Astute readers of this blog might recall that about two months ago I ordered a pair of slippers from Amazon. I still haven't gotten them. Well, I have, but it was the wrong order (and three sizes too small), so I returned them. Then when I went to order a new pair, they were out of my size. And they were out of my size in the next pair I looked at and the next pair and the next pair.* I couldn't find a nice pair I liked in my size -- but I wanted a pair of slippers and I wanted to use an Amazon gift card -- so I bought a pair on the cheap that I didn't really like.
They came, and they fit, and they sucked. Or I should say "they suck", present tense; I still have them. They actual make the soles of my feet hurt, like I'm walking on something harder than the ground. I don't know how this is even possible; you'd think at worst they would provide no cushion, but somehow they provide anti-cushion. I tried to wear thick socks and convince myself they aren't that bad, but it didn't work. So I decided to get another, better pair.
Now, if I was smart, I'd go to a brick and mortar store, actually try some pairs on, and get something I know I like. But I'm not smart. Actually, I am. I just really, really hate shopping. So I went back to Amazon, found something that looked good (the selection was better this time, probably from not being right after Xmas) and ordered them up.
They came and were too small. I wanted an 11.5, but they didn't make half sizes, so I had to go 11 or 12. I was thinking in my head -- Just get the bigger size! -- but then I decided to look through all my shoes (about six pairs) and see if any are 11s or 12s. In fact, two pairs are 11s, and none are 12s, so I deduced I should get the 11. It's weird how variable footwear of the same "size" can be. The slippers I ordered didn't kinda not fit; I could barely put them on. And they pinched my toes so unbearably, I couldn't even pretend like they fit.
So I returned them as well. The company I ordered them from (a quaint-sounding outfitter called Warm Things) asks that you include a letter stating why you're returning an item, so I cranked one out (under S's name, as they were purchased using her account) that was by no means impolite, but was very, let's say, thorough. I imagine it made the person on the receiving end think -- Wow, this woman takes her slippers seriously!
The upshot is that they're sending a size 12 soon. They also wrote an email to S saying that it's the manufacture who doesn't do half sizes (something I complained about in the letter) because the "suede stretches with use". It also says, "the product description actually does have a recommendation for half sizes to size up" (something else I complained about). Fair enough. I should have completely read the product description, although in my defense its kinda buried near the bottom of the page underneath a bunch of other crap. Plus, the logic doesn't work. They don't do half sizes because the suede stretches, but then they suggest that you go to the next size up? How does that make sense?
Anyway ...
Little guy update: He's doing well. We finally had a few days of sun here (followed quickly by more snow), so I was able to take him to this new park in the neighborhood that's really cool. We went once, and he spent most the time pointing at the kids playing basketball saying "ball, ball, ball" (or rather "ba', ba', ba'") the entire time, so the next time we went I brought a little rubber ball, and he couldn't have been more ecstatic. He barely looked at the big toy and the swings. He would drop his ball, let it roll away, and then run retrieve. Lather, rinse, repeat. All while merrily spewing out a string of half-intelligible syllables. And occasionally stopping to point at a dog.
The fact that S is so into his ball bodes very well for him being into sports as he gets older, which is good for me. And I haven't even been pushing him towards it. I try not to influence his toy selection at all. He just goes for his ball first. I do however watch a lot of football with him in the room. (I DVR'd a bunch of Seahawks games, and now that the season is over, I've been reliving the dream.) He seems to like it.
Well, if Lil' S gets into sports, it's going to be game over for S. It'll be two against one, and one of them will be her own child. She better hope we someday have a little girl to even things out. Wait ... that's sexist. Girls can like sports too. Let me try again: She better hope we someday have a little gay boy to even things out. There we go. Nothing offensive about that.
Until next time ...
*Apparently 11.5 is a popular size, although I could never figure out why there is less of a popular size. I get more people want them, but then why don't companies make more? Doesn't basic economics say supply should meet demand? When I worked at The Sports Authority way back in summer 2000, I stocked shoes, and we'd constantly be running out the popular sizes like 10 and 11 while the we had pallet-fuls of 8s and 13s. And I would think to myself -- why don't the shoe companies use the materials for the 8s and 13s and make more 10s and 11s?
It's not just shoes either. I've really gotten into this type of granola, Michele's Granola. But the kind I like, Chocolate Cherry, is frequently out of stock while there are bags and bags of Pumpkin Spice and Cinnamon Raisin. Can't they make more Chocolate Cherry and less of the other stuff that nobody's buying? Come Michele, it's called optimal allocation of resources.
They came, and they fit, and they sucked. Or I should say "they suck", present tense; I still have them. They actual make the soles of my feet hurt, like I'm walking on something harder than the ground. I don't know how this is even possible; you'd think at worst they would provide no cushion, but somehow they provide anti-cushion. I tried to wear thick socks and convince myself they aren't that bad, but it didn't work. So I decided to get another, better pair.
[The Tamarac International Men's Cody Sheepskin Slipper. Tell me you wouldn't want to put your dog in that.]
Now, if I was smart, I'd go to a brick and mortar store, actually try some pairs on, and get something I know I like. But I'm not smart. Actually, I am. I just really, really hate shopping. So I went back to Amazon, found something that looked good (the selection was better this time, probably from not being right after Xmas) and ordered them up.
They came and were too small. I wanted an 11.5, but they didn't make half sizes, so I had to go 11 or 12. I was thinking in my head -- Just get the bigger size! -- but then I decided to look through all my shoes (about six pairs) and see if any are 11s or 12s. In fact, two pairs are 11s, and none are 12s, so I deduced I should get the 11. It's weird how variable footwear of the same "size" can be. The slippers I ordered didn't kinda not fit; I could barely put them on. And they pinched my toes so unbearably, I couldn't even pretend like they fit.
So I returned them as well. The company I ordered them from (a quaint-sounding outfitter called Warm Things) asks that you include a letter stating why you're returning an item, so I cranked one out (under S's name, as they were purchased using her account) that was by no means impolite, but was very, let's say, thorough. I imagine it made the person on the receiving end think -- Wow, this woman takes her slippers seriously!
The upshot is that they're sending a size 12 soon. They also wrote an email to S saying that it's the manufacture who doesn't do half sizes (something I complained about in the letter) because the "suede stretches with use". It also says, "the product description actually does have a recommendation for half sizes to size up" (something else I complained about). Fair enough. I should have completely read the product description, although in my defense its kinda buried near the bottom of the page underneath a bunch of other crap. Plus, the logic doesn't work. They don't do half sizes because the suede stretches, but then they suggest that you go to the next size up? How does that make sense?
Anyway ...
Little guy update: He's doing well. We finally had a few days of sun here (followed quickly by more snow), so I was able to take him to this new park in the neighborhood that's really cool. We went once, and he spent most the time pointing at the kids playing basketball saying "ball, ball, ball" (or rather "ba', ba', ba'") the entire time, so the next time we went I brought a little rubber ball, and he couldn't have been more ecstatic. He barely looked at the big toy and the swings. He would drop his ball, let it roll away, and then run retrieve. Lather, rinse, repeat. All while merrily spewing out a string of half-intelligible syllables. And occasionally stopping to point at a dog.
[I'm going to start stretching Lil' S in the crib to prepare him for his NFL career.]
The fact that S is so into his ball bodes very well for him being into sports as he gets older, which is good for me. And I haven't even been pushing him towards it. I try not to influence his toy selection at all. He just goes for his ball first. I do however watch a lot of football with him in the room. (I DVR'd a bunch of Seahawks games, and now that the season is over, I've been reliving the dream.) He seems to like it.
Well, if Lil' S gets into sports, it's going to be game over for S. It'll be two against one, and one of them will be her own child. She better hope we someday have a little girl to even things out. Wait ... that's sexist. Girls can like sports too. Let me try again: She better hope we someday have a little gay boy to even things out. There we go. Nothing offensive about that.
Until next time ...
*Apparently 11.5 is a popular size, although I could never figure out why there is less of a popular size. I get more people want them, but then why don't companies make more? Doesn't basic economics say supply should meet demand? When I worked at The Sports Authority way back in summer 2000, I stocked shoes, and we'd constantly be running out the popular sizes like 10 and 11 while the we had pallet-fuls of 8s and 13s. And I would think to myself -- why don't the shoe companies use the materials for the 8s and 13s and make more 10s and 11s?
It's not just shoes either. I've really gotten into this type of granola, Michele's Granola. But the kind I like, Chocolate Cherry, is frequently out of stock while there are bags and bags of Pumpkin Spice and Cinnamon Raisin. Can't they make more Chocolate Cherry and less of the other stuff that nobody's buying? Come Michele, it's called optimal allocation of resources.
I'm an 8.5-9 which are the most common women's sizes and I remember the first time, I was in college I think, a salesperson said to me, "yeah those are the most popular sizes so we run out." And I immediately asked, "then why don't you order twice as many?" I then got chills realizing how much I sounded like Dad.
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