Did she know?

[Katie789]

I’ve seen a gorgeous pair of navy blue stilettoe sandals in my size (UK9) in a nearby thrift shop about a few weeks ago. Finally built up the courage to go in and get them yesterday. Two ladies and the counter - one joked “oh someone is going to be happy tonight, I wish my husband would get me some heels”, the other then just seemed to glance at the size, say “hmm” and then ring them up at the till - nothing else!! What do you think the chances are that she knew? =\

[Samm]

Pretty good I think

[Devi SM]

That is one of the assumption that we mistakenly do. Wouldn't your wife have big size feet? of course!
I always complain with my wife while she thinks that someone could read for example my clear nail polish in my hands, but she has said nothing about my long hair, so it;s something that is just in our minds not on the rest of the people. chances are very low.
I'd bought shoes for me in male mode in Ross several times and never saw an expression in their faces or anything else.

[DaisyLawrence]

Yep they knew.

[Sara Jessica]

I agree, they knew.

Imagine how liberating it would be to actually own up to it.

[DIANEF]

I used to do the 'it's for my wife' thing, it rarely fooled anybody. I know it can be difficult buying things for yourself, but if I can do it, honestly, any one can. We need a picture of those heels by the way.

[Aunt Kelly]

I’- one joked “oh someone is going to be happy tonight, I wish my husband would get me some heels”, =\

My response would have been something like, "I know. Right? My wife never buys heels for me!"

[suzanne]

Does it matter whether or not they know? Your answer should be "No, it doesn't matter" and then get out there and own it. Try the shoes on in store, then if someone asks, answer honestly that they are for you. You dont have to make any announcements that no one asked for. Just own your stuff and claim your right to the space you occupy.

[Tracy Irving]

I don't think it matters if she knew or not. It is none of her business what you buy or who you buy it for.

[Beverley Sims]

Does it really matter?

If you go back and they comment on the purchase, just shrug it off and tell them some tall story.

Maybe you just own it. :-)

[docrobbysherry]

Your question shouldn't be, "Did they know?"

It should be, "Did they care?" Do u think they did? I'm betting they didn't! But, u shouldn't care anyway!:heehee:

[Stephanie47]

I suspect not too many men buy heels for their wives. UK9 = USA 9.5. That does not really qualify as a Bigfoot. Still, how many men have used that ruse in that store? I'd say you probably broke the ice with the two women, so you may as well become a regular customer. And, you may as well try them on to make sure the shoes fit well. In the USA Halloween is a great time to buy shoes in person and stock up. One year decades ago I bought pairs at several different Payless Shoes stores around Halloween using the old Halloween ruse.

[kayegirl]

My step daughter saw three pairs of size 9 shoes in a local charity shop and sent me an system with photos. It was a few days before I could actually go to the shop myself, by which time one pair had been sold, I didn't like one pair at all, but the ankle boots were just right. The lady at the counter commented on the boots, sort of how nice and such good condition. Because I had tried them on, she was in no doubt that they were for me, very pleasant, very helpful, so that whenever I am in that town, I go and browse the clothes and shoes.

[alwayshave]

Really, the only problem would have been if they refused to sell them to you.

[Shelly Preston]

Maybe it was just a comment as women are always happy to get shoes.

It could also be you may have given them more clues than you think. You say you finally plucked up courage, they may have seen you before.

It could be they were just guessing.

[Queen Bridget]

They knew. They cared. And they probably judged you.

[Stacy Darling]

Main thing is that they knew that someone was going to be Happy, and that Happy person was you! regardless! There are plenty of women with size 9+ feet as well as my wife out there.

Your probably more confident with shopping than you think, not far from owning it now!

Stacy!

[deebra]

Katie,
You know how immature, childish girls get off on making fun of CDs. These girls grow into women with the same sick mindset.
I see where you are a junior member and 31, more confidence comes with age. They should have been put in their place. There are a couple ways to do this, it's best I don't say what they are. Don't let two a**h**** stop you from buying, most SA aren't like that.

[Karmen]

Yes, I think they probably knew.

I always try shoes in the store and sometimes sale assistants see you do it or just assume due to big size, they're for you. It even happened to me a few times when I bought shoes in big self serving shoe stores that cashier closed the sale with the sentence "Enjoy wearing them". The first time when that happened, I was a bit shocked and didn't respond at all. She quickly added "or whoever will wear them". She saw she made me uncomfortable. Now, I usually just say "thank you, I will" and act normal.
A few weeks ago in a small shoe store SA even ask me if I want to try the shoes on to see if they fit, when I asked if they have EU43 size shoes. I was in drab and buying high heel sandals. So, they often know. They're selling shoes to all kind of people and experienced SA can often read people and notice if your're buying for yourself or your spouse.

[Michelle55]

As it turns out my wife and I are 1/2 size or less different in shoe size. She has purchased heels a couple times for a special occasion and passed them on to me after wearing them only once in most cases.

It's also nice since we only need one size of boots at the door to put on to take the dog out in cold or wet weather for whichever of us has the next turn.

[Sometimes Steffi]

I've had comments like that, and say something like, "I'm sure she will. She always likes it when I bring home a special surprise." You're not obligated to reveal that the she to whom you're referring is you, not your wife.

Or, if you want to be a little more risque, you could say, "Ah, you caught me. I'm planning a special evening tonight. (wink, wink)."

Both statements are the truth, but easily misinterpreted.

[Leslie Langford]

I think that some confusion on shoe size equivalencies might have crept in among this series of posts, so just to set the record straight, a U.K. Size 9 in women's shoes is generally the same as a U.S. Size 11 (you can Google it).

So yes, a shoe size that is commonly associated with M-T-F crossdressers, but not so much with GG's unless they happen to be unusually large or tall. Not unheard of, mind you - just not too common - so yes, odds are that fact might attract a quizzical comment or question directed at the purchaser by an SA.

This is the point where the concept of MYOB ("Mind Your Own Business") should normally (but politely) kick in....unless, of course, the customer gets their jollies in openly "owning it" just to see what kind of a response they can elicit from said unsuspecting SA. But that's a whole other thread...

[Becky Blue]

She knew, but so what if she did?

[Cheryl T]

What are the chances I would care if she knew.... ZERO....lol.
I'm way past those days.

I had one incident years ago buying a bustier, panties and seamed hose. The young cashier commented, "you're going to look fabulous in these" (I was in male mode). Without missing a beat I said, "I certainly hope so".
Her jaw hit the floor and I left with anticipation to see if she was right.

[DaisyLawrence]

Cheryl, that's funny. Worth 3 smilie faces at least :) :) :)

[Amy Lynn3]

If you buy more heels and a comment comes up, such as, your wife will love those. Just say, do you see who is paying for these, so they are mine and will be until I give them away. Leave them scratching their heads.

[Cherylgyno]

I got over whether or not an SA knew back in the 70's.
The first thing I mention is that I am shopping for myself. Every SA has always been very helpful. The places that I shop regularly greet me by name.

[Jodie_Lynn]

Does it really matter what an SA thinks? Are they part of your social circle?

We spend waaaaaay to much time & energy worrying about this nonsense.
Do you think the SA at the DYI store cares what kind of tools you buy?
Or the cashier at the grocery store worries about the foods you buy?

All this angst over buying clothes, shoes, make up, whatever, the clerk is there to assist customers and earn their paycheck. At the end of the day, they couldn't give a rats whiskers what anyone bought.

Many of us seem to have this guilt over purchases, get over it, in the long run, you )general pronoun) aren't that special in the SA's eyes.
You.
Are.
Just.
A.
Customer.

[mattea]

Does it really matter what an SA thinks? Are they part of your social circle?

We spend waaaaaay to much time & energy worrying about this nonsense.


I logically agree with this statement and know you are absolutely right, but I still get butterflies when I approach a counter. I even try to logically explain to myself no one is going to care, hell I have a wife that I buy stuff for and a daughter, but I still get pensive. I am working on it, and know the more I do it the better it will be, but even with being fully out and dressed well I still get nervous. If you confident ladies could bottle that confidence and sell it, I would pay!

[Ruby John]

One time I was buying a bra and the sales girl at the pay counter said. "I don't think that bra is going to fit you." Like it was a joke. I said "I don't see why not because it's my size. She looked like she wanted to die and said no more. Ruby

[t-girlxsophie]

One of them at least probably knew.So what,they werent likely to refuse to ring up a sale,or they wouldn't be very good sales assistants would they,dont let it prey on your mind you should be proud that you had the courage to go in and get the heels in the first place

[darla_g]

She may have thought it was for you, then again at my favorite thrift store larger sizes are frequently purchased for resale. Not a big deal in my book. A sale is a sale in the end.

A question came to mind for all you you in the UK. I thought the UK would use the Euro size system? Is there an equivalent British shoe sizing system as well?

[Teresa]

Katie,
There would have been no guess work if you'd asked to try them on ! I've had some fun in that situation , on one occasion a SA called from behind the curtain, "how I was doing ?" I pulled the curtains back to show her only to find her husband who had dropped into see her standing next to her . She said great shoes and I got the thumbs up from the husband , and yes I was in drab . On another occasion the shop didn't have changing facilities so I asked for a chair to use at the back of ther shop , the problem was I was in male territory between the CDs and books , a guy did a double take , so I stood up and said, " These are really comfortable !" He disappeared out of the shop without buying anything !

Did she know , does it really matter ? The point about charity shops is if you don't grab them then you won't get a second chance , even size 8 (UK ) fly off the shelves now. I bought a lovely pair of italian leather boots with a 3" heel in black ,I have worn them so much , I couldn't afford the £100.00 + price tag if they were new , I bought them for £14.99 !

[DaisyLawrence]

A question came to mind for all you you in the UK. I thought the UK would use the Euro size system? Is there an equivalent British shoe sizing system as well?

Darla. Yes the UK shoe size system is similar to US but they do not align. The Euro system is French in origin and makes much more sense than our old imperial system (it is simply numerical from the smallest baby to the largest male shoe, no separate scales for kids, men, women etc). Most shoes sold in the UK are labelled with both the older UK imperial scale and the newer Euro scale.

[Teresa]

Darla,
To add to Daisy's reply there is a problem sometimes with UK to Euro sizing , for instance I'm a UK size 8 which usually equates to Euro 42 but some shoes say size 8 but have Euro 41 written on them. There no correlation , you just have to try them , I can sometimes get a Euro 41 on on and struggle to get a 42 on . Some stores like Next appear to oversize their shoes , Some come up small, it's almost as big a minefield as clothes sizing ! But isn't just great to go and try them all on !!

[darla_g]

I know what you mean Teresa! I never see UK sizing then except when the shoe is labeled for multiple markets and has all 3 markings: US, Euro & UK. But i have heels that are labeled 42 or US 12 and are really like a US size 10. I can wear some 10s, but mostly have 11s. I have gotten real good at stretching leather shoes to a larger size.

[Patricia_Campi]

Katie,

If you are happy with your heels, who cares if someone knows??!! :D

Just enjoy your new purchase!!

Kisses

Patricia

[marika_jaye]

I've developed a "don't give a darn" attitude in these situations. Just today, I want to a local thrift store, still wearing my work clothes. I picked out a long blue skirt, a gorgeous pink paisley summer dress (which I'm wearing right now!!) and a very pretty, very feminine necklace which caught my eye on my way into the store. As I was checking out, the cashier (a 60+ guy in bib overalls) commented on the necklace. I just smiled and said, "Isn't it beautiful? I'm going to put it on just as soon as I get back to my car."

The cashier just smiled and handed me my receipt. I walked out to my car and happily put on my new necklace.

Maybe I challenged his assumptions about gender roles. Maybe he just thinks I'm a weirdo. In either event, I am now the proud owner of a skirt, a gorgeous dress and a delightful necklace. I wasn't nervous and I didn't skip a beat.