Sunday, April 03, 2022

southend sketchers shoe shopping

hi there


each of us, i suppose, have our own little rituals. for me, when we have a year that is quasi-bi-binary in nature, such as 2022, look you see, i quite like to purchase quality footwear from a place renowned for having a massive, or lengthy, pier. so this is what i did, or gone done. 

circumstances (verk) took me not only to southend (on sea) but also a place there (southend) what was very close to one of them sports direct shop. you know, that shop owned by that nice, honest mike ashley bloke, what everyone (more or less) says good things of. as it happened that i could very well have done with some new shoes, i engaged in the ritual, or if you would tradition, outlined in the first paragraph, or the bit above this chunk of text. 

it is so, or written, that sports direct are one of the few retailers what carry shoes my size that actually let you purchase in a shop, and not order off online. for that i have little interest, as there is likely to be disappointment in buying such and finding they fit not. so, i was delighted to find that southend had a few pairs in my size to try. and, for one, purchase. 


some sketchers sport ones, then, as you can (well) see in the above, presented in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode. and indeed, a brand departure for me here. as far as i can recall, or remember, i have not owned a pair of these 'sketchers' before. in this instance, i got them for they were the most comfortable and best fit. no, they were not the cheapest i had to choose from. 

a close call, or under (some consideration) were a pair of them addidas ones. yes, they were indeed a quite cheaper option (by about £2) and a not bad fit. however, they were black with a white "trim", or tread, what we at school called 'gaylord' shoes (whatever that means), so no. further i considered some not badly priced ones off of nike, but they were a bit too tight a fit. so, sketchers, then. 


overall i would think, or suggest, these shoes were somewhere between an essential and an indulgent, partially bourgeois purchase. the pair i was wearing most frequently were in a state best described as serviceable, but i do tend to walk a bit, and also the tread was starting to go. so, something i needed to get eventually, within the near future, but not immediately. if that is of interest. 

how, now that i have purchased them and worn them (for a couple of weeks or so), do i feel all this is going? not bad. they are, indeed, very comfortable. unsure, though, on how long they shall last with this memory foam business on the go. whereas it does provide a good fit, the whole thing feels a little squishy, and at times it feels like my feet are far closer to the surface of the earth than i would expect with footwear on. a bit like wearing them canvas "deck" shoes, i suppose. 

my decision to take a stroll and inspect the shoes on offer at sports direct was, as it happens, a very easy one to make. the lodgings in which i found myself presented some challenges. apparently the main thing to do in southend is drink and disgrace yourself. on one evening i, when entering the hotel, was greeted by a gentleman drinking wine directly from a bottle, declaring love for some unspecified suitor, whilst surrounded by luggage. discreet enquires established that this gentleman was a patron of the hotel, but has been requested to leave due to his wine trick. an encounter with a gentleman laid prostate and partially asleep in said doorway, surrounded by empty bottles and apparently undertaking an act of nature to relieve his kidneys, bladder, liver et al of said refreshments, gave me all the motivation required to rather take a stroll to sports direct. 


did the sports direct of southend meet the standards (low or high is up to you) of all other branches, or if you will chapters, of this score across our nation fair? mostly. one does tend to get the sense when one engages in conversation with staff at sports direct that it (decidedly) so they have deliberately sought to be employed in circumstances likely to wrench, crush and destroy whatever soul or spirit they have, all for the greater enrichment of that (as previously mentioned) nice mike ashley. 

well, i suppose i'd best get on wearing these (rather smart) trainers, then. and doing some walking around in them. no, i would not think it likely i shall be doing any running or exercise stuff in them, that's not really my bag, baby. 



be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





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