t yet manage flip-flops. I do not like seeing grown people wearing them.
Sheri commented on Jul 20 09 at 11:39 amI have 2 pairs of crocs. When the fashion industry figures out that some of us have wide feet, I’ll be fashionable, until then, bring on the comfy shoes that I don’t have to buy two sizes bigger so they will fit width-wise.
for those of you who could care less if Crocs go down, maybe someone you know will lose their job. Companies employ people. And even if you Don’t know someone who loses their job, perhaps you or a friend or relative will want to change careers, or get laid off. Citizen Croc will be just one more person you will have to compete with to get a job. Although, by the tone of these posts, you are far superior to anyone who would work for a lowly company like Crocs.
Nicole, Wow!! So, when someone of your political persuasion loses their job in this company, you aren’t going to be upset??? Nice. Your mom must be proud.
Canuckmom commented on Sep 27 11 at 1:12 pmI love them (or the knock-offs) for my kids for summer. They can put them on themselves, waterproof, and I buy colors my boy and girls can wear!
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