Since January 2025, many changes in the economy have sparked Americans to wonder if the quality of their groceries and merchandise has dropped. The rise of “shrinkflation” has caused items such as groceries, clothing, and gas to skyrocket. This has led Americans to find alternatives for food or clothing.
President Donald Trump increased tariffs between 10% and 25% on Mexico, Canada, and China. Many companies will now limit their materials when making products to make up for it.
Though it’s not exactly new, consumers are noticing the change in quality in their products. This is what TikToker Tom ( @sidemoneytom) pointed out after sharing a PSA on the quality of shoes these days.
He recorded his TikTok from a nondescript department store and shared prices of current men’s shoes ranging from $100 to $130.
According to his TikTok page, he curates content on random things that matter to him and shares his experiences with consumers’ consumption of products he’s purchased in the past.
The clip has grossed over 519,200 views and 51,000 likes as of Sunday.
Terrible quality shoes
Tom parades through the store he is in, grabbing and examining each shoe he says is made of plastic or foam instead of rubber soles. The quality is not the top tier match of the items for the number of prices like they once were before, explains Tom.
Some of the shoe items are allegedly made with less quality material, he says. Tom points out that each shoe was made of cheap fabrics such as plastic, glue, oil, and limited rubber.
“It’s literally every shoe now, it’s not even the cheap ones,” Tom claims.
One of the shoes he picks up is from Carhartt, a company that describes its products as “made to last.”
“It is not my fault shoes are made of styrofoam and oil now,” states Tom. He criticizes the shoe for having a hefty price tag of $110 yet is low quality. He also accuses a pair of Timberlands of having “terrible foam” while costing $115.
“The quality of everything is going to hell,” Tom says as he critiques the current state of the economy. “…These shoes are just the tip of the iceberg.” He lists out food, entertainment, and even cars as being “garbage.”
“We’ve allowed them to dumb down the quality of everything in our lives, what things have you allowed…were being pushed way too far and there is a breaking point,” expressed Tom.
Viewers are onboard with Tom
Several viewers were in agreement with Tom that the quality of everything they purchase has gone down.
“When shoes started being named some version of ‘Air Light Cloud float ‘ my thought was it was because they went from quality rubber to cheap foam and less materials.” commented one viewer.
“So true regarding quality. The quality of EVERYTHING has decreased dramatically,” stated another.
“Nothing is going to change though. It’s only going to get cheaper quality as corporations continue to have more power and less concerns about,” expressed one commenter.
Economic Blackout Day
In his clip, Tom claims there will soon be a “breaking point.” And it seems it has arrived. Grassroots campaigns in the United States encouraged viewers on Feb. 28, 2025, to roll out a boycott of all major corporations such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, and fast-food restaurants.
@sidemoneytom Replying to @Oscar Magaña shoes are done #fyp #shoes #foryou ♬ original sound – SideMoneyTom
Former CNN News Anchor Don Lemon brisked the streets interviewing average Americans via his new podcast TikTok page asking viewers if they spent any money during the nationwide Economic Blackout Day.
Many videos via social media show empty isles, drive-thrus, and shopping malls.
These grassroots campaigns feel consumers’ wallets are where the true power resides. This also appears to be a response to the Trump administration’s executive orders to end DEI Programs.
The Daily Dot reached out to Tom ( @sidemoneytom) via TikTok comment and Carhartt via email.
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