I appreciate the numbers you pulled/calculated, gives a lot of perspective.
However, is it fair to say inflation doesn't effect shoes as much as other commodities? Shoes have arguably gotten cheaper to produce and more automated. I'm not sure how expensive raw materials (leather) are, but I'm guessing textiles and knits are cheaper? IDK, this is pure speculation on my part.
Another thing I was thinking is they're also making shoes at a margin they are comfortable with. For example, if those Pippen 1s were $160 MSRP, but maybe cost $40 to make, then they made $120 profit. Common sense to me says Nike has only tried to grow that margin over time, not reduce it, so I gotta believe they're making at least $120 per 360 sold. Let's say, for convenience, they increased that $120 margin by $40 to $160, meaning it cost them $40 to produce the 360. Long story short, while average Nike BBall shoe prices haven't increased to $250+, Nike has advanced their production methods to make shoes or chosen materials that allow them to make the same profit per pair, presumably more, which allows them to keep their shoe prices roughly the same as the mid 90s.
Although I'm glad shoes don't regularly cost $250+, I don't feel "fortunate" either as if Nike is doing us a favor.
