Army & Navy Shoe Sale, Part 1: VIP

I think this will be a 3 parter.  Because it’s all too much for just one blog post and I don’t want to overwhelm you.  Well, I guess I don’t really know for sure how many parts this will end up having but 3 sounds like a good number.  Let’s just start with one for now and see where that takes us…

Decided on these shoes to get me through the rain & to the sale

So I woke up this morning and got out of bed at 5:39 am.  Why?  Because I needed to be at the shoe sale by 7:30, so I could get first dibs on shoes.  I got all my stuff together, decided on wearing my reliable flats, and grabbed a granola bar before I headed out the door, just in case I needed sustenance while making my quest.  Caught the bus at 6:22 am and I was off on my way.

You’ll believe what’s in store once you see it

When I got there, I didn’t see a line, and then I realized you had to go to the other entrance.  So I went around and saw all the people waiting.  And then I walked through the dark alley way, because that’s where I was supposed to wait for the VIP entrance.  I was early.  It was 7:10.  I had to wait another 20 minutes for the person to show up.  A couple other girls joined me, cause they had VIP access as well.  Luckily, we were let in at around 7:15, so we didn’t have to wait for too long.

I waited in the alley to be let inside

We headed downstairs.  There were actually quite a few people there who got to be at the sale early.  There must have been a lot of ways to get VIP access.  I guess I just wasn’t aware of what all those were.  I headed for the size 8 shoe racks, and began my quest.  I should have been quicker.  I mean, I wanted to try on every shoe that I possibly could.  There was no looking at prices, there was trying it on, seeing if it fit and looked good, and then tossing it in my basket.  That’s how it’s done.  Time to deliberate and eliminate came later.  Much later.

I headed straight for the size 8 shoe racks

As I checked the time, I realized I should hurry up.  I was running out of time before the sale actually started.  Once 8 am hit, the hoards of people would come rushing in, disturbing the relative peace that we now had.  Everyone was nice.  I got compliments on my shirt and everything seemed to be okay.  I overheard another woman say “This is what heaven is like”.

My favourite t-shirt

All too soon, I realized that I had a problem.  While other women had a few pairs of shoes in their baskets, mine was full.  Like, full to the point of overflowing.  So I got a second basket.  And before long, that one was pretty full as well.  To the point where it was difficult to carry them around.  Yeah.  But what could I do?  I wasn’t done.  I needed to scope out more.  Before the other people came in.  What was I supposed to do?

I started trying on shoes

I also got to meet Heather, the girl who won the Facebook contest.  We both got to collect our gift cards there.  I congratulated her.  You know, instead of being like “Bitch, that prize should have been mine!”.  Because I’m not a mean person.  And she was really nice too, it’s always good when a nice person wins.  Apparently she was an elementary school teacher, and all the kids had Facebook, and she had a great support network.  Hence all the votes.  That, and her photo being professional and gorgeous.  I’ve always said I didn’t want to go into teaching, but now I have at least one reason.  Multiple votes for Facebook contests.  I’ll keep that in mind.

It was nice to have space to try them on and walk around

And so I continued my venture, and when I finally had too much in both my baskets, I made my way over to get a seat and figure it all out.  I tried them on, compared, debated, trying to make a decision.  I overheard someone saying they wanted to finish and go before 8 am, before all the crazies came in.  It was true.  The crazies were not those of us who were there super early before the sale.  We were the sane ones, the ones who were smart enough to find a way to get VIP access so that we didn’t have to wait in line.  The crazies were the ones who would line up even earlier and wait in the rain.

They were all so pretty

As I sat there trying on my shoes, I realized there was no way I could possibly be done by 8.  It wasn’t going to happen.  Maybe if they had let me start at 6 am, then I could have.  If ever there’s an option to start at 6 am, I would totally do it.  Sure it’s early, but it’s worth it to avoid the crowds.  I think I hate crowds more than I hate mornings.  I still can’t believe I was up before 6 am.  I feel bad for people who have to do that on a daily basis for work.  I never could.  But imagine getting to go shoe shopping every morning instead.  If that’s not an incentive, then I don’t know what is.

I made my way through the size 8 section, scoping out all the racks

And all too soon, it was 8 am.  And the madness continued and began to escalate further…

Stay tuned for Part 2…