Trying to find another pair of these beach sandals (sort of like Crocs, but not Crocs)...

April 2, 2007 9:43 AM

I'd like to find another pair of these super-comfortable cheap beach sandals. Seems like that shouldn't be too hard, but I haven't had any luck so far! Have you seen shoes like these anywhere?

I bought this pair of beach slides at The Bargain Shop (Canadian store that sells random leftover items from other stores) last summer. Here's three pics of them: 1 (from above); 2 (a sideview); and 3 (of the sole). It was the only pair they had, they happened to fit me, and they were $3.30; I haven't seen them there since. Well, they turned out to be so comfortable that I wear them all the time around the house. I would love to find more pairs of these since they're getting worn (and I'd like something other than hot pink). But I haven't been able to find anything similar at any stores here or online. I've Googled and searched eBay from every angle I can think of (the name on the tag, the material they're made out of, the sand prints the sole would leave) and.... nothing.

They have a little white tag that says "Tender Toes" on the slide top, big palm trees on the soles, and they're marked size 40 on the sole (European sizing, I assume). They were just tied together with a piece of elastic without a manufacturer's tag or original price tag on them, so no clues there. They're made out of something similar to what Crocs are made out of (that sort of plastic foam stuff) and I did check out the Crocs site, but they've only just started making slides in this style, and they're $40. Seriously, it seems like these shoes or something similar enough to them would be at, you know, Target or K-Mart, so I'd really rather not pay that much, but I'm totally stuck. Whenever I find this slide style of sandal, they're usually plastic shower shoes, which I don't want - I like this foam material.

Have you seen shoes like these? Where?

posted by Melinika to shopping (12 comments total)

I totally empathize. However, since as far as I can tell, you still live in the vicinity of the store, why not ask their manager/buyer? Or send their HQ an e-mail with the pics? They may totally ignore you for $3.30, but it's worth a shot, at least.

A Google search for "foam sandals slides" turned up this, which are a reputable brand and cost much less than Crocs.
posted by desjardins at 10:30 AM on April 2, 2007

erm, before anyone goes off searching for sandals, I recommend you turn on Google's safe search feature, or you'll get foot fetish results. Unless you're into that kind of thing.
posted by desjardins at 10:32 AM on April 2, 2007 [1 favorite]

I saw some just like that a couple weeks ago in Merida, Mexico in the 3 Hermanas Zapateria. 50 pesos.
My GF was checking them out, but went with another style.
I'm not going back for a while, or I'd pick up a pair for you.
posted by Floydd at 11:16 AM on April 2, 2007

I have seen some like this very recently at Walgreen's, a midwestern american drug store chain. Unfortunately they don't have them on their website. You could check your local drug/discount store.
posted by mai at 11:27 AM on April 2, 2007

I'm pretty sure they sell something very similar at Wal*Mart (Yeah, I know) but like Walgreen's they don't have 'em on their website. Also don't know how much overlap there is between Wal*Mart USA and Wal*Mart Canada but maybe it's worth a shot.
posted by Opposite George at 11:38 AM on April 2, 2007

okabashi are great, I love them. comfortable and long lasting. I imagine they are a little heavier / less foam-y than your description.

but they are cheap and yes you can usually get them in rite aid, cvs, walgreens etc. for $7-10.

they used to have much simpler styles (which I prefer) -- good thing those are the ones you're more likely to see in your local store vs. the new fancy ones on their website.
posted by dorian at 12:09 PM on April 2, 2007

Reefs are king.
posted by complience at 1:44 PM on April 2, 2007

How do you feel about Crocs like these?
posted by santojulieta at 2:58 PM on April 2, 2007

Reefs are indeed the most awesome. You'll pay a lot for them but I have one pair of plain old Reef flip-flops that I've worn every summer for the last 10 years, so the money is worth it.

Keep in mind that you bought these at a discount store, and since they were the last pair, they were prolly on clearance, so you may not be able to find the same pair at the same great price you originally paid. It might help to open your pocketbook a little more if you really want this style.
posted by Brittanie at 3:52 PM on April 2, 2007

LLBean makes these. I haven't tried them, but for 15 bucks, I'm tempted. Nice color selection too.
posted by jvilter at 12:51 AM on April 3, 2007

Update: I picked up two pairs of Okabashi tonight at Shoppers Drug Mart. (Thanks dorian!) They're not light foam, really more plasticky, but they were CAD $15 per pair and quite comfortable. And bonus, they actually look good enough to wear out of the house casually, which I don't normally attempt with my scary hot-pink shoes.

I'm still looking for something close to my foam slides though before I completely wear them out. I keep finding foam thongs, not slides, dammit. (Floydd, I even contacted relatives in Mexico to see if they lived anywhere near Merida. Heh.)
posted by Melinika at 7:06 PM on April 26, 2007

Better update: my neighbor told me the local Lens Mill store had fake Crocs, so I got some cheap knockoffs of the Scutes-style slides... $6 instead of $30. They're so ugly... but so comfortable... and work fine as a replacement for my pink foam ones which have gotten pretty worn down. I'd love to find another pair of the slides I have, that'd be ideal, but I think this is as close as I'm going to get if I can't find the exact same thing.
posted by Melinika at 3:18 PM on June 23, 2007