The boot search

I hate shopping in crowds, so I usually avoid stores on Black Friday (though I discovered the grocery store was pretty much empty today). So it was very hesitantly that I ventured to Wheaton Plaza this afternoon. I was hoping all the crazy shoppers would be done for the day by 2 p.m., and I took the metro to avoid the headaches of driving around parking lots and getting stuck in traffic. All for a pair of boots.

I discovered these boots while casually looking at Macy's in Minnesota (more on that trip soon). I would have bought them on the spot, except they ran a little large so the size 6 boots were too big. And, of course, size 6 was the smallest they had. So when I got home the other day, I looked online. Sure enough, Macy's website sells the boots in sizes 5 and 5 1/2 as well. And the Nine West site (they brand of the boots) sells them in those sizes too. So I hoped another Macy's might have the smaller sizes.

The mall was crowded, but tolerable. Until I entered the Macy's shoe department. It looked like a war zone. Shoes were strewn all over. Some were knocked over on the displays — or even onto the floor. Other displays had been picked through to the extent that they were half empty. And women were everywhere. I spotted only two poor salesmen trying to attend to throngs of shoe-crazy women. Not what I was hoping for. I finally found my boots (in a different color) on a display, only to discover by the neat typing on its sole that they carried them in sizes 6-10. I didn't even bother to ask.

As I walked out of Macy's feeling defeated, I spied the store immediately next door – a Nine West store. Fate! Surely the Nine West store carried all their sizes! I walked in and my excitement level increased when I saw they were having a 50 percent off sale. They would be cheaper than the Macy's sale! But my excitement was premature; the smallest size they carried was 6 also.

At this point, I feel the need to note that, yes, I have small feet. However, I wear size 6 in almost all my shoes. (Every once in a while I end up with a 5 1/2.) But these shoes obviously run big. (If you don't believe me, check out the Macy's site, which ranks them as "runs large.")

The Nine West sales clerk suggested I try a Nine West store at a neighboring mall. When I returned home, I looked it up and called two other area stores. Both said the smallest size they had was 6. On the bright side, the boots were also 50 percent off on the website today, so I took the plunge and ordered them. It will be a pain if I end up having to exchange the 5 1/2 for a size 5, but at least I won't be running all around the area looking for ridiculously small boots.

On a side note, on my way home from the mall I encountered a little old man who asked me to help him cross the street. (It was windy, and he had a cane and hat to hold onto.) I obliged and helped him down the sidewalk as well. Maybe my good deed will be rewarded with boots?