I'm looking over a new pair of shoes I recently bought. My feet hurt after walking a few miles in them, so I inspected the insole area, and it was the cheapest 5mm foam imaginable with no other structural support. Below that is basically just the rubber sole. This shit cost $100.
This isn't my first rodeo with overpriced, shitty shoes, so I always have a set of superfeet inserts on standby. Huge improvement, but fuck, why does everything have to be a rip off? Those inserts are $50 for some nicer foam and a simple sliver of molded plastic.
This brings me to the thread title: When was the last time you felt like you got your money's worth for an item?
Skate shoes last forever if you don't skate with them.
Never being a skater but having heard of a few brands... found some at Walmart or Payless Shoe Source and they all were garbage.
I gambled years ago at buying blind from an online vendor and eventually found the Etnies website. One of the few times that I actually "won" when gambling on something.