$18 Shoes

Bear with me as I tell this story, I promise to bring it all together by the time you finish…

While on my way to work yesterday, there was an advertisement from one of the local men’s fashion outlets; Moores. The ad went on and on about all the shoes being 40% off. I didn’t really care at the time.

I shop at Moores every now and then. They have these terrific sales that entice me into their stores quite often. Depending on how much money you spend, you’ll get these gift certificates in the mail. I had one burning a hole in my pocket.

Later that morning, while wandering around the office, I noticed quite a few folks gathering in the lobby, all dressed up fancy. They were there for a meeting that I was to be part of. I forgot about this particular meeting and was wearing an old pair of jeans with what I call a beach shirt. Loose, comfortable and a bit sloppy looking (I love it).

None of it was appropriate for the meeting I was about to attend.

I noticed one of the ‘suits’ was wearing these really nifty shoes, a little dressy, a little long, square at the front, a mix of black and brown. Really, a shoe for all occasions and I had to have a pair.

On my way home, I spotted the Moores gift certificate, remembered the advertisement and made a point to drop into the store before going home.

I walked in, headed to the shoe section, spotted something close to what I was looking for then turned around to find a very helpful fashion consultant. I gave him my size, he suggested I go down half a size and brought out a pair.

I asked whether the shoes were comfortable, how they would wear over time and some other questions that hopefully made me look worldly. He pointed down to his own shoes, the exact same model, smiled and said they were his favourite, most comfortable shoes.

He was right, they fit like a glove and were beyond comfortable.

The shoes were on sale and I had my gift certificate. When all was said and done, they cost my $18 and change, including tax.

My wife doesn’t like them, my son was indifferent and his girlfriend thought they were weird. I didn’t care, I was happy and ready for my next meeting.