I love to shop. I look at everything, touch everything, ponder owning and wearing everything - but I rarely buy. It has to be a REALLY good deal or I cannot imagine living without it, and then I'll buy. Many years ago while shopping with my brother at the best sale ever at Dillards in El Paso, he said those fateful words I've never forgotten, "You can't afford NOT to buy it!" That phrase has been my mantra whenever there happens to be a great sale wherever I shop. This small remembrance prefaces my little shopping spree the day after Christmas with my brother Jim.
We decided to take the plunge, and succumbed to all the after Christmas shopping ads. Jim needed a new pair of shoes, an event which only happens every 5 or 10 years. I just wanted to be a part of the action! My sister-in-law decided to stay home and I didn't know until much later in the day exactly why she made that decision. We only had a few stores on our hit list, but most places we were to go had a men's shoe department. How hard can it be for Jim to find a pair of shoes, I innocently thought.
Our first stop was J.C. Penney and it was here I discovered just how picky a man can be when he's making an infrequent shoe purchase. As I surveyed the stock of shoes, the color range seemed to be relatively limited - black and brown, to be precise. However, these shades of black and brown were not the correct shade of black and brown, according to my brother Jim. In addition, the style of shoe he desired was not present in this particular department, so off we went, searching for that perfect pair of shoes. Wherever we went, I found the styles displayed were never anything Jim would wear. Some shoes were too dressy, some too casual, some just too ugly, he said.
At long last we came to the little shoe boutique at Coronado Mall. You know the one - it has the best brands at the highest prices. Jim found two acceptable pairs of shoes but I dreaded the moment he saw the price tags. He's a chip off the old block, and my dad would not consider paying 100.00 for a pair of shoes, never mind a few hundred! Jim tried both pair on and settled on one, thinking he might return the next month and get the other pair when I encouraged him to buy both. As he paid for his shoes, he had a minor tremor when he realized how much the shoes were costing him. I assured him this was a totally acceptable price and the shoes were well worth it. I informed him I regularly paid more than this for a nice pair of shoes.
Later that day we stopped by Dillards and found the most fantastic men's shoe department with at least one style Jim actually liked! He bookmarked his brain to remember this shoe department in 5 or 10 years when he was ready to buy his next new pair of shoes. When we arrived home in the south valley eight hours later, I told my sister-in-law she owed me, big time. She smiled and said, "I know".
