I went to a shoe sale and didn’t go crazy

So on Friday after work, I went to the Designer Shoe Warehouse Sale by Petite Feet at the Richmond Olympic Oval.  I know, it was definitely too soon for me, as Army & Navy was only a couple months ago.  But whatever.  I had to at least check it out.  I’m sure people would think there was something wrong if hadn’t gone.

I thought the location of the sale was funny.  I mean it was right next to a basketball court.  Where a bunch of people were playing basketball.  I’m not sure who got more of a workout, the basketball players, or the shoe shoppers.

There seemed to be a lot of size 6s.  Everywhere.  I swear that was half the sale.  I guess because those are the sample sizes.  That’s always so upsetting.  I guess it was called the “Petite Feet” sale for a reason.

Flashbacks from the Army & Navy Shoe Sale hit me as I saw the racks.  But it really wasn’t as exciting at all.  I found the size 8 racks and looked through my options.  None of the shoes had prices on them.  And then I saw the signs which indicated them and I wasn’t too impressed.  The sandals were $50.  And then it was $60 for other ones, flats I think?  And then even higher prices for other heels and whatnot.  Boots were over $100.  At Army & Navy, each pair of shoes I bought was $39.99 or less.

You could get a free pair, but only if you bought 4 pairs first.  Forget that.  I was thinking maybe I could try and pool together some pairs with my friends and then get a free pair between us and then split it somehow.  But that idea was too complicated to pull off.

I saw these shoes on the rack and recognized them immediately.  I bought them at Army & Navy.  And here they were again, except this time more expensive.  This upset me, but also made me happier about my Army & Navy purchases.  It was funny seeing all these women scramble over the designer shoes at the Oval, when I had already found much better deals.

I threw a couple pairs in my basket and then walked over to a table.  A table filled with walking shoes.  I found this intriguing.  Mostly because they were only $15.  Now they were speaking my language.  They were interesting too.  They had these built in Dr. Scholl’s insoles.  They were all pretty much the same, but came in different colours.  I tried to see which ones looked the least like old people walking shoes.

I looked up from where I was and could see in the distance, a bunch of people on exercise equipment, like stationary bikes and treadmills working out.  I bet that from a distance, they could see a bunch of people trying on shoes.

I found a chair next to the table and sat down with my basket.  I looked down at it and thought it was rather sad.  I mean I barely even needed the basket.  Which is funny, since at the last shoe sale I attended, I was lugging around two full ones.  I guess this is a good thing?  This means that I’ve improved, right?

I didn’t really need anymore heels.  I needed something comfortable.  And built in insoles just seemed so cool.  I just needed to figure out what colour to get.  Normally I’d go with blue, but I already own a pair of blue running shoes.

I tried on other shoes anyway.  I mean you never until you try them, right?  I liked these Franco Sarto flats.  But they were $50.  Well, $40 with the VIP coupon.  Because you know I printed the shit out of those coupons.  Apparently I didn’t have to, because you get a $10 coupon just for checking into the sale on Facebook.  But I don’t check into places on Facebook anymore.

I also liked this pair of flats.  But again, did I want to pay $60, or more, or however much they cost?  I was also worried that the jewel part on the top might break off somehow.  Even if they seemed secure, count on me to find a way to cause them to break.  Because I tend to not take that great care of my things.  I love shoes, but I don’t always treat them very well.

These gold shoes were nice.  But not for my feet.  I think my toes are wider than the average person’s toes.  And as a result, pointy or narrow shoes don’t seem to work for me.  My toes were coming off of the shoe.  There was just not enough shoe there for them to rest on.  Such a pity.

I think these were Naturalizers.  So they were comfortable.  But they didn’t look good enough.  It’s also really awkward trying on shoes when they’re attached by that string thing that keeps them together.  I mean okay, it prevents you from misplacing one of the pair.  But it’s also quite annoying.  I often snap the string, accidentally on purpose, so that I can walk in the shoes properly to test them out.

These shoes were on a $30 table.  But they didn’t fit very well.  I was beginning to lose hope.  On one hand, I was upset that I’d chosen to come there and that the selection wasn’t as great as it could have been.  But on the other hand, I was grateful that I wouldn’t be wasting a lot of money there.

I kind of liked these flats.  But they were really flat.  Which yes, flats tend to be.  But I mean after a while of wearing them, I’m sure my feet would be sore from lack of support.  I didn’t really need another pair of black flats.  But the grey flower design sort of set these apart.

I sort of had my own little shoes trying on station set up at the end of the table.  It was quite efficient.  I’m really glad I found that chair and was able to claim it as my own before someone else was able to.

My friend tried on this crazy pair of heels with spikes on the back.  These killer shoes could do some serious damage.  I think they were one of the most expensive pairs there.  I guess because of the fact that they could easily double as a weapon?

In terms of support, walking shoes were the way to go.  I mean it made sense, I was at the Oval and next to a basketball court after all.  Not that I would be playing any sports or anything.  The problem with these was that, however comfortable, they were just too darn loose, even when I tightened the laces.

I opted for trying on a size 7.5 instead of an 8, which normally would be unheard of.  But for some reason, they did fit me better.  I decided to go with the purple ones.  There was also pink and red, but purple seemed best.  And the ones that were just plain white reminded me too much of old people walking shoes.

I tried on the flats again, this time with socks on.  Yes, I am aware of how ridiculous it looks.  But they were just so much more comfortable that way.  If I were able to pull off this look, I would.  But I guess after that it would be a slippery slope towards socks and sandals.

The socks weren’t as bad with the black flats.  But I guess it still just didn’t work.  Perhaps if I wore a different pair of socks?  Like plain black ones?  But then where’s the fun in that? I guess if I feel the need to wear sock with the flats, then it just wasn’t meant to be.

In the end, I spent $15.  Well $16 something after tax.  Unfortunately, the VIP coupon did not work towards the walking shoes.  I guess that’s because they were so cheap already.  What a waste that I printed out three coupons.  Oh well.  I like how they bag the shoes in plastic.  It’s as if they’re bagging them as evidence.  Evidence that you’ve spent money that you probably shouldn’t have.