Psssst! ‘SECRET’ Office & Schuh outlets flogging cheap, slightly blemished shoes

How does it work?

You can think of these websites as a kind of online jumble sale where each pair of shoes is listed individually – a bit like eBay or Facebook Marketplace – along with a clear photo of the exact pair you’ll receive, and any defects will be mentioned in the description.

Offcuts says it only sells “end of line, ex-display and last pairs of shoes” and all stock is brand new, but may have some marks or fading. Similarly, Schuh Imperfects says shoes may have scuffs, discolouration or other “individual quirks” (we like this description).

So while stock’s very limited, and likely to be cleaned out this week by MoneySavers reading this (sorry), both sites are regularly updated with new stock – so there’s no rush to grab yourself a pair straight away.

The shoe's condition will determine how big a discount you get

There are pictures of each pair of shoes and the retailer briefly describes what the flaw is (and remember, there's often just one in each style and only one size). From what we’ve seen this is often discolouration of one of the shoes, which has probably been left out in a window display, a scuff or a mark that can’t be removed. On Offcuts, there's a box under the description where it grades the condition of the shoes – from 'Totally perfect' to 'OK condition'.

Prices do vary depending on how noticeable the flaw is, but typically you’ll save about 30% on the normal full price – sometimes less, sometimes more – so the discounts are comparable to most outlets.

Some particularly strong discounts are available on the Offcuts odd pairs* page. It sells pairs of shoes made up of mismatched sizes, which will be of interest if you have one foot larger than the other. We spotted Birkenstock sandals for £10 (normally £45) because the right foot was a 4.5 and the left a 3.5.

What's more, students can also get an extra 10% off at Schuh Imperfects by filling in a Schuh student discount form*, or via Unidays. 

A few examples of what we’ve spotted

I personally bought a pair of Puma Suede trainers from Schuh Imperfects for £21, which normally sell at full-price for £62, back in May 2018. The description said that the right shoe had some discolouration, but after looking through the images I didn’t think it seemed too obvious. As you can see from my photo below (on the right), it’s barely even noticeable at all.