"You're Gonna Need A Quality Shoe"

So I bought a new pair of tennis shoes last night. Why? Well, my old shoes (old running shoes, actually) bit the dust last weekend when I helped Ev move. It happened to be raining the entire time, and my shoes were pretty beat up as it stood (no pun intended), so I decided it was time for new kicks.

Easier said, of course, than done.

Went to Just for Feet first. They were having a really good sale, and that's usually where I purchase my running shoes (past two pair from the one in Norman, actually). Well, I find a pair I rather like, ask the guy to find my size in the back, and he can't. Repeat this process two or three more times, and I'm starting to get frustrated. So I head off for the mall, determined to try to find a pair of shoes that're comfortable and fit well and are within my price range.

The next store I visit is worthless. Of the styles they had that I actually liked (which were very few), they never had my size, and they weren't within my price range. I could tell my reluctance to spend less that $100 on a pair of shoes annoyed the salesman, but I'm a graduate student, and I don't see the point in wasting so much money on shoes. They cover my feet. As long as they're comfortable, look decent, and keep my feet dry/warm/unblistered, I'm happy.

So it's off for another store; this time Famous Footwear. I amble about the store, just looking. Here for once (in contrast to the previous two stores) were salespeople who were not so desperate to make a sale that they damn-near jumped me and started beating me over the head with name-brand shoes. I found a pair I liked that fit and were within my price range. The salesman was helpful, friendly, and not too aggressive. I was happy with that, and now I have new shoes.

The whole thing about salesmen on commission is that they're more interested in selling you the most expensive pair of shoes they can than in making sure you the customer are happy. Commission sales have always annoyed me. It encourages people to be pushy and aggressive instead of laid back, and it makes the whole shopping experience unpleasant. I have needs to attend to, and they don't include spending more on a pair of ugly shoes than I spend on groceries in a month. I just wanted a decent pair of shoes. Who gives a flying rodent's left earlobe if they were really expensive? I sure don't. I'd rather have the $30 or $40 pair than the $100 pair. I just can't justify spending more than about $40 on shoes, unless they're running shoes. And that's different--as heavy as I am, I need shoes with really good cushioned support or I won't have any knees by the time I'm 25 (only a little over a year away, now...Lord, I'm getting old).

Anyway, yeah, I have new shoes now. Which is nice. The others can be retired...well, after next weekend, when I wear them while helping Miss Erisman move.

All I can say is that no one better be moving again until at least May. Of course, then I'll be moving, and Beth, and...

Argh. Too much moving. When I rule the world, I'm decreeing that people cannot move around anymore. You're tied to your locality. It'll be like the Middle Ages again, when everyone is tied to the land and no one can go anywhere. It'll be perfect.

~chaos cricket

Song of the Moment: Mark Knopfler, "Quality Shoe"