I was just at Nordstrom on Michigan Avenue at lunch because I had to buy a gift certificate for someone’s birthday coming up. It is a store that almost everyone likes because they have stylish and high quality clothing and accessories for sale. It is always a pleasure to shop there and the sales people are some of the most helpful I have ever met. But where do they get off charging $269.00 for a pair of shoes?
Seriously. Who has that kind of money to spend on something as utilitarian as shoes? First the $500.00 handbag came into existence and now they want us to pay $250.00 or more for shoes? I think not!
I thought it might just be one pair that was fancy or by a big name designer but I picked up 4 more pairs all over $250.00. In fact I couldn’t find any pairs of shoes in any style for less than $100.00. What would the people who buy and wear these shoes while walking right next to me on Michigan Ave think of my $30.00 Target ankle boots that are 2 years old and have the heels worn down at the outsides and occasionally slip and I have to catch myself? I’m not poor. I make a good living, I just can’t justify spending that much money on something you will purposely wear on the pavement outside and will get ruined or worn out in a year or less. They are just shoes!
Maybe my black target ankle boots need to be thrown out, but I have a backup pair already waiting. I just haven’t had the time to break them in a bit so I don’t get blisters walking downtown. Yes, that’s 2 pairs of boots for $60.00. Still not even near spending $269.00. In fact over the summer I bought 2 pairs of flats for $25.00 each and last year I bought a pair of flats, a pair of wedge heels and the backup pair of Target boots. All $30.00 and under. That’s it. I don’t buy many shoes at all, and the requirement is that they be somewhat comfortable and black. I only wear black shoes. It’s most practical.
The only down side to this is that I know the shoes I buy are made in China. I hate that I am weakening our economy by buying imports, but the expensive ones at Nordstrom aren’t from the U.S. either. They are all from China too, just more expensive on markup. So, it’s a lose-lose proposition and I choose the more financially responsible route.
So, I guess I am not the target of Nordstrom’s marketing. But who would want to be? Ok, if you are a Billionaire, go ahead, buy whatever you want. But the rest of us just end up with a lot of credit card debt if we cave in and buy stuff from Nordstrom all the time. So I would rather not have the debt and have my old boots any day of the week.
I have heard a lot about this Howard Miller guy lately. I was shopping the other day and saw some displays for grandfather clocks by him and the prices were pretty steep. They were kind of an heirloom type fancy clock that gets passed down from generation to generation. My parents have one and my relatives did too and we inherited that one as well. So what’s modern about a big tall clock that bongs? I guess it is about carrying on the tradition in a modern way. The designs aren’t always real traditional but yet they are very fancy. New Grandfather Clocks and Howard Miller clocks are a nice addition to a home and if I had a house I would be interested in buying one. And with daylight savings time happening now, a big clock that makes the time viewable and noticeable when you’re off by a few hours could be a great help. I know I have been running late and not able to figure out what time it is since. My whole day has been off. Plus both my watches had their batteries die and I have been without reliable time management all week.
