What do you pay for shoe repair?

Men’s penny loafers, heel and half-sole, rubber (or tell me what you paid for leather, I got a quote for that too).

I live in San Francisco, for what that’s worth (i.e. everything costs more here, I guess).

I’ll tell what I paid after I hear from a few of you.
Roddy

I just paid $22 for new heels (and some stitching on one of the saddles) on a pair of loafers, and am feeling somewhat ripped off. Philadelphia.

I don’t know if I’m weird or cheap or something (probably both), but I would never pay a cobbler to fix a shoe if it broke. I’d just buy a new pair of shoes. I’ve been wearing the same new balance tennis shoes for about 5 years now. I should probably get rid of them, but they’re so comfortable! And I can get away with tennis shoes at work.

I think around $30 in rubber - did leather a few years ago, but forget what I paid. Seattle area.

I would expect to pay between $20 to $30 for leather. My husband has boots re-soled every now and again.

I recently got a pair of my niece’s boots re-heeled for about $15, but the heels themselves were very small and there was no resoling done.
Oh yeah, central Mississippi.

I recently paid $70 in Walnut Creek for new leather soles and rubber heels on a nice pair of men’s dress shoes that I bought 20 years ago for $300. I see I was paying too much.

My most common cobbler purchase - $10-15 for new heel taps. Annoys me since they’re soooo tiny but still way cheaper than replacing my shoes every 6 months. - Toronto

I buy cheap shoes and wear them until the soles fall off. Then I just buy new ones.

Yep. I never realized there were still places that repaired shoes.

I prefer paying for a decent pair of shoes ($100 or so) and reheeling a few times – much more economical in the long run, since they’ll last forever. Cheap cheap shoes only last a couple months; semi-cheap shoes ($30-40) last a year or so.

Glad to hear that $22 for new rubber heels wasn’t a rip-off, though!

I live in New York, ad everything definitely costs more here.

Men’s penny loafers. Yes, I have a couple of pairs, and have them re-soled and heeled often enough. Rubber heels, leather half-soles. Runs $50-$60. Maybe more like $60 lately. Seems outrageous to me, but it’s way cheaper than new shoes.

I think it’s been at least 40 years since I’ve had a shoe repaired. I occasionally buy new laces, but that’s about it.

Don’t feel too bad, the quote for leather heels and leather half soles in San Francisco (south of Market) was $65; I paid $52 for rubber. I realized after I left the shoes that I didn’t pay that much for the shoes the first time, and I think I could still get the same brand for less at DSW.

But in fact I like the rubber soles better than the original leather; I have slipped a couple of times in those shoes with leather soles, I don’t think the rubber will be as slippery.
Roddy