Last night I went shoe shopping. I normally buy shoes in outdoor stores. They tend to stock hiking-type shoes which suit my lifestyle, plus I don't wear bright white shoes. Ugh.
Anyway, I'm going through all the stock and the sales guy is telling me why some pairs were worth £80 or more. Oh yeah, such-and-such high-tech feature. Of course you read the blurbs on these high-tech features, and it's just marketing bullshit. "x technology means we design for maximum durability and performance using space-age materials and..." wank wank wank.
The daggy thing I ended up doing was this: I bought the same shoes I'd walked in with. I tried on heaps of these high-tech new designs, but none was as comfortable as the ones I'd already owned, and I know they're durable and good for long hikes! They were also cheaper. Daggy huh?