02 February 2015

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!

No comments: