I live in a town not unlike a few small other towns across the nation. If it wasn't for WalMart, we'd have virtually no retail.

But before you say anything, WalMart has, by and large, helped the town more than hurt it., Sales tax revenues have gone up substantially, as it gives us a place to buy things here that were unheard of before our SuperCenter moved in.

But, I have a beef. Of course, I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't have a blog.

Anyway, it was about a year ago when our Payless Shoe Stores packed up and moved out of town. Odd, really, considering that Payless STOCKS the shoes in many WalMart stores. But they are gone, and when they left, WalMart became the only place to buy shoes, for all intents and purposes. Family Dollar and Dollar General have never been known for their fine footwear.

So a couple weeks ago, I went in for shoes. Being a size 13, I could not find any size 13's in the store, whatsoever. Now, 13's a big size, but it is not an uncommon size. I had never previously had great troubles.

Since that time, a new shoe store has opened up in town. But they're owned by the same people who own Burlington Coats, so while I'm sure they're quite good, they're likely NOT quite cheap. And while I would like to one day own a nice set of fancy shoes that cost more than my first car, that day is long in the future, and will almost certainly have a few earned certs, a few degrees, and several child induced trips to the ER before it comes. SO in my last quest, I "settled" for a pair of size 12's that were made of a soft leather, hoping for some stretch.

For the record, if you're ever considering buying a pair of shoes a size too small hoping they'll stretch, DON'T. Learn from my mistake (and painfully sore feet from this modern equivalent of foot binding!). Leather only stretches when you DON'T want it to, never when you do.

Anyway...my IT class has a mock interview scheduled. It was supposed to be today, but because of my work schedule I got a reprieve until Monday (when I also have a major paper due). SO I had to buy interview worthy clothes. I'm trying to replace my wardrobe with more professional choices, but I didn't have anything interview worthy, especially in the shoe department.

So I took advantage of some hard earned free time to trip to WalMart (the other store was closed) to find some shoes. I asked the shoe lady about a couple pairs, if they had 13's in back. She said, no, they pretty much just had what was out there. Now it could be that she didn't want to go LOOK, but honestly, how'm I gonna prove that? Seriously?

So I scouted around the shoe department a little more and finally found TWO (count them, two) pairs of size 13's. They were both way up top in an area that would make Shaquille O'Neal stand on tippy toes. In that area where you're not supposed to reach, but are, rather, supposed to call the nearest "associate", who will then call a CSM, who will then call another associate so's the three of them can stand around supervising while the guy from unloading brings out a ladder and amazingly shows his ability to fetch shoes from a 20 foot high shelving unit. I didn't really want to give the security guys their entertainment for the night, so I fetched the least unattractive pair myself. Both pairs were black. Which is good, because that's what I needed. Good thing I'm not a nursing student (although, why they wear white shoes I'll never understand...but there I go digressing again...). One of the pairs was a Dr. Scholl's. Comfortable, I'm sure, but not what I would select for an interview, even if it IS a mock one. The other pair looked suspiciously like the old Army shoes my dad used to have to polish with relentless endeavor. At any rate, they were shoes, and they were in my size. So I took a look at the price tag (as if it really mattered...when you have two pair to choose from, you pay what they TELL you!), and fortunately they were a decent price, even if they're not very comfortable.

Feeling dreadfully like a Cold War era Soviet worker with the last roll of toilet paper, I made my way to the checkout, suspiciously eying any large footed men who might have reason to pirate my cargo.

With this kind fo shoe selection, though, I think I've decided to live in Chuck Taylors and Birkenstocks from here on out. Shoes I can order readily online.