Shoes, Shoes, and more Shoes

(You can read about how much I love shopping in general, here and here, and how much I love shoe shopping in particular, here and here)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, you already know how much I love shopping……. NOT!

So, what can be better than shopping? Shopping when I am sick!

Yesterday, my eldest informed me that we had to go shopping for sneakers on Tuesday, because her sneakers had a hole on the bottom and on Wednesday morning she was leaving for massa Pesach (a two day hike with her youth group).

Great….

I so wanted to tell her that I could not do it. But she had a HOLE in her sneakers! Even I recognized that as a legitimate reason for new sneakers.

So, this morning, I dragged myself out of the house and took her to Talpiot, an industrial neighborhood with both upscale and discount stores.

Our first stop would be a surplus store that often has good prices, but the salespeople are unpleasant.

My daughter asked why I was not boycotting the store, since there are several places that I boycott due to outrageously offensive treatment by their staff.

I explained that my only alternative was to either spend a lot of money on shoes or to spend at least an hour (maybe more) crossing town to Givat Sha’ul, another industrial area, on the opposite side of town.

Perhaps if I was feeling well, my principles might have driven me across town, but not today.

So, we entered the store, ignored the smoking staff at the entrance (totally illegal, by the way, and usually enough to make me walk out of almost any store), and went to the back of the store where there was, thankfully, no smoke, and many sneakers.

The sneakers were 2 for 100 NIS, for good quality sneakers. Probably last year’s styles, but that does not really bother us. My daughter is fashion conscious, but not unreasonable.

We found 2 pair that my daughter liked, in record time! (YAY!)

Then, as I was returning the shoes that did not fit, I noticed a pair of sneakers in her size with those wheely things underneath. (You know, those retractable wheels. I am sure there is a name for these types of sneakers, but I am clearly not cool enough to know what it is!) (A quick search of the internet reveals the name "Heelys")

Anyway, they fit and they were fun, so we decided to take them as well.

There was also a cute pair of boat sneakers on the clearance rack that we picked up, ‘cause they were cheap enough (29.90) that it would have been a shame not to take them. I know my daughter will wear them.

So, we arrived at the checkout counter with four pair of sneaker and discovered that the owner was just as unpleasant as we had remembered!

He would not give us the third pair at the discount price, which was annoying but understandable. But when I asked him to hold the third pair until I could bring my other kids to find another pair to purchase together, he was totally obnoxious.

At first, he insisted that he could only hold the shoes for two hours!! I mean, what is that?? I knew that I would not be able to return to the store until the next day. Eventually, he did agree to hold the shoes until the next morning, but why did I need to argue for that??

Just as we finished negotiating, an Arab woman approached the checkout counter. She also wanted just one pair of shoes. I suggested that we make the purchase together and she agreed.

Interestingly, the owner did not hassle us about that at all, and allowed us each to pay for our purchase individually. As he bagged the shoes, he might even have passed for pleasant.

I will never understand Israelis!

Total cost for four pair of sneakers (3 Spalding, 1 Lee Cooper): 179.90 NIS.

Total time: 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Not bad.

-----------------------------------------------------------

When we left the store, the Arab woman walked in the same direction as us. It turned out that she was parked next to us.

She smiled at me and waved me over to her. At first I was not sure what she wanted. Then I realized she was asking me to help pull her car out of the parking space, as she is a new driver. It is difficult to pull out from those spaces, both because of the angle of the parking spaces and because you have to pull out into oncoming traffic (might I add, discourteous oncoming traffic, that is often very unaccommodating to cars trying to pull out and, God forbid, get in front!).

I went to stop the traffic for her, to give her time and space to pull out, but she still did not get into her car. I was confused, and a little embarrassed about stopping the cars for nothing.

I finally realized that she wanted me to actually get in her car and drive it out of the space.

I got behind the wheel and spent a few minutes inching my way out of the parking space, with her standing outside, nervously worrying that I was going to hit another car. (I should have suggested that she help by stopping the traffic!)

I was happy to help, though it did mean that I had to undergo that unpleasant experience twice!



Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.

With love and optimism,
RivkA

More on Teenagers and Shoes

(For greater appreciation, read my post about Shoe Shopping with My Teenage Daughter)

This time, I really did promise Y that I would take her to get shoes.

She saw flip-flops for 10 NIS in the mall. I told her we could go get them this week and then I would take her out for lunch.

We were both looking forward to it.

As each day passed, and I was unable to bear the thought of shopping with my ear ache, Y's disappointment grew.

Next week, Y is going away for 4 days to a seminar for "madatzim" (madrichim tz'irim -- young leaders). All year, she had been taking this hadracha (informal education) course for 8th graders who are interested in being madrichim (leaders). At the end of the year, they receive a certificate and have the option of continuing the course at the next level.

I realized that if I did not take her for shoes on Friday (both to get flip-flops and a decent pair of sandals) that she would go off next week in her old, falling apart sandals. (the "new" ones are completely useless)

Thursday night, we discussed going for shoes on Friday, and it was clear that Y wanted to go, but did not want to count on it.

Unfortunately, there have been several occasions when I told her we would do something (usually involving shopping for something she needs) and then "something came up" and I had to cancel.

My daughter does not ask for much, and she is a tremendous help to me. It makes me sad to constantly dissapoint her.

Friday morning, we both woke up early (for us), but I did not feel up to it. After a nice breakfast together, I had to got lie down. I told Y to wake me up by 1:30, and, hopefully, we could go then.

Thank God, when she woke me up (the third time), I felt like I could manage to take her.

We left quickly, and went to the mall. The flip-flops she liked were no longer there. We quickly perused the other shoe stores, but did not find anything. (Y sort of liked one pair (for 100 NIS), but they did not have her size)

We left the mall. Y was bummed.

I had two ideas for places that we could probably find flip-flops, so the excursion would not be a total wash-up. Y chose to try Bazaar Strauss (a discount store that is really "hit or miss").

It was a HIT!

Right away we found flip-flops for 7.90-14.99 NIS. Y, of course, only like the more expensive ones, but she was willing to pay the difference. So we got her a pair, and a cheaper pair for A and me. (In the end, Y's pair also cost only 7.90, so we were all happy)

Then, we went inside and saw many pairs of nice sandals, on sale, for only 20 NIS! I have NEVER seen sandals that cheap in Israel! Similar sandals sell for 150-300 NIS in some of the boutiques!

I bought her 4 pair!

She now has 2 nice pairs for simchas/shabbat, 1 nice pair for shabbat/school, and a pair for school.

All for less than 100 NIS!

Not bad.

Hopefully, we won't have to go shoe shopping again for a LONG time.

And, since Y, A and I are almost the same shoe sizes, we can share!



Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.

With love and optimism,
RivkA

Shoe Shopping with Teenage Daughters

Hat Tip: This post was inspired by Mother in Israel's recent post about Shoe Shopping with her teenage daughter.


A year and a half ago, we searched all over the place for Shabbat sandals for my eldest daughter. We found... NOTHING. In my frustration, I must have said something like "maybe we'll look for shoes when we go to America (next month)." For, lo and behold, when we got to America (to visit family, not go shopping), she immediately began repeating "You promised me that we would go shoe shopping in America."

I really hate shopping. I would not promise to go shopping for anything... ever. But my sweet daughter repeated that sentance so often, and with such intensity, that I believed her. So, we went shoe shopping.

We went to the first store, which happens to be my all-time-favorite shoe store: Payless. Y did not find any shoes that she liked. I found 3 pairs, for me!

Then we went next door, to a more expensive shoe store. Y did not find any shoes that she liked. I found 2 pairs, for me, on sale!

We went to several more shoe stores. Y did not find any shoes that she liked.

Finally, we went to Target (not just for shoes). Y still did not find any shoes that she liked. I spotted a pair of nice sandals, for $10, that I thought would look nice on her. They did. Y did not like them (surprise!) and declared that she would not wear them. Tired of looking endlessly for the elusive "perfect pair," I persisted.

Eventually, after all other arguments failed, I asked my daughter: "If you have nothing else, will you wear them?" Grudgingly, Y said that she would.

"I'm getting them for you," I announced.

"I'm not going to wear them," she protested.

For $10, I was willing to risk it.

At the checkout line, we had a rerun of the entire conversation.

As I was about to place the shoes on the counter, Y repeated, loudly, "I am not going to wear them."

Once again, I asked, "If you have nothing else, will you wear them?"

"Yes," she repeated, "but you can't make me wear them."

"Please ring them up," I told the cashier, who was holding the sandals, unsure of what to do.

"The sandals are $5," the cashier informed me.

"Great!" I said, turning to Y, "If you don't wear them, we'll save them for A."

Of course, we never did find a pair that Y liked. And, true to her word, since there was nothing else, Y did wear those sandals.

In fact, she wore them until they were falling apart!

Ask me how I felt, when I realized that we needed to go shopping for a new pair of sandals?!



Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.

With love and optimism,
RivkA