When Evan and I went in to the Skechers store to buy his crazy, flashy shoes, I was drawn to the wall of Skechers Bobs. They look really similar to Toms, also gives shoes to kids in need and were about $10 cheaper than Toms. I wasn’t sure what the story was with Bobs vs Toms, though. It left me wondering “Bobs or Toms…what is the diffrence?”
The shoe salesperson was standing next to me & I said “You know, these are really cute but I could never buy them because they are such a blatant rip off of Toms.” She said “Oh no…that’s not right. You see, Skechers bought Toms but since they’re so big, they started a similar line for their stores called Bobs.” I said “So they’re the same company?” She said “Yep!” Hmmm….so the same company instead of Bobs copying Toms? That made me feel better.
At that moment…I should have listened to the little voice in my head that said “Really? Are you sure?” but I didn’t. It never entered my head to think she was lying to me. So I bought them. They were cute & comfy and I was happy.
Until….
I read this tweet:
Bobs Vs Toms…the real story
I started to answer back with the salesperson’s story & then I thought…I better google that too make sure before I act like I know. After googling, I knew I had been “had”. I was NOT happy. I didn’t like my cute little red canvas shoes any more. I know that many have a derogatory view of sales people but I don’t. I’ve worked in sales for years and you do NOT have to lie to make a sale. You just don’t.
So yesterday we went back to the Skechers store to switch Evan’s shoes for a larger size. I also took in my pair of Bobs. I told the manager my story and asked for my money back. He was NOT happy with me. He basically used the “We didn’t rip off Toms, if that were the case everything in fashion is a rip off. Oh and we’ve given more shoes to charity than Toms.” I calmly said “While that may be true, your employee lied to me to make a sale. That is not cool.” Whether she lied or was mis-informed …I don’t know. What I do know is people who work in retail should make sure they have their story straight or say “I don’t know”.
Since I didn’t have my receipt, I now have a store credit. It’s not the best case scenario but it works for me. Now I will go buy my pair of Toms which I should have purchased in the first place.
Olivia
Friday 8th of November 2019
What a first world POV. I've owned pairs of TOMS and have recently purchased BOBS as well even after noticing the very similar design and concept of TOMS. "Knock offs"-if that's how you would like to refer to imitation fashion-is what fuels the fashion industry and keeps it going. In this case, for good reason. The TOMS business model is a good one to follow, as it helps people in need. The founder himself said he hopes that more brands will follow his business model to continue charitable causes. Sure, being lied isn't so nice, though that is an irrelevant reason and a biased cover up.
Merry Kuchle
Friday 8th of November 2019
The lying was the issue. :)
Loloc
Thursday 25th of August 2016
Here's what the TOMS website says in the FAQs:
"Is TOMS® partnering with Skechers to make BOBS? No, TOMS® is not partnering with Skechers on BOBS or any other product. TOMS® prides itself in responsibly fulfilling the promise of One for One® on the giving side, delivering quality product, and having a passionate and supportive community. We hope to inspire other companies and individuals to incorporate giving in to their businesses, although we encourage them to do so responsibly ... and creatively." ~www.toms.com/faq
Albert
Friday 13th of May 2016
Way back when MMS and SMS were two different plans I had a Sprint employee tell me that they were the same thing. At least I think that was the scenario. It might've been an issue with a phone I had and I was looking for a new one with better mms functionality. Either way the dude told me MMS and SMS were the same. How do you work at a cell phone store and not know the difference between those two things?!
Michelle
Sunday 6th of September 2015
Wow so much debate on this topic. TOMS vs BOBS, when the real topic was a salesperson lied. I googled the difference between the two brands and this discussion did come up. So first off, are you sure the salesperson lied? I think there is a big difference between lied and misinformed. If the salesperson really believed the information she was not lying, big difference. Non truths are spread all the time and not always as lies but by lack of knowledge or ignorance of the topic being discussed. I've only worn TOMS because I had never heard of BOBS until recently. It's great they both give to charity (not saying how, or how much as I do not want to spread misinformed information, and have not researched it enough to know) I may try on a pair of BOBS in the future and see how they compare. And as far as ripping off an idea, the world if full of rips offs, and Sketchers I think just did a play on the short man's name….. two shoe companies giving to charity is good. Two is better than ONE.
Allie
Friday 21st of August 2015
Weird to see people dis on Toms and promote bobs. It would be hilarious to see something similar happen to them lol. LIke, if your name is kerry some person start dressing like you, acting like you, styling hair like you and calling themself sherry and trying to get your friends to like her better. lol. And have people then be like, Sherry's hair is shinier and sherry is a better cook and prefer Sherry over you. Its funny. lol. oh well. :/