Do you love shoes — maybe even a little bit more than you feel like you should? Where is that strappy little line between passion and obsession, after all? Well, if your favorite form of “retail therapy” is somewhere between a ballet flat and espadrilles, you’re not alone. American women definitely love their shoes!
Shocking Shoe Statistics
If you find shoe statistics interesting, you are not alone. The Consumer Reports National Research Center for ShopSmart magazine took a pole of 1,057 women in the United States about their shoe ownership and use habits. Considering that the average American woman owns 19 pairs of shoes, it’s interesting to note that they typically wear only 4 pairs in their collection on a regular basis. A surprising 15% of women in the U.S. own more than 30 pairs of shoes.
How devoted are American women to fashionable footwear? Many confessed a willingness to risk injuring themselves into order to rock popular shoe styles such as stilettos or slingbacks. In fact, on average, more than 4 out of every 10 women confessed shoe-related injuries, with 8% having experienced serious shoe-related injuries such as breaks and sprains. But physical risks aren’t the only ones women are willing to risk for their favorite pair of pumps; 13% admit keeping the purchase of a new pair of shoes hidden from their partner. On that note, how many new pairs of shoes does the typical American woman buy each year? On average, that magic number is 4 — one for each season, or so it seems.
Extreme Shoe Culture
According to the host of “Shoe Therapy,” a show on the HSN shopping channel, today’s women have been encouraged by TV shows such as “Sex and the City” to become more open about their love affair with shoes. Empowered by television personas who openly obsess about shoes, women are coming out of the closet, so to speak, about their footwear fascination.
Despite the average numbers cited above, some women have shoe collections numbering in the hundreds. What, exactly, is the allure of a new pair of shoes? Not only do they make many women feel great, this go-to indulgence is longer lasting than a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates.
Shoe-buying has enjoyed an upward trend in recent years, sometimes to the tune of 9% in a single year. Defying other shopping trends, though, women rarely purchase shoes online: 74% of women report a clear preference for trying on a new pair before they make a shoe purchase.
If you’re in the market for your next pair of pumps, the Penny Pincher Boutique carries an assortment of like-new and gently used women’s shoes for your shopping pleasure. We ship nationwide. If you have a pair or two that you no longer love but still have plenty of life left, and you live around the Westchester County, NY region, call us to make your consignment appointment today!
Penny Pincher Boutique
We’re Westchester’s upscale consignment store offering women’s designer clothing, handbags, jewelry, shoes, and so much more. Visit our boutique at 184 Harris Rd in Bedford Hills, NY or shop online at www.pennypincherboutique.com. We also offer a selection of our items for sale on eBay. Shipping is available across the U.S.
All images are from the Penny Pincher Boutique Instagram page and may represent consigned products which have already been sold.
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