First: These are nice walking shoes. They are comfortable, with a padded insole and rounded edges where they meet your ankle. The sole surface does not become slick after extended use. Second: The same design of shoe has been made for a long time and hopefully will continue in production for years to come. Why? The member of my family who wears these occasionally needs a pair of shoes. These are long-lasting shoes, but yes, they do eventually succumb. He wants one and only one thing different about the replacement shoes - they should be "new." That request has been hard to fulfill in the world of shoes. By the time replacements are needed the designs are different, making the replacements ill-fitting or otherwise objectionable. Rockport World Tour Classic Walking Shoes have not followed this pattern, thus if you like them (they are easy to like) and have found a size that fits, you hopefully will be able to obtain them again when the need arises.