Happy [early] New Year!

So, I ended up not buying those shoes. This is mostly because I went out on my lunch and bought a ton of clothes (oops). BUT it's alright because I have a hot pair of Steve Maddens sitting in my closet that I've only worn once. I bought them to wear to my work Christmas party and they're too beautiful to just sit neglected under a pile of clothing.



Corporate by Steve Madden

This picture makes the heel look a bit odd, it's really a reflective silver. I actually had to get them stretched a little at the front because they're tight as heck. These shoes are NOT comfortable at all, but when you buy shoes like this you're not really looking for comfort. This is the second pair of Maddens I've bought and I'm really impressed by the craftsmanship. There's certain brands that, even though they're considered 'high end', are just NOT put together well. Guess is one of the brands I'm not a fan of, I don't know about the quality of their clothes, but their shoes and bags do not stand the test of time.

The peep toes I wanted ARE actually Guess, but we'll just ignore that fact.

I really have no idea what I'm going to WEAR with my fabulous heels, I went out today because I saw a nice colour blocked dress online last night, but when I tried it on it was absolutely shapeless. I was really disappointed, it was so nice on the model.. they must've pinned it back. Most of what I ended up buying today are going to end up being work clothes.. a black skit, black shorts to wear with tights. Tomorrow I will be buying boots if my size is available. A girl I work with bought these cute boots that look like expensive Mukluks and apparently they are on sale for $10. I'm making a special trip out tomorrow morning JUST for that.

Shoe addict? I think so.

That's all for tonight! Hope everyone has a safe and happy new year <3

Kids Say The Darndest Things..

I've been a lazy butt as of late, I blame this on Christmas and work stressing me out. I've noticed that customers get weird this time of year, and due to my lack of sleep I also tend to do things that leave me thinking "why the hell did I just do that?" while customers give me odd looks.

I don't have any shoes to share tonight, although in light of the fact it's almost New Years, I've decided that Friday is the perfect time for me to buy a new pair of shoes because really, my outfit won't be complete without a pair of hot peep toes (winter be damned, my tootsies will go nakey). So I'll post about that Friday night, I have New Years off so there's really no excuse for me to be a lazy blogger that night.

Today I was bombarded with customers because techically this was our first official snow fall of the season and everyone was in CRAPIDON'THAVEBOOTS mode. I have stories to share so this post is all about stupid things I did today and things my customers did that made me go "what the hell?"..

~~~~

Before I start this story, let me preface this by telling you how absolutely mortified I was after this happened..

A man walked into the store with a child of about 12. His kid was wearing all boys clothes and a navy blue/orange stocking cap that covered their entire head so I couldn't even see their hair. He walked into my section and every other month I have to deal with the possibility of a mystery shopper every day and I have to run through my entire (annoying) spiel I normally don't bother with. So I greeted him and asked him if he would like me to measure his son's feet before they got started.

He stared at me with his face completely blank, then slowly pulled off the kid's stocking cap and it was a GIRL. My first thought was really just "OHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT" and I apologized profusely for my mistake. But thank god this customer had a sense of humor, he laughed and told me it was ok because he thought it was funny. This leads me to believe that that has happened before.. but really I didn't feel like any less of an ass.

Also his wife came in not much longer after that whole thing happened with the girls' sister, who was also dressed like a boy (but I was fooled once so that wasn't happening again). From now on I will never address a child as a boy or a girl, I will say "would you like your child/children's' feet measured" instead. Lesson learned.

~~~~

A little while later a family came in with a son of about 8 years old, I asked if they wanted his feet measured and they said yes. The boy was taking forever to remove his shoes so his mom said "please hurry up and take your shoes off" to which he replied:

"Ok my sexy, sexy mom."

Awkward pause in which we all stare at each other ensued.

I really wasn't sure what to do so I measured his feet quickly and got the hell out, his parents seemed relieved that I left.

~~~~

A woman came in with her two sons, they were a size 7 which is the highest my boy's boots go up to (which makes it one of the sizes that sells out first since people don't want to go to men's and pay a higher price). I told her I had two styles of boots left in that size but she wanted something without a removable insert and so I only showed her one style since the other one had an insert. I left them for a couple minutes to allow them to try on the boots.

When I came back they were in the clearance section and one of the boys was trying on the boot with the insert. I approached them and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't show you that style because I didn't think you wanted a removable insert". She replied, "It's ok, we removed the insert and he says it fits just fine without it!"

I looked at her and said, "Ma'am, you can't wear them without the insert, the insert is what gives the boot warmth. If you take it out, the boots no longer have a cold rating." She just stared at me and said, "Really? I've been doing that for years.."

She didn't buy the boots but it took a hell of a lot of convincing on my part that wearing the boots without the insert is a bad idea. I'm surprised he has feet left if he's been going out previous winters in insertless boots. It left me wondering if she thought the inserts were ornamental or something.. really, why would a company put an insert in for no reason? Wouldn't you think they have some sort of purpose, and that's it probably important? It's LOGIC.

~~~~

There was a woman in my girl's boot section, she had a size 1 Sorel boot and a size 2 Arctic Tracks boot. The way Sorels are made, they look a bit larger on the outside than most boots, but if you put your hand into one you can feel that they are smaller inside than they look. The Arctic Tracks she was looking at have a sleek design and look a lot smaller. She was doing the whole heel-to-heel measurement of the soles of the boots to see if the sizes matched up.

As soon as she saw me she went, "THESE SAME SIZE?" I checked the sizes on the boots and said no, the Sorel is a size 1, the Arctic Tracks is a size 2. She shoved the boots in my face and did the heel-to-heel thing again.

"NO THEY MATCH UP, THEY SAME SIZE."

I explained to her about the different makes and designs, and how you can't accurately measure a shoe using the method she was using. She shook her head at me and insisted,

"NO, SAME SIZE. I SEE SAME SIZE. SOREL IS CHEAPER, I BUY THAT, IT WILL FIT."

At this point there was nothing I could do, but I did wonder why on earth anyone would think that a size 1 in anything was the same as a size 2. THEY'RE DIFFERENT NUMBERS. My co-worker said she'll be back tomorrow, which is my day off, and her story will probably be "THE LADY TOLD ME THEY WERE SAME SIZE". Knowing my customers, I don't doubt this.

~~~~

There was a woman in my boy's dress shoe section with her young son and teenage daughter, I greeted them and asked if they needed assistance and the woman asked me what the European sizes translated into. I asked what size she was specifically interested in and she said she didn't know so I offered to measure her son's feet. I measured him at a size 13 and told her that unfortunately the shoe she was looking at started at a European 31 which is a US 13.5/1 and with that style of shoe you have to get the exact right size or they flop right off.

At this point her daughter interjected and said "But how can that be? He is wearing a size 2 right now." At this point I looked down at his feet, he had put his running shoes back on and I hadn't noticed them before. They were HUGE on him, they looked like clown feet. I said, "those are much too big for him, they're not the right size". The mother shrugged and said "he's fine with them, I'll take the larger size in the dress shoe.. it will work". I told her that children's feet are easily damaged and if he wears shoes that are too big for him he will most likely have problems later on.

She shrugged and bought the shoes.

[Granted he's not my child, but it bothers me to no end when a parent knowingly buys the incorrect size even though I warn them their child will be in pain from it.. I get twitchy and it's difficult for me to keep my mouth shut.]

~~~~

And this happened a few days ago when I was REALLY tired:

*customer walks into the store*

Me: Hi, how are you doing this morning?

Customer: Oh I'm good! How are you?

Me: Oh, noooooooo problem! *smiles like an idiot*

*pause*

Me (thinking): Oh my god, why the hell did I just say that?

*customer slowly backs away and leaves*

~~~~

And that's the end of my long over due post. I normally don't have days like this, once in a while someone will do/or saying something that is odd but I never get this all at once. It made for an interesting shift, I'll give you that.

Toasty Tootsies

I know it's been over a week since my last post, I even missed posting on Wednesday. It's been crazy though, Christmas is coming up too damn fast if you ask me!

I made another purchase the other week. I special ordered in these cute booties and I got a HELL of a deal. My workplace has this reward program that allows you to save up fake money you earn from customer compliments and overall awesomeness to put towards your purchases. So with my fake money and discount, I bought $90 shoes for under $25. I don't feel so bad buying a ton of shoes when I get deals like these!



Ladare by Bare Traps

I can't even tell you how cute these are with tights. They also keep your feet pretty warm, even though they don't have a cold rating. I wore them for an 8 hour shift and had NO foot pain.. this is my new favourite brand. I have another pair of brown distressed faux-suede booties made by them and they're just as comfortable. My only problem is that I often drag my heels when I walk and I've noticed I've almost worn the heel out completely on the brown boots. I don't know how much that's going to cost to fix but I'll have to find out soon before I completely ruin them.

I'm going to end this post with something completely unrelated to shoes just because I'm so damn excited. My 25th birthday is in March and my parents decided to get me the Michael Kors watch I really want. Truth is I was planning on buying it for myself, I feel very guilty when people buy me expensive things but my mom won't take no for an answer on this one.



Ritz Chronograph Watch by Michael Kors

Is this not a gorgeous piece? I've never had a proper watch before, I have no idea how much these things are even supposed to cost but when I told my parents it was $250 they laughed and said it wasn't expensive. I think they're nuts, that's a large chunk of change to me! They said they were expecting me to say upwards of $1000, there's no way in HELL I would ever consider buying something that expensive (unless it's a classic Chanel purse).



How can you say no to something this classy?

Edit: proof-reading this post has made me realize I have freaking expensive taste.. I should probably ask my boyfriend to hide my credit card.

Why Does This Exist? Wednesday

For the first addition of Why Does This Exist? Wednesday I have something to post I think is absolutely hideous, but I know a lot of people will disagree with me (at least where the first boot is concerned).



Bailey Button Sparkles by UGG

I have always hated UGGs and never ever understood why they have such a following. We sell a lot of different UGGs at work and a couple days ago one of my coworkers came up behind me and asked me if I wanted to see a fantastic boot. I said "of course, it's me" and she pulled this baby out from behind her back. Just no. She was joking though, everyone who knows me is aware how I feel about these things. I just.. why are there sequins?!?! I love me some sparkle, I used to work for an arts and crafts store and I was probably the only one there who actually enjoyed being covered from head to toe with sparkles after every shift. It's just so unnecessary and makes them look goofier than they already are, plus I would imagine that with regular wear those babies would start coming off. These retail for a jaw-dropping $525 on the UGG Canada site.

It gets worse though, people who are reading this shaking their head because they like the above boot will certainly agree with me on the next one.



Classic Short Sparkles by UGG

No words.

Oh and hey, it comes in gold too!



Classic Short Sparkles by UGG

OK UGG, you want to put sequins on your boots.. it's unnecessary in my opinion but fine. Now, did you really, REALLY, have to make these sequins gold? Iridescent pink?! C'mon. These monstrosities retail for $255 on the UGG Canada site.

To each their own, I always say this, but I really think people who buy UGGs are getting swindled. They're paying for a brand name, we sell a brand called Bare Traps that makes boots that look JUST LIKE UGGs and are made from the same material and are a third of the price, yet people won't by them because they don't have the UGG stamp on the back. I think it's ludicrous to spend hundreds of dollars more just because you want a boot with three letters stamped into it.

I also get a lot of customers asking me if we sell UGGs for children (we don't). I think that's insanity. I'm all for getting shoes for your child that they like, I think if they have to wear something they should like it TO A POINT. Kids grow like weeds and some of those children's UGGs are upwards of $200. You're spending hundreds of dollars on something that will only be worn for a season (maybe less if the kid has a huge growth spurt) and then will have to be chucked out because they no longer fit.

I could really go on all night, you have no idea. They're a huge waste of money and they look goofy as hell no matter what shoe size you are but for some reason they sell like hotcakes. I'd really like someone to explain how that works to me some day.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Here we are in mid-December of the warmest year I can remember. This morning I woke up to snow on the ground, it looked very strange to see the still-blooming flowers in my garden covered with white flakes. Normally seeing snow would make me groan but I was excited because it meant I could finally wear my winter boots without looking like an idiot. This is the first year, yes first year, since elementary school that I have had proper winter boots. Yes, I am Canadian, but it took me a good decade to realize boots are worth the money.

My tastes have changed quite a bit, years back I would've picked something that looked cute but wasn't necessarily warm or practical, but working around shoes every day and getting to know brand names changed my mind on this. I went with a practical pair that actually turned out to be cute, especially paired with some skinny jeans.



Winter Carnival by Sorel

Now I actually bought the men's version of this but for some reason Sorel's own website doesn't display the one I bought. It's essentially the same, except that the wool trim at the top is black in the men's version. Now I have big feet, normally a size 10 women's, and this is why I purchased a men's pair. A lot of people claim that Sorels fit larger but in my experience this is not true. When I tried on the women's size 10, my toes were crammed up against the end of the liner. Size 11 is not easy to find though, but the size conversion from men's to women's is to just to go down by two so I bought a men's size 9 and it fit like a dream.

I was attracted to the style of these boots (a little), but I figured they would probably look clunky. I bought them anyway because I kept telling myself I would be happy in the end if I went the practical route. Now I freaking LOVE these, they are very cute and I don't look like I have duck feet (this was a serious fear of mine). A lot of clients I assist in-store barely even glance at these boots because they think they look goofy, and on the shelf they do so I don't blame them, but there is a lesson I've learned time and time again: don't judge it until you TRY IT ON. Shoes look drastically different on your foot than they do sitting on a shelf.

Now, the store I work in is a split store. The half I'm employed at is more of a bargain store that does sell name brands but at a lower price than most shoe stores.. the other half is a higher end shoe store that I try not to venture into because I just can't afford it. The higher end side does have an awesome clearance section that calls to me from afar though, so I sneak over once in a while to see what's new. Last week, I saw these:



Cate the Great by Sorel

I just.. I can't even describe how I feel about these. I just fell in love with them, I was kicking myself for buying the other boots without sneaking over to take a peak at the other store's selection. Of course, these babies retail at $250 where I work so they are NOT cheap. They look amazing on and they're so comfy.. just ungh, I drool over them every day now! I try to make excuses in my mind as to how I could justify this purchase and I know one day I will just break down in tears and hand over my Visa to my boss.

But there's these too:



Joan of Arctic by Sorel

These aren't as sleek on, but they're still super cute and retail for about as much as Cate the Great does. Now I've made things more difficult on myself because I can't have three pairs of winter boots.. or maybe I can. I'll just tell my family and boyfriend I bought them on sale. I mean really, with three pairs I'll never have to buy another pair.. I'll be rocking one or all of these when I'm 85 and delirious.

...things I tell myself to justify shoe purchases...

I guess after reading this you can tell I'm a bit of a Sorel whore. Really, I believe this is one of the best brands out there for winter footwear. They know what they're doing, they make a great product, end of story. No, Sorel is not cheap but boots are an investment. Yea you feel great spending $30 on boots at Walmart because you "got a deal", but it's not really a deal when they only last you half a season and then you have to go back and buy more. Put the money out the first time and then you can enjoy ONE pair for years to come.. and really, Walmart doesn't need your $30 THAT badly. ;)

So that's my tip of the day: DO NOT CHEAP OUT ON YOUR WINTER FOOTWEAR, you will regret it later.

And now I'll end this with my crazy customer story of the day :

This morning I had a woman come in to exchange winter boots she had bought for her son. She told us she was upset because the manufacturer stated they were waterproof but they weren't because her son's feet got soaked the first time he wore them. Granted, it's been a rainy winter, but the ones she brought in looked like she had thrown them in a pool and I have no doubt that she purposely drenched them to justify the return. But whatever, the company I work for is very into customer service and so we told her to take a look around and see if she liked anything else. Now I'm going to clarify this before I go any further: she came in alone.

I'm the children's department manager, so this is my territory and I went with her. I could see something was off about her from the get-go and I was uncomfortable around her but I helped her anyway. She picked a very expensive pair of boots out and, after cornering me and the rest of the staff one by one in awkward conversations, she left with her purchase.

About 5 hours later I was paged to the phone, but the kid's section was so busy that I couldn't grab it so another one of my coworkers took the call. She wasn't in in the morning when the woman with the soaked boots came in. She came up to me after the call to tell me that a woman I had sold Skidoo boots to had just called and was very upset. I knew who it was because I had only sold the one pair of those today (or in the last two weeks, not very many parents will spend $99 on children's boots they know will only be worn for one season). She told my coworker she had come in with her son and that I had measured his feet and helped them pick out boots. She even said that after her son had picked out the boots, I had confirmed they were a good fit and sent them on their way. She was mad because she discovered upon getting home that they were too tight and now she had to bring him back tonight to get a size up. I didn't know what to say to this, I knew she had come in alone.. all I could do was pray she didn't return when I was still on shift.

And she didn't, thank God.

TL;DR: I'm either suffering from early onset alzheimer's, or my first customer of the day was a ghost-child.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Why Does This Exist? Wednesday post