Mah Feet Hurt.

I am having foot pain. For awhile I was blaming it on slippers in the classroom and Crocs. But I stopped wearing Crocs and slippers and still have it. Pain is everywhere. My heels, ankles, arches, toes. It is miserable. And even though I am not standing in front of a chalkboard teaching all day, there still is quite a bit of standing to be done. So, as with all my other ailments, surely 90 minutes of exercise a day would help... but that's a whole other entry on a whole other day. I began complaining about my ailing feet today at school because I am cranky. Corey recommended Dankso, which I had been browsing on zappos.com and Becca and a few parents said to go to Richey and Co. in Barracks Rd. It is their business to help people with ailing feet.

Literally I went straight there after school. I didn't even go home first to check email. At the store, I walked into a warm welcome by three gentlemen. I declined help because I wanted to browse. Once I was ready to talk I waited by the register because one man was with a customer, another was changing a light bulb and the other was walking around reading things and writing on a clipboard. Finally one man (who appeared to be the manager) noticed and prompted another salesman to help me. Guys, it was the worst experience of my life in a fancy shoe store! I went to this shop because it was HIGHLY recommended and the salesman I got was awful. (I should disclaim: Like I said before, I am cranky. I had a crazy day yesterday, I am getting a cold and therefore not sleeping and my feet hurt. Many negative factors.) I told him my feet hurt and I needed some advice on shoes. I mentioned I wanted to try Dansko, and he asked me where my feet hurt. I told him some specifics (literally everywhere) and told him I would like to wear the shoes everyday. He proceeded to show me black leather orthopedic shoes with THREE ROWS OF VELCRO STRAPS. I was thinking, "What about me makes me look like the woman in here who is 93 with a walker, trying on VERY SIMILAR shoes?" Instead I held my tongue and shook my head. Then I just said, "Let me try on Dansko." He boringly asked me my size, said they run big and brought one size down out. They were too small. I kept mentioning this. He was unconcerned. I said one was tighter than the other. He added an insert to the one that was looser to see if that was better. (Um, NO?) I told him I wanted red shoes. He left to go to the back and I decided to speak up and ask for the 10. (Like I said, I am cranky and sensitive today. I seriously almost cried when I realized my salesman was a deadbeat.) He went to get the next size and came back with BACKLESS clogs. No sooner could I process this mistake then I heard, "Well, let's just try this one on because it will fit the same as the others." So I'm thinking, "The same as the ones with BACKS?" (Now I realize as I am looking back on this that I should have taken the driver's seat this whole time, but I was deferring to the professional because I assumed he knew what he was doing.) I asked him if I could just try on the shoes in 10 for size and then maybe order the red ones? (Because this is what it took, me prompting him on good customer service.) "Yeah," he says, "I just wasn't sure if you wanted to order them." (I had been all back and forth with him already about the color of the shoes. He kept offering other colors, but, seriously, I am not spending $115 on a second choice. Of COURSE I want to try to order them.) So instead of getting the size 10 first, he checked his computer and found that red was not available in size 10 anywhere. And then he just stood still. Doing nothing. We hadn't even figured out if the size fit or not. Fighting back tears, I put my sneakers back on. I said, "Um, thanks and sorry I couldn't buy from you." He said he hoped I would come back sometime and maybe they'd have the right color. WHAAAAAT! I wanted to berate him right there for ruining everything. His store had come so highly recommended and I was so ready to have help figuring out my foot pain. Instead I am taking my business somewhere else and letting Mr. Richey know just how awful my visit there was. I wonder if I can send an email...