About four or five weeks back when I was down in London I decided to buy myself a new pair of trainers. This isn’t something I do very often – I’m quite discerning when it comes to trainers, because I’ll end up using them for things like tennis or cycling. Thus, fashion trainers just don’t fit the bill because they’ll fall apart in no time. Plus I’m hardly a fashionista, so I also avoid trainers that’ll make me look like a prat – nothing garish will do.
On the day in question I’d walked from Picadilly Circus (after a fruitless search in the sprawling Lillywhites store), up Regents Street, then along Oxford Street in search of a suitable pair. I was flagging by this point (I had been on the lash with my mate Charlie all afternoon), and intended to head for the underground when I happened upon the Sketchers store with about twenty minutes until it closed. Result, I thought, ducking inside to take a look.
It didn’t take long before I found a pair I wanted, as I’ve been after some Sketchers for ages. I’ve actually bought Fliss a couple of pairs over the years, most recently for her birthday in May. To my mind they have an understated design, which I like, and because they are an American company you can get half sizes, too. I’m a nine and a bit, usually, so I asked the assistant if I could try on a pair of the ones I fancied in a size nine and a half.
When she came back she motioned for me to follow her to the cash desk to pay for them, but I insisted I tried them on first. I could tell by her face that she was wanting to coast the final fifteen minutes of her shift and couldn’t be bothered with the hassle. Unfortunately for her, I felt they were too big and asked her to get me a size nine instead. With a barely concealed eye roll she went back off to the stock room.
Minor alarm bells were ringing by this point and I was tempted to just walk out of the place. However, I liked the trainers and I’d almost worn out my current pair on my quest to find these ones, so I stuck with it. When she came back I quickly tried them on and thought they fitted well enough, paid princess pout-a-lot and went on my way.
It was only later, back at the hotel, that I realised they might be a bit too big for me. I couldn’t understand why – maybe Sketchers are made larger than other shoes – because I’ve been a nine or a nine and a half ever since my feet stopped growing. Still, I really liked them and decided that with a thick pair of socks they’d be alright.
Not so. I went to Blacks when I was back in Glasgow and bought two pairs of thick winter socks. Even with them on, I feel like I’m wearing a pair of canoes and my feet ache after an hour or so of wearing them.
I’m a bit gutted, because I really like the shoes. That and I only buy myself a new pair of trainers once a year or so and I make a good decision more often than not. But now I’m stuck with a pair of gargantuan feeling trainers that make me feel clumsy. Worse, it’s£45 down the drain, so it’s back to my old ones until I can afford to treat myself again. 🙁
