A beautiful pair of boots, finally

[Sally Stone]

It is quite clear the COVID situation continues to wreak havoc on the supply of in-store and online merchandise.  Walking through the local Macys department store this weekend, confirms this.  Pre-COVID, clothing racks filled available floorspace and in many cases, the additional discount racks made department stores feel cramped.  Today, things are much different, with wide-open spaces, way fewer racks, and a serious limit to the amount of discount clothing available.  There is also a lot less variation, which makes style choices quite limited.  If you are a shopaholic like I am, the current situation can really cramp your style.

 

Shopping online is a little better, but it’s easy to see that supply is having its effect there as well.  Where this has become most noticeable to me is the supply of fashionable footwear in my size.  As someone who wears a lady’s size 13, selection was never the best, but if I was willing to pay more, I could generally find what I was looking for.  Those days appear to be gone, and I can only hope the situation is temporary.

 

To highlight just how problematic the current supply problem is, I have been searching for a pair of fashionable, knee high boots to replace a pair I wore out over a year ago.  Pre-COVID, there were any number of vendors, Zappos, Payless, Nordstrom, and Nine-West, to name a few, that regularly stocked boots in my size.  Now, I am lucky to find anything larger than a size 11, and even those are quite limited. 

 

Fortunately, there was finally a bright note to report from my search.  I was shopping in person at a local shoe store, looking for boots.  The owner told me the same story, that his suppliers didn’t have much in the way of stock and they were struggling to get anything from their overseas suppliers.  However, to my good fortune, he was able to locate a pair for me in the style and size I was looking for.  He placed the order with his supplier and today, I picked up my new boots.  When I picked them up, the owner mentioned that I got the last pair the supplier was schedule to receive for the foreseeable future. 

 

As you might imagine, I was elated to get a pair in my size and in the style I was looking for.  I'm quite happy with them and can't wait to wear them.  They fit perfectly, especially the boot shafts which are designed for my narrow calves.  I probably need to take good care of this new pair of boots, because it may be quite a while before others are available.

[Becoming Diana]

Those boots look fabulous!