>why do they need to claim $75 profit/shoe in their costs per shoe go up? A lot of the costs come from bidding against other retailers for employees and retail

>why do they need to claim $75 profit/shoe in their costs per shoe go up? A lot of the costs come from bidding against other retailers for employees and retail space. If you don't make as much as the rival retailer they'll outbid you. You can sometimes get around that by buying direct from the internet.