Being an outlier is cheap, sometimes.

I just picked up a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS running shoes at Marshalls. They cost $11.

That's because they were on clearance, and marked down several times. If I gambled and waited, I could have likely gotten them for nearly the $3 I paid for my Eccos. The way the store works is that they keep on discounting items that don't sell. Week after week. Apparently, nobody in this area shops there that wears shoes in that size, so I get to sit back and buy $90 shoes for $10.

When I was a kid, It was very difficult to find anything in my size. Even when I was willing to pay any amount for shoes, I couldn't usually find what I wanted. Most companies stop making shoes at size 12 or 13, since the market for the larger ones is too small. Good for business, since you're targeting most people and saving money by not manufacturing the extreme sizes, but horrible for the guy who can't find anything to put on his feet.

Back then, I couldn't find anything for under $100, which was a good amount back in the mid 80's. It wasn't my fault, since I had no option. I couldn't go to normal stores, and the stores that I could go to overcharged for everything. They knew my predicament and took advantage of it.

I'm very fortunate to have found a store these days that actually sells shoes in my size, periodically, and one that slashes the price on them as people pass them up week after week.