Misadventures of a Shoe Shopper

I was thrilled when a shoe store ordered a pair of shoes for me that actually fit. However, after I wore them once I noticed a black mark on the side of the sole. I contacted the manufacturer before trying a fix that didn't work. They suggested to clean it off with alcohol. Unfortunately, alcohol not only made the black mark bigger but also removed the outer layer of the sole. I had to send the shoes back to the company, which confirmed what I already figured: The black color is the original color of the sole and the shoe color was just painted on. Since this model was the only stylish shoe in the catalog I do not want an exchange but would prefer to get a refund. Will I get it? Doubtful. They'll probably try to send me a granny shoe - in black!
Meanwhile, I am still looking for summer shoes. I am currently awaiting a shipment of a model in different colors. At least the outlet offers free shipping. I am puzzled why my size is only available in ugly styles. There must be others like me - women under 90 - who need shoes but are not employed in the health care or funeral industry. Customers usually complain about a lack of colors. Will the manufacturers ever listen? They could sell a lot more shoes if they offered choices.

If the Shoe Fits, Order It

It has been years since I walked into a shoe store that actually carried my size, 6 1/2 extra wide. So I wasn't too surprised when a Facebook friend recommended a huge online shoe store and I still had a hard time finding any shoes in my size. My search was further complicated because I was not looking for black shoes. Unfortunately, black seems to be the only color that most of the shoes in my size are offered in. Shoe companies seem to confuse shoes with the Model T!
I made a trial order of two pairs and - surprise - neither one of them fit. One pair was too small and the other one was not only extremely ugly, but it was actually too wide. After searching online for hours I fired off another order for a walking shoe. Today it arrived already and actually fit! Hurray! In the meantime, I went to a shoe store that advertises wide shoes. While they only had shoes in black on display I was able to order the shoe in a nice color. Will the shoe fit? We'll see.

If the Shoe Fits...

Women are supposed to love shoes, right? But if your shoe size is 6 1/2 WW (in other words, if it's like mine) you probably hate buying shoes. The reason is, of course, that no one makes shoes in that size. Things got even worse for me when my doctor prescribed insoles. I recently went to a shoe store that sells nothing but shoes that fit insoles. Guess what: they didn't have my size and had to order a pair. Of course, when it arrived it was too tight and I had to order yet another pair. This time I hope they fit.
What's a writer to do when faced with such a dilemma? Write an essay about it, of course. For years, I have submitted a humorous essay about my not so funny misadventures of shoe shopping. Last week, I sent my updated version to a women's magazine and hope they will accept it. After all, we can't all be like Imelda Marcos, can we?