FastFreddy2

Certainly beyond my meagre budget, but not unusual these days. I can't recall the last time I paid the original sticker price for shoes or boots, and I suspect the brands don't expect many to either. When I first started buying high street brands to wear, ankle boots were in the £80 range for leather. Now they are twice that, in 8 years. Shoes sales used to run for 2 months after Cringlemas, now barely a month. Ravel/Faith/Barratts (as was), now all gone as have one or two others. The survivors are maybe keeping profitable by charging a lot of money for products shipped in from very inexpensive suppliers. As an example: I have tried to buy a well made version of the Office 'On to Point' style in red patent. Retailing at £68 usually, and stock nearly gone helped recently by a 20% discount promotion. These synthetic shoes were identified as having been made in Spain. An almost identical shoe made in China, retails at £17 with carriage at £4. No shop front or retail staff to employ, so costs for selling the Chinese version are lower, but the company is making enough money to stay healthy. Their shoes sell in reasonable numbers. (Their service is very good too.) That is a big difference in potential margins. Even better is the Jimmy Choo Anouk the two copies mentioned above are modelled on, which start at £375, and goes upwards if you have a pair made in a different skin or colour not usually available to retailers. The Kurt Geiger version of the Jimmy Choo style court (might have been called Eden) went from £160 to pennies short of £200 in the space of a couple of years. Dune shoes (which I don't much like) are as bad. Plain knee boots: £200 thank you very much. My collection with be worth twice what it cost me a couple of years.

Well ..... Despite my best intentions, this has all gone a bit pear shaped. The shoes were received back this morning. The seller informed me I would get a refund on the 8th (so three days away) and I queried this, especially after being told the seller had until the 13th to refund if they followed Ebay rules. I was told my query was: rude, and aggressive. The seller then asked Ebay to intervene (so no further contact). I was shocked, and a little upset (insulted) given how well I thought I had responded. (Not getting angry/annoyed/abusive when the item I bought was so obviously unfit for sale.) In response, I left the negative feedback that was deserved (that I never intended to leave), and contacted Ebay directly myself. I got the assistant I discussed this situation with, to read through my messages. I was told my messages were not rude nor aggressive. (Why would they be?) Further, I was told if the seller did not repay, Ebay would step in and repay for them anyway. Mrs Freddy has said I must stop buying "used" items from Ebay, too many 'troubled' people there unwilling to understand what 'negotiation' looks like. To be honest, this is only the third time in something like 8 years I've had a poor experience in possibly something like 500 transactions. That's quite a good batting average otherwise.

Camden isn't the shop it used to be. Last two times I visited, I regretted going there because it isn't an easy place for me to get to, and isn't easy to get parked up. Neither visit had me finding anything remotely interesting as the shoes in the 'Outlet' section were leftovers for very good reason. The store there, isn't now much different to the regular ALDO stores found on major high streets or malls. Some years ago, it was more of a 'disposal' shop with a vast array of interesting choices but with limited sizes. I will agree that sometimes sizing can be a bit off. As mentioned further up the thread, I had to have a size 9 Chupka to get my foot into the ankle boot comfortably. I have a pair of ankle boots here in a different style, allegedly a size 8, but fit like a size 7 (so are unworn despite 5" heels). Since I can get my feet into a lot of size 7's, they must be a VERY small 8. That said, I have a couple of ALDO styles that are generous 8's, and the size 9's could probably accommodated a small 10 because the 8's are so big. The size 9 in the style shown in my avatar, were a very good size 9. Another style I have (Levere) also came with a generous size 9. It's been mentioned elsewhere, but 'global' shoe suppliers (China, Vietnam, Brazil etc etc) mean that even within a brand, shoe sizes won't be identical. The ONLY retailer I know that has a completely uniform sizing regime, is Marks and Spencer. I spend a LOT of time in shoe shops, 'window shopping' for potential additions to the collection. If something pops up I'm interested in, if I don't try it on in store, I will buy to try at home. Sometimes I will order online to do the same thing, but more often I buy and return. This helps me to work out the correct size (if available) and allows me to hunt for bargains during sale or promotion periods. Since I own more shoes (and boots) than I could ever wear, price has to be attractive for me to commit, as with the Togoloko. They are a really 'comfy' boot, so much so that when I tried them on earlier (at home) I didn't take them off for almost an hour. It's unusual because I almost never wear a heel at home. Not sure this particular style came in a UK9 though. 'Apparently' (meaning "I have read somewhere") boots are usually a bit larger than shoes because manufacturers expect socks to be worn with them, not hose. That might explain why my worn pair of Levere flop around on my feet ....

Blige, 5 years since I commented on ALDO!!! The ankle boots shown in my avatar were bought from the ALDO store in Camden a couple of years ago. I had them kept, and tried them on with the help of an (ethnic) employee who wasn't the least bit phased by me asking for, and trying on the boots. No pressure, and a lot of help at the till. In fact he got me a second pair when I asked, because I liked them so much. (And I still love wearing them. ) They are really high, and fit really well. As reported elsewhere, I had tried on some ALDO OTK (thigh) boots recently, that despite being slim legged, were not slim enough for me. Thing was, the foot part of the boot fitted really well! The same boot came in OTK, knee and ankle styles. Just recently, the boots have gone into sale, and the ankle boots are currently offered at £40. I bought a pair last week, and the fit was very good. Looking to order a second pair online, my size was out of stock. I enquired by telephone to a couple of stores, and found a pair available in North London. I had asked about them, and an offer was made to 'put them away' for me and the conversation with a male concluded something like this: <After putting my name on the box.> "Are they for you sir"? (Me grinning.) No. "Ah, that's what they all say sir." (Light-heartedly.) (Me grinning more.) I prefer a stiletto. "You need the height?" The ankle boots were put away for me until today, when I collected them. I may have met the fella I spoke to. He offered the shoes when I mentioned my name; "Ah Freddy, something for the weekend?" With a smile and without having picked up the shoes! This even though I had Mrs Freddy running 'interference' and me wearing flat (men's) shoes in case of such an eventuality. (ie caught in a lie - though I soooo obviously was.) Didn't get asked if I wanted to try them on, which would have added some obvious pressure to the encounter, so everything run to make the purchase as painless as possible. Here are the boots: More details >> here << ALDO then, still highly recommended.

My preference is to know. This is the first time I haven't had a response at all, though I have had to wait a day or two previously. As it turned out, it looks to have prompted an indirect response. Just as well, since RM still hasn't confirmed delivery although the shoes have been delivered.

And despite RM still not acknowledging the delivery, this afternoon and completely out of the blue, I got positive feedback. A nice surprise.

One way or another, I will get my full initial payment returned. I proposed to the seller I would accept the cost of the return, not least because I want to spend more money doing than I might really need to. (RM 2nd Class Signed For at £3-95 vs. Hermes at £2-80.) The seller has agreed a return, and I have started the formal process for this with Ebay. It forms 'a case', and as far as I know this needs to be used so the seller gets their fees back. It also provides Ebay with some visibility of what's going on, should there be some difficulty further down the line. I am not expecting any. The seller seems genuine, and as far as I can tell there is still 'good-will' between us. If the return is agreed, I return the goods, seller returns money. Seller gets credit for fees and case is automatically closed with 'no strike' recorded against the seller. If it all goes smoothly, I might even be tempted to leave positive feedback. I don't often do it, but at this stage I'm happy to give the seller the benefit of 'any doubt' regarding the condition of the shoes. As a seller or buyer, I make sure the item I am selling is both clean, and in a condition it is worth selling. (If not worth selling, it goes to a charity shop if it's serviceable, 'recycling' if not.) In this instance, dirty/worn shoes were put on Ebay for not much money to dispose of them. On close inspection, I have found them to be at the end of their useful 'service' life. Given the state of the soles (filthy), it may have been too easy for the missing sole tip to have been missed. On a slightly different tack, I may have a problem with a sale. The shoes I sold on (coincidentally a pair from Office) were sent as always, via RM Signed For. They were due Monday, latest Tuesday. RM are neither confirming delivered, or a failed delivery attempt. I have TWICE asked the buyer if the shoes have been delivered, with no response to either enquiry. Although not known to me at the time, the buyer does some selling of high-heel shoes, of various sizes (so unlikely to be a wearer of them all). Unless of course the shoes are used for photographic purposes.... The cynic in me is thinking the buyer is hoping that despite a delivery (sometimes confirmation can take weeks - though this is extremely unusual) if RM don't confirm the delivery, they will get a full refund. Confirming delivery to me, will negate any need to rely on RM of course, and remove the opportunity for a free pair of 5" heels. Ebay might lose one message, I can't how they would lose two. The seller has shoes for sale on Ebay at the moment too, so unlikely they are absent without declaring this on their listings. ??

It has been a while since I have had an Ebay 'disaster', but looks like one has arrived. (Was I due one?) The problem is a pair of Office courts - despite me owning 4 pairs already (two styles with duplicates - of course). I went for another style at what looked like a good price. They would have been at a good price too, if they weren't worn out. Office shoes usually come with spare tips, and these had none. I suspect they were sold before the second set of tips were worn out. In a PM they were described as "hardly worn". The right shoe has been worn so much, it fell off my foot on the third stride. Usually, I have to lever these on..... Disappointed, and a tad 'miffed' someone has done this, especially since they seemed to be a good seller. Good communication, and they upgraded the carriage without asking for more money. Had they arrived in the condition stated, I would have been happy to return the extra carriage cost as a mark of goodwill. Ho-hum.

A typo yes. There is potentially a grand daughter, the offspring from what could be an estranged son, but I could produce a TV drama series over that story .... Sounds like I am exaggerating a little perhaps? No, unfortunately. "The truth" is almost unbelievable, and the drama too wild even for the scriptwriters of Eastenders (and their story lines run along the farcical.) I suppose I should commit the story to paper sometime, so it's not lost forever.....

There is only the one, and he's 13. Lovely boy. We hope he stays that way.... He would certainly know about the 'heels' and Mrs Freddy. There was a time when her family and friends expected her to appear in very high heels every time they met her. (I may have had some influence there...) Been a little while since that was the case, but her shoe collection is still 'Legend'. While my heels are not left out for him (or anyone else) to stumble over, an inquisitive person (he is) might not have found it too difficult to find the rack with my shoes and boots on. If he had suspicions, he might ask. Since he hasn't asked, I have to assume he doesn't 'know'. I'd like to tell him, but it might create some 'influence' (normalisation) and that could draw him down a route he might otherwise not take. My concern, is this: If he knows men wear heels, he will try them on (his mothers.) If on trying them he both likes/enjoys them, that will never change. (Experience tells me.) That could in turn, lead him along the same line of 'interest' I have had for the wrong side of 50 years. I found a way to make it a pleasure for me for all that time, but it was a challenge to make it a pleasure. I was brought up in challenging times, so it wasn't something I felt was a hardship, as with everything else, you just 'got on with it'. Our current youth don't have this sort of environment (school of hard knocks) to toughen them up to the challenges they will experience in their lives. They are (frankly) soft of mind and body compared to those of the late 50's and 60's. Back then, people were still going hungry. Still struggling to own a car. Using a phone meant walking to a street corner to use a public phone. Televisions were often rented not owned. Dirty work often killed parents prematurely. So my concern is: My influence might lead a 'soft' (malleable) mind toward a path they ultimately struggle to cope with. If it (the mind) gets there without influence, then 'fate' (or DNA) is responsible, not me. If it (the mind) does get there, I can offer support and experience, provided either would be welcome. (As with all young people, they all know everything, so are usually unwilling to take guidance.) Why am I so sure this situation is a prospect? He is considered to be quite a 'genteel' lad. Not interested in sport because he is tall and slight, lacking 'strength' but is a very bright lad. Has more girlfriends than 'mates', though he does have mates too. In many respects, he has quite a worldly head on his shoulders. He has the intellect to cope with unusual situations, but I don't know he (yet) has (or will ever have) the strength of character to walk away from temptation ~ even when knowing there could be a precipice somewhere along the route. Coming full circle, my own experience suggests that's a challenge my family are not well equipped to deal with. I might have been in my mid-thirties before I realised I could be my own person. That's too late for some.

Recently - a week ago .... No.1 grandson saw the picture/wallpaper on my clever phone. (Which is basically me wearing shiny leggings and fairly high heel courts.) He asked me if I used that picture because of the leggings or the heels. I said "The heels". There are two things that struck me as slightly unusual about this. Firstly, that he would ask about the picture. I know I (inadvertently) have been known to cross or walk-the-line of acceptable social norms. (I wear high heels in public don't I?) I am not shy, in usual sense of the word either. No.2 grandson shares some of my family DNA, and I see of lot of me in him.... He's not know for his shyness then.... No one else I know that's seen that picture, has asked after it. Secondly, that he would know -or even might know- there was a separation in aesthetic pleasure in the leggings, and the heels. It was either/or, not both. I also doubt he was surprised by the answer since there were no further queries. (Did I merely confirm something he thought?) When/if I get a chance, I will make further -hopefully subtle- enquiries. He already has a size 7 feet, so any interest he might have in heels for himself is likely going to be short-lived, given he may end up with a size 10 foot. His current physical characteristics favour some sort of freestyle cross-dressing, but I am being a responsible influence, by avoiding ANY influence in either direction. If this seems a bit like potentially 'overlaying' my own history (as is the want of some 'pushy' parents trying to re-live their own youth) let me assure readers, I have/am/will going the extra mile to ensure that doesn't happen. Time will tell.

With a voucher for 'free coffee and cake', I ventured into the West End yesterday. Haven't really got the free time, and the cool weather doesn't help enthuse it either but I hate waste, and throwing away a £7 voucher would be wasteful. The fact it cost me £10 in fuel, 7 hours of an otherwise 'useful' day, and lots and lots of stress finding a parking space - were not really considerations until afterward. Went to Brent Cross first, to return some New Look coated trousers (that needed a backside even smaller than my tiny one to fit properly), and the last of 3 pairs of red Office shoes (I've now given up on). Wore (mens) flats so the returns were both done inside 10 minutes. Then on to the West End. Jeez, Christmas shopping being done in earnest! Well, people were there, I don't know people were spending money though? Went to one of the big three stores that are close to each other. Used some of the display after-shave, and got approached by two assistants before it had time to dry.... The black Friday weekend may have been responsible, with 20% discounts plastered everywhere. Not that it did me any good. I did buy some ankle boots from ALDO, but these were in one of their regular sales anyway. (I got back so late, I forgot to order some things from H+M I wanted. Unusually, men's tops.... Rather than coated leggings.) Walked up as far as M+S at the Marble Arch end of Oxford Street, mostly in the dark as I arrived late. (The Brent Cross diversion cost me a total of 30 minutes, and finding an empty parking space lost me the same amount of time again. It was overcast, and it's dark quite early now anyway. Only 4 weeks before the days start getting longer!) Sooooo..... I had a good walk in my 5 inch ankle boots. My legs certainly knew it, as did my left (weaker) ankle, but I enjoyed every second. Even when in ALDO, I completely forgot I was wearing a high heel despite shopping for more of the same. I know women don't overly enjoy shopping in high heels, but I just don't see a downside? I guess because wearing them to me, is like a holiday (from flat shoes). If you walk far enough, if you carry enough weight, any walking is going to make your feet ache. Wearing a heel doesn't seem to make mine any worse, and a slightly lower heel (4½ inches) often means I can walk with cooler feet than usual. (Or it least it seems that way.) While I might visit again before Christmas during the week, ("sales" often start the third week in December) I have my doubts I will visit again before Christmas at the weekend. It's just too busy. Not so busy as to feel harassed in any way, but busy enough for visiting to be something of an unrewarding challenge. Brent Cross last week, was the same. Lots of people apparently shopping, but not to many bags being carried. People browsing, but buying online perhaps?

"New" images remain difficult to come by (indication of a "flat's" trend,) or my dwindling social life? Added some pictures today from almost 3 years ago, so still got some 'in the pipeline' to post in the Gallery section. What's finally arrived, is my second encounter, with a fella shopping for heels in a large department store. I will try to produce a separate thread for that. Can't believe it will have been 3 years come January ... Where does time go?

Some details would have been nice, especially since you are not a potential bidder. I've seen similar styles, but I'm not a big fan of round heels, not least because you don't often see them on a mans shoe. The heel height and rise looks good though.

Too obtuse for me.

Tony, is that you?

> sigh <

Tony Blackburn would be proud ....

"Insider Trading"?

Has that person yet to get a visitation at Christmas, from 3 ghosts? Thinking about it, that question could be addressed to one or two here ...

If you'd like to put a face to a name, I could meet at Brent Cross. As for being unobservant, was there any indication of him being uncomfortable in any way? I am wondering if they (forgive the pun) 'took it in their stride' as it were? I ask because I believe people are unobservant for the most part. A good example would be a couple of weeks ago, I fitted a new rad to an empty wall. Mrs Freddy used the room twice, and wasn't aware until I asked her if she'd seen it. She hadn't.