Function or Appearance?

As consumers we have many choices to make. One purchase that I currently made that required several decisions was deciding which and how many pairs of tennis shoes to purchase. I have had the same pair of Adidas tennis shoes for several years. I love these shoes. I particularly like the pink (but not too pink) color of them. They are extremely comfortable and great for standing long periods of time. These shoes have served as great “everyday” shoes. Even with having these great shoes, I realized that I had a problem: I needed new tennis shoes.

My actual state was that I only had one pair of tennis shoes. The ideal state would be to have a pair of “everyday” tennis shoes as well as a pair of work out shoes and then a pair of softball/pitching shoes. This ideal state would require me to purchase two more pairs of tennis shoes to have a total of three pairs, provided I keep my old pair. The problem with this would be that I would want new shoes to have for everyday and then purchase a pair to work out in keeping the old for pitching (since I go through this pair the quickest); however, even this poses a problem. The problem with keeping my old pair as a pitching shoe would be unsafe since they are not functional for this purpose – not very supportive.

So, the ultimate decision had to be made last weekend as I went to shop. Being realistic, I knew that purchasing two new pairs was not in my budget quite yet. I used the decision making process and finally purchased a pair of Brooks. Brooks are known for working out/running. Starting Insanity the week after I purchased these I am extremely thankful I went this route and purchased a quality tennis shoe for exercising. I now have two pairs of tennis shoes hoping to purchase a third soon for pitching. The function of these tennis shoes is clear to me and has worked out great. My purchase and decision making has served me well so far and I hope to continue to be satisfied.