One of the two has small dark spots on the sole. Haven't tried removing it in any way yet as I may be doing more harm than good. I contacted CH support to help me get rid of this. I hope they find a way. I suspect some of the color of the stapler has transferred to the sole during storage. Anyway, I didn't expect shoes at this price point to have such questionable issues. Update: I tried cleaning and the stains didn't even come off a bit. It appears to be rooted in the rubber outsole. Cole Haan is offering a full replacement. What a problem. Kudos to the customer service team for the quick replies.