Why I hate buying shoes.

I know a lot of people believe that all women love to buy shoes....I don't know how other women feel about this, but I can tell you that I do NOT love (or even like) buying shoes.

Let me start by saying that I have a problem finding shoes (such is the curse of people with big feet...sigh...). I'm talking about normal flat shoes here, not heels (THOSE I can stand buying ;) ).
Either they're actually nice shoes, and they cost the earth (which I don't have), or they're the horrible little plastic-y shoes you buy from Mr. Price that are actually affordable but make you feel like complaining like an old lady about how sore your feet are!

So, recently I went on a mission (I often do this) - to find shoes that I could afford, that I could actually walk around in for more than 5 minutes. This has taken me the WHOLE week, and I won't ever do it again - it was NOT a fun mission.

I walked the mall flat (in my cheap Mr. P shoes!), with no luck...then tried the factory shops, like Meltz and Tsonga in Failsworth, with no luck. By this point, I was seriously beginning to think that people no longer actually made comfortable shoes (except for granny shoes and sneakers, neither of which I will be caught dead wearing).

Then I remembered someone mentioning another shop in town - Kingsmead shoes. It's also a factory shop. So we took ourselves off there, and - amazing- they actually had shoes!

Now, there's another aspect to buying shoes that I hate - have hated ever since I was little....the shop assistants! Of course, they're in every shop, sometimes they even follow you around (which I find very annoying and have to restrain myself from shouting at them to go away). Unfortunately, the assistants in shoe shops happen to be that kind.

So anyway, in we go, and are immediately ambushed by one, "Can I help Ma'am?". Luckily my mom was with me, to tell them that we actually just wanted to browse and NOT be followed around.
Sadly, it didn't last long...

Pretty soon, we had ourselves a tag along. They just sort of zero in on you, set their sights on being helpful annoying. Then comes the next problem - once you have yourself a tagalong, they start making suggestions!

Tag along- "What kind of shoes are you looking for, Ma'am?"
Me (reluctantly) - "Flat, that are comfortable to walk in."
Tag along - "OK, I'll see what I can find."
Me (under my breath) - "I didn't really ask you to..."
* comes back with a pair of ugly granny shoes - the clunky-heeled black type you'd wear to a funeral*
Tag along - "What about these?"
Me - " Uhm....weeell....maybe, uh, something a little bit more...stylish?" (trying to think how on earth to tell this woman that I'm not a granny so WHY would I want those....but at the same time not wanting to be rude.)
Tag along- "OK...well how about these?"
* presents a pair of peep toes *
Me (thinking: "wow, I must really look like I like granny shoes") - "Uhhh...no sorry, I'm not crazy about peep toes...I want a closed shoe..."

And so the suggestions of ugly shoes continue...until eventually you get up, and get ones you like by yourself, all the while being watched by the "assistant".

THEN, when you do eventually find a few pairs you want to try on, what do they do?
They stand and watch you try each pair on, and of course they have to give their advice and even hand you pairs of shoes (how helpful). If that wasn't enough to make you feel self conscious, one of their tag along friends inevitably comes to join in and give their opinion - leaving you with an audience, their "show" being your feet...nice.

Anyway, EVENTUALLY I did find a pair of shoes. Was it worth the whole experience?

Probably not.

And THAT is why I hate buying shoes.