TOMS Shoes is one of the most well-known “double bottom line” companies where the two bottom lines include both profit and social impact. They’ve gotten a lot of a great press, but many think the company isn’t that good. Why do many believe that TOMs shoes are bad?
The company gave 20 million pairs of shoes to the children of underdeveloped countries for every pair of Toms shoes purchased. Toms’ approach has several crucial flaws: it generates dependency and affects the local economy by giving out shoes. The Toms model needs reform, according to Values and Capitalism, because giving out free items – nearly invariably has a detrimental long-term impact on local economies. There are also issues of quality and overall performance. Many people say they make poor travel shoes. Before we proceed, let us take a look at what makes Toms driven to make the world a better place.
Blake Mycoskie and the Beginning of TOMs shoes
Blake Mycoskie, the founder of Toms, witnessed the struggles the children without shoes confront. It prompted him to start a for-profit company with a charitable mission. The concept was a new pair of shoes would be donated to a child in need for every pair of shoes sold by the company. Toms (Tomorrow’s Shoes) was born as a result. Toms invested in the Giving Team, a group of international development, health, and nonprofit specialists, in 2009. This team-built ties with over 200 non-governmental and humanitarian groups in 80 countries over the next ten years. Toms could better understand the needs of the communities served by collaborating with these organizations. Integrating Toms resources into existing programs, such as those supporting health, education, and community development, could potentially satisfy these requirements. Not only that, Toms Shoes has also a lot of followers, including A-list celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Jessica Alba, and Jennifer Garner, to mention a few. They’ve also gained a following online, with a combined 1 million Instagram followers, and featured in publications like Forbes, Teen Vogue, and Business Insider
The form
Now, Toms are light, tiny shoes. The soles’ bottoms are flat, as are the insides of the shoes. If there is any arch support provided, this will mean little. A pair of insoles is something that a decent pair of insoles may help. Because Toms shoes do not tie, they are not particularly supportive around the ankles. Toms may fall short in the ankle support department if you don’t use laces to attach your shoes. The fact that the material is a soft canvas does not assist things safe. Without ankle support, your feet may suffer or worse; you may roll your ankle while enjoying a pleasant day at the park. These are probably not for you if you plan on walking all day. They can irritate your ankles because they are only slip-on shoes. Yet, some say it is relaxing and could go to any casual attire like slacks, shorts, and even skirts and will easily transition into fall. For that reason, they’ve quickly become my new favorite casual shoe.
Canvas and Manufacturing
The bulk of toms is built on the canvas. Toms prefers to produce their canvas shoes of organic cotton and recycled plastic. This means they’re usually machine washable. Hemp is another fiber that is sometimes utilized to make a canvas. Hemp was used in manufacturing fabrics and other items for a long time. The cloth that wraps around these shoes performs a substandard job of holding your foot safe and in place. Toms shoes are manufactured in Argentina, China, Haiti, and Ethiopia. Toms shoes is a sustainable business. They’ve become more environmentally responsible as they’ve expanded, employing low-impact earth techniques and ethically sourced products.
Poor Travel Shoes
However, Toms shoes are linked to being the worst travel shoes for numerous reasons. First, Toms shoes are designed barefoot, but if you don’t buy insoles to put in them, they will stink up the room within a week or two. Second, the durability is extremely low that the shoes would break even when strolling around the city. Third, the unreasonable expensive price does not justify the quality and durability in a long walk or years. And lastly, Toms shoes cannot guarantee your safety, especially on rainy days, on newly waxed floors or generally on smooth surfaces. It cannot hold a grip on the ground, which is more likely to cause accidents and injuries.
Inefficient Charity
Toms donated shoes to a charity in Haiti to help the people in need. However, the idea had been marked “terrible” in making a better place. Toms is an accessories company that presents itself as a charity. When you buy Toms products, the company makes an in-kind donation to someone in need. When someone buys Toms shoes in the United States, for instance, the brand sends a pair to a child in a developing country like Haiti. The yes men are the charity equivalents of Toms and many other firms like it. The company will tell you what they want (to buy stylish, pricey accessories), not what you need to hear to accomplish your goals (to have your purchase do as much good in the world). Toms claims that making the world a better place is all about you and that you are the best person to aid the impoverished. And that you are so powerful that it will take very little work to make a significant difference. However, while that type of advertising is a fantastic method to sell stylish shoes or otherwise make money, it’s not a terrific way to do charity. It’s inefficient at best. It concentrates on initiatives that waste your money by failing to do the greatest good per dollar. It encourages people to think of the world’s impoverished as helpless, ineffectual people passively waiting for trinkets from shoe-buying Americans. While the shoes themselves are unlikely to cause any harm, that perspective may lead to terrible policy and genuine, severe pain.
In conclusion, purchasing Toms shoes might still be a good idea, especially if you still want to consider helping the children despite the unpleasant reasons. There were still positive reviews among Toms shoes, but you may need to think twice before buying at your nearest stores. Going back to the question, are Toms shoes worth buying? That’s really up to you, but you might be better off with just buying another brand and then making a donation to a favorite charity. It would be more efficient and you could get a better pair of footwear.
