Back to school cool: Vans (sneakers) up to 60% off at 6pm.com

Daily Deal for Thursday, August 23: Vans shoes for up to 60% off.

If you grew up in Southern California, or if you have school-aged kids today, you know about Vans -- those too-cool surfer shoes every kid over the age of 5 simply must have if they're down with the beach or skateboard culture.

Vans were popular in the '70s and '80s when I was growing up in L.A. In fact, they were the *only* shoe you could wear and still be socially acceptable during the junior high school years. They've been popular ever since, but the appeal has crossed over into other youth groups as well. Apparently sometime in the last decade a rap group sang the shoe's praises, and now they're cool with the hip-hop crowd too. Go figure.

Trouble is, just as they were pricey in my day, they're still expensive now, running from $40 for a standard pair, to $65 for the hard rockin', high-top "Iron Maiden" version. And with the way kids go through shoes...

But then here's this totally sweet sale at a site called 6pm.com. Dude! And back to school is just around the corner. Check out the huge variety of Vans at sale prices of between 40% to 60% off, until supplies last. That's cheap enough to pick up a couple of pair for your kids and some old school plain reds for yourself. Nostalgia totally rocks!