Are Allen Edmonds Seconds Really Seconds?

Most AE seconds I see don't have any defects. Also, every model and color seem to be available.
I find that to be a bit odd.
Does AE sell them as seconds as an excuse to discount popular models?

The latest theory is that AE seconds are actually thirds and the true seconds are being sold as firsts. The members of AAAC are hoarding the real first for reasons unknown at this time.

I thought the production of 2nds were part of AE's marketing plan to get the occasionaly mention from Vox here on teh SF to elevate their brand visibility

Originally Posted by Henry Boogers

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The latest theory is that AE seconds are actually thirds and the true seconds are being sold as firsts. The members of AAAC are hoarding the real first for reasons unknown at this time.

The truth about the ultra-elusive "thirds": http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...&postcount=181

The English manufacturers have used this tactic for years. They marked surplus stocks as seconds to ensure that while the quality is high, and that the customers get a discount, the troubling thought of getting "inferior goods" lingers, thereby encouraging said customers to buy firsts in the future. It's a mind game. Kind of like how some prostitutes in the 1930s offer male virgins "free sample".

Originally Posted by Pantisocrat

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Kind of like how some prostitutes in the 1930s offer male virgins "free sample".

This is not an analogy I would have thought of.

Originally Posted by Henry Boogers

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The latest theory is that AE seconds are actually thirds and the true seconds are being sold as firsts. The members of AAAC are hoarding the real first for reasons unknown at this time.

They are going to flood the market once they have their first quarterly losses. Just wait.

I'm not sure the premise makes any sense. If it does, it raises (or should) some troubling questions. If any manufacturer can sell firsts as seconds...and at a price level commensurate with the perception that it's a second...what's the shoe really worth?

I ordered 3 pairs of AE seconds... 2 of them were immaculate - I would never guess they were seconds.

The third pair had terribly distressed leather and was pretty awful.

I guess it's hit or miss.

Originally Posted by DWFII

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I'm not sure the premise makes any sense. If it does, it raises (or should) some troubling questions.

If any manufacturer can sell firsts as seconds...and at a price level commensurate with the perception that it's a second...what's the shoe really worth?

It's worth what the market will pay for it, and both the consumer and the manufacturer have a lot of input into the equation. As previously discussed, this is likely nothing more than a clever clearance sale....

Originally Posted by Henry Boogers

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It's worth what the market will pay for it, and both the consumer and the manufacturer have a lot of input into the equation. As previously discussed, this is likely nothing more than a clever clearance sale....
I agree, they're worth what the customer will pay for them--that's what is known as "fair market value." But that's not the issue I was addressing...every product has a cost of production. Every business has a cost of doing business. Manufacturers typically know, and control, to the last penny how much goes into each pair of shoes. It is one thing to sell off shoes that are imperfect or otherwise flawed to cover the cost of raw materials. In difficult situations, one can even imagine such items being sold at a price that is actually below the cost of raw materials. Taking a one time loss, IOW. It is quite another to sell off "perfect" shoes that represent a minimum dollar value in cost of production--raw materials, the cost of labour, etc.--at a loss. No company can do this and stay in business. Not even on an occasional basis. Understanding this basic business premise calls into question whether the" urban myths" about companies selling firsts as seconds simply to generate happy thoughts among the general populace, can have any basis in reality. But, as I implied in my previous remarks, it also raises the issue of what the shoes are really worth if they are selling firsts...or seconds...at a much reduced price yet still making a profit (even if only a minimal profit).

Originally Posted by deveandepot1

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Most AE seconds I see don't have any defects. Also, every model and color seem to be available.
I find that to be a bit odd.
Does AE sell them as seconds as an excuse to discount popular models?




- B

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

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- B

Thank You!

Originally Posted by deveandepot1

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Thank You!

Congratulations! Please allow me to amplify your joy. Although it is not widely known, I have it on good authority that AE shoes are made with gemming just as Edward Green shoes are made with gemming, but at almost four times the price!