Agreed on point about special purpose footwear. However disagree with both you and OPs point about not investing in footwear and seemingly choosing options based at least mostly on cost.
Cheap footwear leads to a variety of other health / joint / posture issues that cost far more in the long run.
All new shoes are going to feel okay when you first get them. Something people forget is how a cheap shoe will degrade over time. Common example is soles wearing down unevenly because say the insole or outsole is made out of something cheap. Now you need to walk on a slightly uneven footing for months till you buy a new pair, thus furthering the damage created by ever other cheap pair of shoes you've bought over the years.