Such a cliche June 11, 2005
Posted by charmingbutsingle in Uncategorized.trackback
My dating life is, like, nonexistent for any number of reasons.
My shoe collection?
Expanding at a dangerously fast pace.
Meet the newest members of the family, both from Nine West, a store from which I am banned until at least September.
They are stunning — a pair of bronze sandals with a heel so high that I’ll only be sitting in them and a pair of chocolate brown espradrilles for all of those summer barbecues and casual Fridays.
I was sucked in by the salesgirl, who tried to hook me with the “I am your friend!” technique that has been employed on women who are “just window shopping” for centuries. She first tried the, “I own these shoes and they are soooo comfortable” line, but I knew that was a lie because there is no way in hell that those bronze heels are comfy. The heel is twisted for crying out loud.
I won’t even lie. Every night I wear those I’ll probably want to saw my own foot off with a hacksaw.
But I love them and I feel amazingly hot in them. And love and ego can make you do funny things.
So, when I didn’t fall for the “I have these!” line, she tried the, “You deserve these, you look like a hard worker.”
Really? My jeans-and-tank-top-wearing self looked like a hard worker? I had no idea that a white tank top was so telling.
Then she tried the friend technique, including crawling on the bench where I was sitting and trying the shoes on and plopping down next to me like we were at a slumber party.
As a former retail lady, I know what lengths you’ll go to double your sale. And I don’t blame her for selling to me, because that’s her job. She sells and I pretend like I’m not going to buy the shoes and wrinkle my nose at the prices and she tries her lines and I deflect them.
I was about to set the espradrilles down and only get the sandals when she threw all she had at me.
I was wistfully looking at the shoes, about to put them away, when she said, “I’m so glad you’re getting the sandals, because I can tell that you love them. So many people say they love shoes, but they don’t ever buy the shoes they love. I just don’t understand that.”
It was a line, a blatant line, a line akin to every line a man’s ever thrown at me at a bar or party. And instead being drunk on alcohol, I was drunk with sights of rope heels and cork soles and bronzed leather and shell accents. And I took the bait hook, line and sinker.
I took the shoes off and slid the espradrilles across the bench to her, mentally calculating the price of both pairs.
“I love these too,” I said as I fished my wallet from my purse.
i am so over espadrilles. at least you didn’t get the leg wraps.
You are WEAK! WEAK I say!
But you have good taste and that’s all that counts.
She totally messed with your head. Damn she’s good.
I wonder what her love life’s like.
EcamirG — So over espradrilles? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore!
bluezzzgirl — I am weak. But I’m too fabulous to care right.
les yeux — I bet this woman has an excellent love life, because she got me to drop $130 in less than 20 minutes. She’s so good and relentless as a salesperson, I imagine that she never has to buy a drink for herself. I should have taken notes.
just wait. by october they’ll be the new parachute pants. everyone will run around asking, “what in the hell were we thinking?”
I *love* your shoes! You have very similar tastes to myself. May have to check out the Nine West here in London……… I never talk to shop assistants in shoe shops because they do to me what they did to you. They smell a shoeaholic a mile off! I have bought as many as 7 pairs in one day!
That sales girl did the very thing that I can’t stand about going to any store in a mall any more. Bug the crap out of customers. Yes, as a retail worker myself (YAY for Target!) I understand we’re there to help, but I also know what it’s like as a customer to just want to shop and be left alone. If you need help, ask. But then again, I don’t work on commission, either. Maybe then I’d feel differently.
Love the shoes though…especially the espadrilles. I probably would’ve broke if it were me, too.
I’m sure they’re comfortable once you are used to them — I AM being serious. But I may be confused on what comfortable is.
What I think is wrong is the “you might also want” box in thoese Nine West links.
You got *SOLD*. Wow….I can’t believe they’re playing head games like that. How -gasp- unethical!
She’s pretty tricky. I’m taking pointers in case I ever end up working retail… she should win awards.
Also, I am a sucker for shoes as well. Shoes and CDs.
I used to sell shoes…men’s shoes though….I didn’t have to work as hard as she did, all I had to do was wear a skirt and high heels and tell them how much their wives/girlfriends’ would love them.
VERY cute espadrilles…It’s hard to say “No”…how can you say “No” to shoes…it’s like saying “No” to free money or something like that…
The higher the heel, the better I feel.
was just watching Sex In The City and Carrie said something at the end that totally reminded me of this very post:
[paraphrased]: “It isn’t easy walking in the single girl’s shoes, sometimes you need a special pair to make it more fun”
i love that quote from sex and the city. and the silver shoes carrie was wearing were gorgeous!
So you bought the bronze pair. Because I have them in black, and they honestly ARE very comfy.
Swear!
Reecie
There was supposed to be a question mark after “bronze pair.”
R