When I find a type of shoe that I like and fits my feet comfortably, I’ll end up wearing that style of shoe for years. Skechers has a make of shoe called Klone that I really like, and I’ve purchased several pairs of them over the past few years – in fact, I’ve worn the same brand and style of shoes for so long, I can’t recall what I used to wear before.
Typically I wear a pair until they start to wear out/get really dirty, then I’ll swap to a new pair. My current pair though developed a worn out shoelace – you know, that little plastic tip piece fell off – and so I needed a new pair of shoelaces. I measured the laces out that come with the shoes, and the laces were 68 inches long. Thinking I could pop into any store that sells shoelaces and find what I needed, I checked Wal-mart: nope, they don’t have that length. I checked a couple of other stores, including a shoe repair store that seemed to carry every type of laces ever made, and they didn’t have any either. It seems that the seven-hole Klones make for laces that are much longer than normal.
I was in Edmonton a couple of weeks ago, and at West Edmonton Mall I walked past a Skechers store. I thought “Aha! Shoelace victory shall be mine!” I went in and was told that they don’t sell shoelaces there. What? WHAT? The nice young women working there said that they get people coming in and wanting to buy shoelaces all the time, especially for shoes like mine that require extra-long laces, but they’re not permitted by Skechers corporate to sell shoelaces. What? WHAT? That has to be one of the dumbest things I’ve heard this month – why wouldn’t a shoe store sell shoelaces for their own shoes, especially if those shoes require laces that are difficult to buy elsewhere? This is off-the-charts stupid. The nice young women dug through a box of shoelaces they had there – perhaps from shoes they couldn’t sell – and managed to find me a pair of laces that were within a few inches of matching. Good enough I guess.
I’m sure I can find the proper laces online somewhere, but if I, as an extremely loyal Skechers shoe-wearing customer, can’t find what I need at a Skechers store, what does that say about the company and their ability/willingness to service their customers? Nothing good.
Dear Skechers, please stop being dumb.
You're talking about the company that makes sneakers that purport to “tone your legs” as you walk. That's essentially bogus. 🙂
I used to like Sketchers, and used to wear them out too, but I've moved on to several other brands, which I have to admit are far more comfortable for my feet. 🙂
Order custom length laces – http://www.shoelacesexpress.com/customlengthshoelaces.asp
They have a ton of stuff, you might be able to find something standard that works too.
Cool, thanks Chris! Sort of sucks though that it's $5.95 and US only…to Canada they ship UPS, which is hilarious to think of paying that much for a courier just to get a pair of shoelaces. 🙂 I'll check eBay…
I agree. Shoe store doesn’t sell shoelaces..
stores that cannot order replacement parts for the stuff they sell sould just get out of the bussiness.from home depot to the corner shoe store,in todays world this is shameless.i litterally threw i product i purchased back at the salesperson and told her to keep it.i will never buy there again.it taught me to always askm if parts are avaible before purchasing,and to think long and hard if they are not
AMEN! Good, replacement shoe strings are just not to be found, even on-line. The cheap ones are available but not the sturdy heavy gauge one’s that orginally come with the shoes. It seems the only way to get the shoe strings is to purchase a NEW pair of shoes! What’s up with that!!!
Yeah, we went to a skechers store to buy laces and they said they didn’t have them but we could buy them online at the skechers store… I’m looking now and can’t find any on their online store either. That is HIGHLY annoying. We too are very loyal skechers brand wearing customers.
I recently found myself in this situation, wanting replacement laces for a black, canvas skate-type Sketchers shoe. The length wasn’t particularly difficult (~60″) but the width (.25″) was. After lots of searching, I found on a brand called Soft Sole (http://www.softsole.com) at The Finish Line store at the mall, and also sold at Sports Authority stores. (Your results in Canada may vary.) The issue was that neither store sold laces longer than 54″. Using Soft Sole’s web site, I was able to find an independent athletic store in the next county over. As it turned out, they sold Soft Sole products, but not Soft Sole laces. But when I described what I wanted to the clerk, he nonchalantly found me something in another brand, 10 Second Laces (http://www.tenseconds.com). Total cost: $1. These aren’t exactly like the original laces, as they have a shiny nylon look instead of a flat black cotton look, but it’s close enough. I had also contacted Sketchers online, and was surprised the best they could do was recommend ShoeLaceExpress, with their outrageous shipping prices. I hope this is helpful to others.
I know this is a really old post, but I had to comment. I also love the Skechers Klone and I bought 2 pair when I found them a few years ago at J.C. Penny. Unfortunately now that I want to buy some again I find out this style has been discontinued. Dumb indeed….
I know exactly how you feel. I liked the Klones so much, I ended up buying four extra pairs of them at one point. I wore nothing but Klones for almost four years I think. Now I wear the Arcade model – they’re very comfortable!
https://www.skechers.com/en-us/style/51014/arcade-chat-memory/GRY
Not as good looking as the Klone.
More attractive than bare feet! 😉
Just stumbled upon this as I’m hunting for the shoe laces that were meant to come with my trainers (sneakers if you’re American ) still can’t find any official ones online anywhere. Very disappointed as I wanted the proper colour to match my shoes. Ordered online and they turned up with only one lace… very annoying! I didn’t order through skechers themselves but think I might have to contact them.
I’m wearing what I’m sadly recognizing is my last pair of Sketcher Klones. Back in 2001, I bought a black/purple pair, and then when those wore out, I bought another pair AND a sage/gray pair. Eventually, both those color combinations were discontinued, but I kept it going with the Klone II in khaki. Starting 2010 they were becoming more and more difficult to find, but I was still able to find them at overstock like stores online. Alas, my Klones need to be replaced and my online searching reveals NOTHING in stock. I’ve been wearing the same damn shoes for over fifteen years now. I have no idea what I’m going to do. Arcade model, huh?
I feel your pain. Do you have a local Sketcher’s store? Go check out the Arcade model in person, you may like them. They’re different than the Klones – more lightweight – but I like them. They had a buy one get the second pair for half off, so I bought two pairs. 🙂
Their corporate offices are 4 miles from my house, so I’m pretty sure I can find a SKECHERS store. Of course, when I began wearing the Klones, I lived considerably further away. Every pair I’ve bought I either bought at a Factory Outlet-type store or online. But, I’ll check out the Arcades.