A 4th-grader has rallied her school to collect the shoes and thus help the poor.

Jean Patteson |Sentinel staff writer

March 13, 2008

Julie Gottfried is only 10 years old, but she has a lofty goal: to collect 1,000 pairs of used Crocs shoes by the end of this school year.

The worn-out shoes will be donated to SolesUnited, a program that recycles Crocs, those ugly-but-comfy clogs that just about everyone seems to own. The recycled material is used to make new shoes, which are donated to people in need around the world, explains Julie, a 4th-grader at Crystal LakeElementary School in Lake Mary-- whose mascot happens to be a crocodile.

"So we call the program Crocs for Crocs," says Julie.

Initially, Julie planned to collect the shoes all by herself. But the program has grown legs. Now her whole school is running with it.

Every month, explains Julie,, each student in teacher Jamee Cagle's4th-grade class does a community project and writes a report about it. Julie's parents, Richard and Marci Gottfried, happened to catch a segment about SolesUnited on The Celebrity Apprentice. They suggested their daughter set up a shoe-collection box for her next community project.

"I immediately checked out the [SolesUnited] Web site," says Julie. "At first I didn't think it was such a good idea. But I changed my mind when I watched the video on the site. Seeing how kids my age around the world didn't have shoes made me want to help."

Julie contacted Crocs. Helped by the shoe company, her teacher, parents and younger brother Matt -- "my assistant and best friend" -- she planned a publicity campaign. She set up collection boxes. And she appeared on the school's School News TV program, talking about Crocs for Crocs.

"I need your help," she told her fellow students. "Let's show the world what our school can do. Wear them, share them. Put them in the box in the lobby."

Julie "completely rose to the occasion," says Cagle. "She shared a clip from Crocs, showing people in the villages receiving shoes. She told how it touched her heart, how the other kids could get involved and -- in her words -- 'change the world.' "

Within days, Crocs for Crocs has become Crystal Lake's largest-ever school-wide project. Once the shoe company decides what country will receive the recycled shoes from the Crystal Lake collection, the school's students will study that country "to put a face on the people getting the shoes," says Cagle.

"It's touching," she says. "Students, teachers and staff sent e-mails to other schools and to family members. Now we're getting Crocs through the mail from out of state. We're the first school in the nation to get involved with SolesUnited. How cool is that?

"This came out of Julie's heart. She is influencing other kids. So many of our kids have no concept of not having shoes."

Julie may be only 10, but she has the promotional savvy of a seasoned QVC pitchwoman. Asked whether she wears Crocs, she doesn't hesitate to plug the brand:

"I've had four or five pairs," she says. "Now I have silver Mary-Jane Crocs. They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn."

Hey, you get a little bonus with today's edition of the Log Cabin Democrat. You get some instruction on making a better life for yourself - and it's easy.

There isn't an ornate medical degree hanging on our wall, nor do we have you lie on the couch and talk while we occasionally say "hmmm."

Spring is just around the corner, with all that implies in Arkansas. Go for a walk. You'll feel better. That's the instruction, our advice, plain and simple. And it works.

All of us have been inundated by news articles, magazine pieces and televised programs on the health benefits of walking. These are good, but they tend to be too weighty. They tell us how to choose a pair of walking shoes, what time of day is best for walking, "choose an ergonomic route," whatever that is. The advice quickly gets weighty and tedious.

Our rather simple suggestion is to look outside, check the temperature, dress fittingly and start walking. Wear the shoes that feel good when you walk in them. You like that pair of Crocs? Wear 'em. Your choice.

Walking is a physical endeavor with decided and important mental attributes.

If you are the typical Faulkner County resident, you have worries. That's plural. Worries. Some of us have more than others, and some have problems that appear overwhelming and insurmountable. Some folks handle multiple worries and problems better than others, and some keep everything bottled up inside.

"How are you today"? "Just fine." And the person answering so cheerfully is eaten up on the inside with stewing about debts, misbehaving kids, a cranky spouse, a boss that is never pleased.

Just head out the door for that walk, and tension will ebb, maybe so gradually you don't notice it. Walk by yourself, walk with a friend, walk with one of the kids, put the dog on a leash and take it walking with you. Choose any of the above or just go walking with the spouse. We have tongue in cheek here. Husbands and wives make fine walking companions, but we aren't astute enough to tell you yay or nay for your particular situation.

The assorted experts mentioned above can tell you how fast to walk, how to swing your arms, what angle the elbows should be. Not us. Just go out and walk.

There is nothing magic about a route for this walking either. Around the block, down the road, around the track at a football stadium, inside a gym all can be used. If you choose to walk at night, keep your personal safety in mind.

Here is another suggestion and one you won't find in the advice from the experts. We aren't experts - you already know that.

Try using a stick and see if that is an aid to your walking. Stick? Sure -walking stick or a cane, homemade or store-bought. Chances are you won't need this aid for your neighborhood walk, but keep in mind that most hikers use sticks. They are covering rough ground at times, but just the simple action of placing a stick beside your foot in a stride can be helpful.

The experts also usually tell us to keep a chart, to write down facts on our walks for exercise. If you slide right on past this record keeping, no one is going to check up or chastise you for it.

Our whole idea is to get out and walk for relaxation, for exercise, for assorted intangibles in the way of benefits.

It may be barely discernible, but we are betting you'll have a smile on your face.

By Michael Brush
Exclusively for InvestorIdeas.com
March 13, 2008

Crocs are those ugly shoes that everyone loves to hate...or love, depending on your tastes.

I loved them back in late 2006when the companywas already a popular target of skeptics, and the stock had a sizeable short position.

But bulls agreed with me and defied the shorts. The bulls continued to love Crocs (CROX) stock for the next 12 months -- driving it up a breath-taking 300% to trade north of $70 in a year.

Along the way, however, insiders began to hate the stock. They dumped it big time. Starting in early July 2007, they sold $60 million worth of stock for prices between $51 and $68.50 by October 3 last year, according to my tally of data at Thomson Financial.

Next, at the end of October last year, disaster struck as inventories rose and growth began to slow. So investors began hating the stock, too. By March, they sold it back down to $20 -- where I first said I liked it.

Now insiders like it again. Or at least one of them does. A director bought $5 million worth for just under $20 on March 6, according to Insider Monitor.

Is it time to hop on board this topsy-turvy stock because investors will soon start loving it again?

I think so.

Of course, given the uncertainties about the economyI would not expect a quick ride back up. However, patient investors are likely to be rewarded.

Here are six reasons why.

• The stock looks cheap.Crocs sells for just 6.4 times forward earnings, even though the company expects sales to grow 37% to $1.16 billion in 2008. Sure that’s less than the 139% sales grew last year. But it isn’t so bad! Especially for a stock that sells for just six time forward earnings. Crocs expects net income to grow 35% this year to $2.70 a share.
• Parlez-vous Crocs?The company now sells in over 90 countries, where consumers love popular Crocs brands like Beach, Cayman, Athens, and Mary Jane. International sales grew to more than half of overall revenue last year. Crocs is seeing the kind of white hot growth abroad that it saw in the U.S. earlier on in its history. Foreign sales increased 221% last quarter, while domestic sales were up 47%. Europe saw 255% growth last quarter. The company is also putting an “awful lot of money, time and effort” into infrastructure in emerging markets like China, India, Brazil, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, chief Ronald Snyder said in the last Crocs conference call. It expects those investments to start paying dividends later this year. By the end of the year, international sales could represent 60% of overall business.
• New product lines.But won’t Crocs just be a fad? That was the original knock on Crocs. But the company continues to roll out new products. They come in Croslite, a proprietary resin which softens with body heat and moulds to your feet making the shoes comfortable. And they are made of other materials like leather and canvas. It recently released a fleece-lined shoe called Mammoth which did well. It’s introducing slightly less funky designs for men -- and even a Crocs golf shoe. Now if it could only cook up some better ideas for the winter months.
• Lower air freight.Crocs had to air ship popular brands like Mammoth, Alice and Troika during the holiday season to meet higher-than-expected demand. That hit gross margins. Now it is positioning inventory better for the spring and summer, says the company, so air freight bills will come down.
• Financial strength.Crocs recently had $36 million in cashand only a little debt. But the Morgan Stanley analyst covering the stock believes that cash level could rise to $150 million in 2008.
• Smart money presence.I see that Don Hodges lists Crocs as one of the top holdingsin his Hodges Small Cap Fund (HDPSX). Hodges’ larger fund, the Hodges Fund (HDPMX) which has a longer record, has an annualized five-year return of 28%, or 13 percentage points better than its benchmark. The fact that Hodges has such a good record, and also a large position in Crocs, is a stamp of approval, to me.

The bottom line:This is a really bad time for retail stocks in the market. Combined with the exodus of momentum investors who got bruised and battered in Crocs, you have what looks like a great valuation and a great entry point for this company which still has an enthusiastic customer base. Take advantage of it.

Posted by John Gillie@ 04:06:00 pm

If there ever was a marketing marriage made in heaven, it might Crocs and airports.

Leave it to the Transportation Security Administration to demonstrate the utility of the lightweight, plastic slip-on Crocs by requiring you to slip off your shoes before passing through security screening.

After you've balanced on one foot and grabbed your laptop, carry-on and your belt with your left hand and tried to tie your shoes with your right after passing through the airport security line, you'll understand why Crocs or their imitators are becoming standard attire for airline trips.

Now Crocs Inc. has exploited that travel connection by opening a shop at Sea-Tac Airport's Concourse C.

The shop opened about two weeks ago and apparently is doing well said Sea-

Tac spokesman Perry Cooper.

No shoes for you, Costco(Nasdaq: COST).

Crocs(Nasdaq: CROX)is fighting back, a day after Costco CFO Richard Galanti discussed the availability of the eclectic yet cozy footwear at the chain's warehouse clubs.

In discussing the sudden availability of branded apparel that typically doesn't trickle down to the discounter, Galanti singled out "things like name-brand jeans and name-brand women's apparel and Crocs and the like" that are usually only sold through full-price retailers.

"We try not to say," he responded later, when pressed by an analyst on whether there was now a direct vendor relationship between Costco and Crocs. "We don't discuss what's direct and not, recognizing some manufacturers would prefer us not to. I'm not suggesting we are or not with them. All I'm suggesting is there is more availability of stuff out there."

Given the notoriously high inventory levelsat Crocs over the past two quarters, it was easy to assume the worst. Had older shoes gone stale, forcing Crocs to turn to Costco as a high-volume liquidator?

"We have not sold Crocs-branded products to Costco nor have we authorized any of our customers to sell our products to Costco," Crocs CEO Ron Snyder noted in a press release yesterday afternoon.

This doesn't mean that Costco's Galanti was lying or somehow pushing counterfeit Crocs footwear.

"We have discovered instances where we believe our products were being sold indirectly to Costco and we promptly terminated those relationships upon learning of that behavior," Snyder conceded.

Why does Costco have cooties? Well, if you're a company like Crocs -- delivering your wares to full-priced department stores, sporting-goods retailers, and namesake specialty stores -- the last thing you need is one renegade retailer underselling everyone else.

Food companies have no problem going through Costco, because the products are packaged in bulk sizes that aren't carried by conventional grocers. It's a different story when we're talking about stand-alone branded wear like Crocs or True Religion(Nasdaq: TRLG)denim -- things that need to maintain consistent pricing.

Even direct vendor relationships can be tested. iRobot(Nasdaq: IRBT)threatened to cut Sharper Imageoff two years agowhen it began selling the Scooba floor scrubber for $100 below the suggested retail selling price.

Shop for electronics on Amazon.com(Nasdaq: AMZN), and you will often see items with prices that can only be revealed after you place them in your virtual shopping cart. Pricing integrity is the key driver with standout brands.

Even when the economy is tight and inventory levels are loose, brands -- and vendors -- need to be protected.

Right now, that goes for both the Crocs and Costco brands.

iRobot has been singled out to Rule Breakersreaders. Costco and Amazon.com are Stock Advisorrecommendations. What will be the new picks later this month? A free trial subscription will clue you in.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarrizowns two pairs of Crocs in his University of Miami shades of orange and green. He does own shares in Crocs. He is also part of the Rule Breakersnewsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. The Fool has a disclosure policy.

I’m sure by now everyone has seen proof of or joined in on the craze over the Croc shoes. I have only once been tempted to buy the rubber garden shoes, and that was because they looked like ballet slippers. Luckily I was broke so I will never have the shame of having owned a pair of garden shoes, because that’s exactly what they are. Well if you are grumbling over my distaste with the Crocs, then you might be happy to know that Crocs are coming out with a cellphonecase.

In the UK Crocs will release a cellphone case that looks very similar to their shoes. Thus far details are a bit skimpy, they don’t mention what sizes of phones will fit or anything to that effect. Some will be happy to see the handy belt clip though.

They do mention that it will be available in eight different colors; black, silver, red, grape, fuchsia, celery, cotton candy and turquoise. It will be available May 1st of this year and will be sold for about $15.

Crocs - the bastard child of Dutch clogs and plastic jelly shoes, but my god are they comfy (not that I've ever actually worn them out of the house).

Much like the shoes themselves, the manufacturers are boasting substance over style with their mobile phone holder. Which is a relief, because they could hardly argue otherwise. The 'heel strap' is designed to keep your mobile safe and secure, the raised inside surface will protect the screen, and the fact that the case is 'Jibbitz charm ready' means that people will be laughing so hard they won't notice that your phone is over 18 months old.

The cases will cost £6.95, which I believe is the going rate for dignity.

Yes, it’s true: Jelly sandals are in, and some of the top designers are taking them high fashion. You can spend $165 or $7.99 for the look. The jelly sandal is back – and this time it’s not just the floppy rubber shoe in the bins at the 99 cents store. Luxury brands such as Givenchy, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and Fendi are all making jelly shoes for spring that cost vastly less than anything else they make – and yet, so much more than the jellies you ran around in through the ’80s.

Some of the top-dollar styles – such as the $165 Mod peep toe sandal from Givenchy – have great thick straps, which add an architectural element (a big trend in spring shoes). And the shiny rubber makes them look sleeker than your average jelly.

Marc Jacobs is making his popular mouse flat in rubber for $160. It comes in fun colors that include teal and coral, but believe it or not, the Target brand Xhilaration is making a shoe almost identical to the mouse. Target’s rubber ballet flat colors include black and red, but at $7.99, the savings might make you reconsider your need for Palm Beach brights.

Chanel, the brand famous for high-end accessories with chain straps and camellias, also is doing the jelly: a clear Roman-style sandal with minimal adornment, just a rhinestone by the big toe, for a staggering $295. It’s not a stretch from the version by Xhilaration, which is simple and sophisticated – and $7.99. Steve Madden’s Roman jelly is a neutral crystal clear for $39.95.

The Gucci jelly is in a league of its own – it works the double-G logo into the shoe, in the form of cutouts all over a Kelly green, blush or navy flat. For $150, it is the most substantial of the jelly lot and would work from summer into fall.

So, take your pick: Snag a little bit of luxury for less, or get the look for just a few bucks.

But whether you choose cash or credit on this spring trend, don’t dismiss the jelly just because it’s made of ordinary rubber. After all, jellies are waterproof, vibrant in color and of course, vegan friendly – like Crocs, but c’mon.

By Heather McWilliams

February 29, 2008 --

BOULDER - Superheroes, sports teams and Disney seem to draw children to a Web site. Combine that with the ability to virtually decorate a pair of Crocs, and it is Web heaven for kids.

Jibbitz, the charms designed to snap into Crocs shoes as decoration, joined with Boulder-based Slice of Lime to add more kid-friendly features to its Web site. The new features, incorporated into a function called the stylizer, improve on the site's original shoe-decorating function.

The animated stylizer, which launched in October, allows users to select backgrounds, colors and straps for a pair of Crocs. They can add a combination of Jibbitz for an original creation, said Kevin Menzie, founder and chief executive of Slice of Lime.

"The idea was to create a site that is engaging to kids but trustworthy enough for parents to click that buy button," Menzie said. A shoe doubles as a shopping cart, allowing parents to buy their child's creation.

Slice of Lime first connected with Boulder-based Jibbitz a few years ago, Menzie said. Jibbitz creator Sheri Schmelzer asked Slice of Lime to help Jibbitz with its original Web site.

"We actually built the whole Web site in about a week," Menzie said. They included an interactive piece similar to the current stylizer but with fewer functions. Then Slice of Lime watched Jibbitz take off.

"Within three months they were selling crazy amounts of Jibbitz," said Jeff Rodanski, Slice of Lime creative director and partner. "Within a year they sold a million."

Jibbitz sold so well that Niwot-based Crocs bought the company for $10 million in 2006. Jibbitz is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Crocs Inc (Nasdaq:CROX). When Jibbitz wanted to enhance the animated functions of its Web site, it came back to Slice of Lime.

"Kids and adults just found the original experience to be very engaging," Menzie said. "They brought us back a second time to do what we had done in the past - only even better."

The shared history between Slice of Lime and Jibbitz made the site development easier.

"We worked with this client before, so we kind of knew what they liked. They trusted us," Rodanski said.

Curtis Floth, Web operations manager for Jibbitz, said the partnership was a good fit.

"They understood our system. They were able to easily and quickly figure out what needed to be done - what enhancements needed to be made," Floth said.

Slice of Lime, in business for almost eight years, strives to build a sense of teamwork with its clients while building their Web sites, Rodanski said, and the company has carved out a niche working with startup companies.

"We start off any client with a big strategy session," Rodanski said. The company analyzes its client's goals and needs and help the client build a business strategy. Potential clients often bring up Jibbitz when talking with Rodanski.

"A lot of them say, 'Can you do something like you did with Jibbitz for us?' "

Jibbitz's product line has more than quadrupled since the original Web site. In addition to the Jibbitz charms for shoes, the company now offers other items, such as wrist bands and cell phone charms.

To accommodate new additions, Slice of Lime linked the Web site to the Jibbitz database. When a new piece is added to the database it is immediately accessible on the Web site.

"It's a big deal because we didn't want to put them in a situation in which adding a new product would mean reinventing the wheel," Menzie said.

New features - such as the user's ability to drag and drop one piece at a time onto a shoe - background scenes and the ability to choose straps improved on the old idea, Menzie said. These are all things that help generate excitement for kids when they use the site.

"The idea of building something gets kids excited, and when kids get excited, that's when mom and dad spend money," Rodanski said.

The new design also allows kids to share their creations with others through e-mail or by printing them. This leaves the door open to adding a social-networking component later, Menzie said.

"What we really wanted to do is allow them to design the shoe and then print it out and put it on the fridge or e-mail it to grandma," Floth said.

Floth said traffic on the Web site increased since the stylizer launched, and Jibbitz plans to add more features.

"We've got a lot of enhancements for the stylizer planned."

February 29, 2008 1:46 PM EST

People typically think of Crocs (Nasdaq: CROX) as a one-product company--clogs with holes in them. However, this spring, Crocs has plenty of new shoes that are not only comfortable, but stylish too. If Crocs is successfully able to get the product on stores' shelves, we may have the next Deckers Outdoor (Nasdaq: DECK) on our hands, whose stock grew by more than 3000% over the last 8 years!

Crocs introduced a new line called You By Crocs. RealMoney's Kristin Bentz, aka The Talented Blonde, filmed a must-see videothat shows all the different colorful, comfortable and fashionable styles. Bentz has had several great fashion calls before and she seems very excited about this line, calling it "fabulous high-fashion with Crocs."

Shoe-mad women will splash out more than £33,000 on footwear over a lifetime, according to new figures.

Each year, women treat themselves to eight pairs of new shoes, and with each pair costing an average of £65.88, that adds up to more than £527 every year - or £33,204 over a lifetime.

For some that figure could be even higher though as half of women admit they buy a least one new pair a month.

A spokesman for Olay, which carried out the poll to launch a competition to win a £3,000 shoe collection, said: "It's no secret that most women have a soft spot for shoes, but it's staggering when you find out exactly how much is spent."

The poll, of 1,500 women, also revealed that the average wardrobe boasts a collection of 44 shoes, including eight pairs of boots, nine pairs of trainers and 12 pairs of flips flops or ballerina shoes.

Kitten and stiletto heels then account for another 15 pairs.

But almost two thirds of women own an average of 10 pairs of shoes they have never actually worn or have only put on once or twice.

And three pairs of shoes are uncomfortable to walk in.

More than 26 per cent of hardy women admit they often wear the killer shoes though, despite it being painful when they walk, to stop their partner moaning that they were a waste of money.

Another 25 per cent of people also lie to their partners to try and stop the rows, with almost half telling their other half that the shoes were cheaper than they really were.

A cheeky 30 per cent even deny buying them, pretending they have been in the bottom of their wardrobe for months.

It doesn't work for all women though as 15 per cent have had rows with their partner over their shoe-buying and four per cent have even broken up because of it.

Four per cent have even split up with a partner over their shoe buying.

A spokesman for Olay added: "It's worrying to think that a few shoes can cause so much trouble in a relationship.

"But it's inevitable when so many women are lying to their partners and keeping them in the dark about their real shoe spending habits.

"To save the agro, you could save your money and ask for shoes as a present at birthdays and Christmas - the survey also found that 82 per cent of mums would love to get a pair of shoes for Mother's Day."

Every blogger, journalist, and CNBC commentator has an opinion about Crocs Inc.(NASDAQ:CROX) right now and all of them are convinced they are right.  I don't care what's going on with the Short Interest or if the stock has fallen off the map (because it has), for bargain shoppers, this is our moment.  Forget what you think you know about CROX shares, let's listen to the Analysts who get paid by corporate America for their thoughts.

Since last week CROX shares have dropped 26% and the analysts covering the stock have issued the following, all lowering their Target Prices (TP):

Date Issued	Action	Rating	Target Price	Analyst
2/20/2008	TP Reduced	Strong Buy	$        44.00	Wedbush Morgan Securities
2/20/2008	TP Reduced	Outperform	$        50.00	Robert W. Baird
2/20/2008	TP Reduced	Buy	$        56.00	D.A. Davidson & Co.
Average Analyst Target Price:			$        50.00

Every one of them maintained their Rating (click to read their comments), but all of them reduced their share price, but the average of all three -- $50.

 

These guys believe that in the next 52 weeks, Crocs Inc. shares on average should hit at least $50.  So today the stock is trading under $25, it doesn't take a Math major to figure out that a year from now these analysts believe CROX shares will increase 100%.

So are they right?  Will the Short Interest traders pull the stock down further?  Is Crocs Inventory going to bleed into their growth?  Is it just a Fad?Does that Shark-Ad thing make you want to buy their shoes?

 

Truth be told, CROX sells for only nine times analysts' 2008 earnings estimate of around $2.70 a share.

 

Forget checking the Yahoo Message board every 2 seconds to see if you can find out something worthwhile to help you justify buying/holding/shorting the stock.  It's not going to work, neither is refreshing the CROX ticker to see how is the volume playing out and is the stock moving.

 

Relax.

 

Don't believe in the stock or company, then don't buy it.

 

But to be on the short side of this stock right now is more risky than picking up a few shares at under $25.  Any analyst or day trader will tell you that, and as soon as they've played this one out, they'll buy.  They always do.

 

We are all sick of hearing about this stock, but that's when it makes the most sense to buy.  The Masters have posted a ton of articles about CROX this past week, it was too fun not to poke fun at them or talk up the headlines.

 

But now, it's time to do a reality check, and the reality is, the Street obeys the almighty analysts.  It's just the way the system works.  Apparently Barron's is now saying CROXis 'fairly valued' and 'to cover your shorts in the stock'.  Every investor is puzzled as to why Crocs hasn't issued a press release saying their stock is worth holding onto and other warm fuzzies. 

Corporations don't issue warm fuzzies, they make money or they lose money.  Crocs Inc, is making money and at $25 a share, I couldn't resist picking up a few shares.  Let everyone have an opinion or some brilliant angle on CROX, because in the end, it doesn't matter.  The analysts get the final word and if you try and beat them, you will lose every time.

They may be the ugliest shoe on the planet, but Wall Street still thinks their pretty enough at a price target of $50.

Frank Lara Jr. -- theStockMasters.com & WallNewsletters.com Co-Founder 

Disclaimer: The Author has a long position in CROX.

I am glad that the two local hospitals quit fighting over the word "regional" in their names. It simply confused us all. Even when the old hospital had "regional" in its title, to all of us that have been around here for a while, it was still good old TMH.

TMHWorld is a small community housed in several stories of white, clean, antiseptic-looking stone. The place is riddled with rabbit warren-like halls. People scurry about, looking rushed. Sometimes they run. As with an ambulance on the street, knowing folks move aside and let the running employees get ahead.

Like the island boys in "Lord of the Flies," TMHWorld has its own rules. There are many, many unspoken rules. There are rules the outsider cannot figure out in one or two visits. It was sometimes difficult to conform to the regulations, when I did not know who anyone was or what roles he or she played.

Name tags that workers wear identify them, but the print is so small that the only way to read the tags is to stare rudely at their chests. Most of these workers move so fast that tag reading is difficult.

Outside the hospital, if you see a man in a business suit or with a carpenter's belt, you have a clue about his profession. In TMHWorld, most people dress so pragmatically you don't know what they do. Large groups of people wear scrubs and white cotton coats.

While there for three weeks, I did discover a methodology to broadly ID different workers; look at their shoes. There are four types of shoe clues. Shower-cap shoes, clacker shoes, leather shoes and stealth shoes.

I believe that the people who wear shower caps on both their heads and their shoes work in operating rooms. I noticed that the crowds let them get in the front of the lines in the cafeteria and into elevators. When they began to walk quickly, they have the ultimate right of way. I wondered if the shoe and head covers are interchangeable. Tough to go to work with a shoeprint on your forehead.

Administrators wear shoes that make a clicking noise. Women in particular wear heels that clatter when they walk. Mostly they clatter while walking very rapidly. Male administrators also wear clacking shoes. This is a terrific idea, like belling the cat. What worker would not want to know when his boss was coming down the hall? One important large-office skill is to prevent a boss from knowing you are browsing online. In Tallahassee, you could pass a constitutional amendment requiring administrators to wear clacker shoes. However, in TMHWorld you do not need to.

Doctors seemed to have a lock in the leather shoe department. My guess is that leather shoes are practical for them, and professional looking. Doctors leave the routine messy work to others and I'll bet that they don't dirty their shoes as readily. A person in leather shoes with shower caps on them is high status in TMHWorld.

Stealth shoes come in several forms. Crocs and tennis shoes are the most popular. Workers who might have a messy job or need to clean their shoes often wear stealth shoes. These are the workers who bring large needles and sucking machines with names that are all alphabetic letters. These people need to sneak up on you. You never hear them coming; like ghosts they simply appear at the bedside. It is a good thing not to get to contemplate these procedures for too long. Stealth-shoes workers have superhero training, because they can apply the MSICU machines and needles faster than a speeding bullet.

I was relieved to leave TMHWorld and bring my happy patient home to recover. I would not be bringing him home at all if not for the shower-cap, clackers, leather and stealth shoe workers. To all you shoed heroes in TMHWorld, I thank you.

Merry Ann Frisby reports on Jefferson County for the Tallahassee Democrat and online at Tallahassee.com. Contact her at merryannf@yahoo.com

Smart footwear from court shoes to classic men's brogues is being given the boot in dress-down Britain, according to industry figures.

While sales soar for sandals, trainers and boots, they are in sharp decline for the kind of formal footwear once considered an essential part of every worker's wardrobe.

With a growing number of offices allowing their staff to dress down, it is more common to see women in boots or sandals like Crocs or Birkenstock, and men wearing fashionable trainers or Timberland boots.

The latest trade figures show the total spent on shoes in Britain last year broke the £4.5 billion barrier, up 3.4 per cent on sales five years earlier, according to retail analysts Mintel.

While the value has not risen by much, this is because the average price of a pair has fallen and Britain is now buying 232 million pairs a year compared to just 209 million in 2002, added Mintel.

During that period there has been an 18 per cent rise in spending on sandals, thanks mainly to Crocs being snapped up by children and adults alike - and a 10 per cent rise in sales of boots.

Sales of casual shoes for men and women have increased by 8.6 per cent between 2003 to 2007 and there has been a 5.7 per cent rise in sales of children's footwear not covered by the other categories.

Almost a third - 31 per cent - of the current spending is on trendy sports footwear, accounting for £1.4 billion of the total and including fashion icons like Nike, Puma and Adidas trainers.

This marks a small increase of 1.4 per cent between 2003 to 2007

But spending on formal shoes is down 11.1 per cent.

In 2003 the nation splashed out £740 million on smart shoes to go with suits or skirts, to be worn for work or special occasions such as weddings.

Last year the figure spent on smart shoes had fallen to £658 million.

More money is now spent on boots per year - up from £680 to £750 million in the same period - said Mintel.

The only other section of the market to suffer a fall is slippers, sales of which have nose-dived by almost 15 per cent over the same period.

The rise in more casual footwear has been boosted by a bigger range available in a wider variety of stores who have muscled in on territory which once belonged almost solely to the traditional shoe shop.

Trendy casual shoes and boots at cheaper prices are being snapped up from stores like Primark and Marks & Spencer or specialist sports shops such as Niketown.

More established specialist chains like Clark's have adapted their own advertising and image to appeal as much to the over-35s as they do to their traditional schoolchildren's market.

Juliet Strachan, senior partner of analysts HPI Research, commenting on the Mintel report, said formal footwear was suffering from a number of factors.

She said: "Supermarkets have carved a niche with discounted offering. The influence of fashion is also outstripping practicality.

"Elsewhere the flat pump has dominated the women's sector for the past two summers, emphasising the appetite for versatile, fashionable shoes.

"A rise in average winter temperatures has meant a declining market for sturdy all-weather shoes that could withstand the wet and windy British winters of old.

"Finally, age is becoming less of a differential in purchasing behaviour, with a broad section of the market appealing to a wide range of segments and consumers unwilling to be pigeonholed."