Saudi Arabia happens to be one of the richest countries in the world. Many things in the oil-rich country come a little expensive. Now, a shocking video is going viral that shows a pair of chappals being sold for an exorbitant price. A video shared by Kuwait Inside posted an undated clip where it had a person taking out a pair of white and blue chappals and flaunting them with price tags. This video’s text claimed this pair of chappals were worth 4,500 Riyal — which comes to about Rs 1 lakh. The slippers were designed in the classic white and blue colours, which are commonly available in India.
The video immediately went viral with people wondering why such a simple footwear would cost so expensive. Many pointed out that the everyday chappals used in most households in India are usually available for as less as Rs 200.
One of the Instagram users wrote, “We use these sandals in India while going to the toilet.” Another user cracked a hoax, “It is, in fact the best Mother’s Day gift. The best weapon for all moms my mom’s slides were the best for me; look at me now.
One of the Insta users commented, “First copy of the old paragon Hawaii slipper available in India. Most powerful weapon of every mother of the 90s kids.” Another user enquired, “What’s trendy here? And why are they kept in trays?? Its a normal Paragon chappal.”.
Another such example of extreme pricing was that brown suede leather sandals from Birkenstock, costing less than $200, or about Rs 16,000, were auctioned in November 2022 itself for a whopping amount of $218,750, or about Rs 1.7 crore. What made these sandals special was that they were owned and used by Steve Jobs, the co-founder and late CEO of Cupertino-based tech giant Apple. California-based Julien’s Auctions was the auction house that sold but did not reveal who the buyer was.
In 2019, the Italian luxury brand Gucci received massive backlash for selling a couple of “unclean” trainers for £615, equivalent to approximately Rs 66,000. On Gucci’s website, it had read, “A pastiche of different influences that span across decades, materials inspired by vintage sportswear.”.