The perils of buying shoes online: a personal tale of blisters, wrong sizes, and stubbornness
By
Tim Dowling
Warm and crisp on the edges. A bagel with a bit of bite.
Summary
The author recounts his repeated failures with buying footwear online, despite a self-imposed rule to never do so. He describes painful blisters from expensive dress shoes worn only to funerals, and a recent incident where he bought the wrong size shoes online, leading to sore toes and an awkward walk back to the store to exchange them. The piece is a humorous, personal reflection on stubbornness and the perils of online shoe shopping.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledSome years ago I made myself a simple rule based on experience: never buy footwear online.
I have proved the worth of this rule several times since, by breaking it.
Last year I paid a substantial sum for a pair of smart black shoes which raise a blister the size of a 10p coin on my right heel whenever I walk more than a hundred metres in them.
One day I may build up a tolerance to them, but I don't know how many more people will have to die before that happens.
My toes are sore from buying the wrong size online, and my walk back from the shoe shop is fraught with peril
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