sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

On Shoes.

People who know me, know I have a bit of a shoe thing. Before it was cool to have see-thru shoe boxes, I had polaroids (how retro) on the end of the stacked boxes in my shoe library. They are not kept in colour-code order, although they are kept in formal-informal order.

I have a theory about why I have a shoe thing, but I'll save that for another time. Anyone who wants to guess, is welcome to email. I may or may not respond.

Friday, late, I nipped out to Brent Cross on a couple of errands, and found myself in Clarks shoes. Since they re-invented themselves a few years ago, they've done some truly fabulous, retro, well made, wonderful shoes. Also, I have worn a pair of pink trainers from there for so long they are no longer pink. But they are comfortable.

Shoes are great, service is crap. There are queues and queues of people waiting for a woman done up like she's going to teach an aerobics class to "call-down" the shoes and sizes they want to try on. They will only bring you two pairs of shoes. So if you want a 6 and a 6 1/2, that's two pairs. You can't try on three pairs of shoes in two sizes each. Well, you can, but you have to re-queue each time, and you will have aged and your feet will have shrivelled a size.

So I ask for a 6 and 6 1/2 in Mooncake. They bring me a 7. It is too big. They tell me they don't have a 6 or 6 1/2. They won't bring me the other two shoes till I have returned Mooncake. I say I might like to buy three pairs of shoes. They say that's the system. I say that while I realise it's not their fault, the system sucks. I feel my blood pressure rise, slightly.

Then someone miraculously brings me the 6. It is slightly too small. I am a 6 1/2 in these shoes (boots). Someone comes back with a 5 1/2. I say I am not a 5 1/2. They say they don't have the 6 1/2 in stock, so they brought me the nearest half size. I look at them like they are very, very stupid.

I ask if they make it in a 6 1/2 (which seems a kinda stupid question). They say they can only tell me what' in stock, and it's not in stock.

I leave the shop before I expire from frustration. Other shoppers do the same.

Today I call three Clark's shoe stores in town. They don't have the 6 1/2. I google (as above). You can only buy it online in a 4,5, 5 1/2, 6, 7 and 8.

For a mad reason I don't know, they only do one half size, and it doesn't fit me.

And how mad is that? Random half sizes, terrible service, misinformation. Modernity tires me. But then, so does consumption.