Shopping avoided

I don't like clothes shopping. Or shoe shopping. It's a nuisance! Shops are unpleasant places and they tend to not be logically organised. Not by a logic I understand, anyway. I tend to run in, scan the place, and more often than not, run away as quickly as I came. So I have to go into many shops to find some clothes that serve the purpose I have in mind.

I haven't been shopping for quite a while! I bought some clothes on the ship, but that's different; that's just finding the right size. The choice is limited! But one pair of my most often worn trousers is about to wear through and I shall soon need a replacement. And I can also do with some shoes that are smart enough to lecture in but comfortable enough to walk home in, in case I have an irreparable puncture or something. (I lecture on the mainland; that's about 4 km from my office.)

I was on eBay anyway, buying stuff for the upcoming fancy dress event. And I thought I had nothing to lose by having a look at what sort of shoes there are on offer. I know my size! And lo and behold, sometimes there's something nice there. And as I normally tear the inner sole out of a pair of shoes in order to make place for my orthopedic insoles, and you can't do that in a shop, there is a distinct advantage to buying your shoes second hand. You don't want to do that with brand new shoes that cost an arm and a leg! So I gave it a go.

As I write this I'm wearing a pair of spiffing two-tone brogues that make me feel a bit ska all day. (A colleague remarked I should be carrying a machine gun when wearing something like these; maybe a slightly less pleasant association!) The sole is a bit slippy and not ideal for biking, but I'll get used to it. And they were only 30 quid, including shipping. I consider this a success!

I tried this with clothes too. On eBay and elsewhere, but that turned out to be a lot harder. It's not easy to come up with a description that is precise enough to return an appreciable number of useful hits. I might have to get better at this, or I might have to sometimes go to actual shops anyway. A bit of a bummer after the fast shoe success! But maybe one day I'll get the hang of it. And if not I'll just wear the same old stuff over and over again!