I can't say I've ever paid much attention to my shoes, other than my running shoes, which I've…read morealways bought at JackRabbit in Morristown (I think the store has been re-named "FleetFleet").
A few exceptions to that rule come to mind:
Decades ago, when I was going to meet my birth mother for the 1st time, I wanted a good pair of black shoes. I went to the Bridgewater Commons Mall (across the street from where DSW is now) and went to a store that seemed sufficiently high-end, although the name of it escapes me now. I spent a lot of money on a pair of black shoes, and I guess the impression I made was positive, although I don't remember that the shoes themselves lasted very long, despite the high price. Or that they were all that comfortable.
Another time, I was going on a job interview, and I needed a good pair of black shoes. I remembered going to the Woodbury Commons Mall in upstate NY when I was going on a 1st date and wanted some good shirts. My old friend swore by Woodbury Commons, and we went up at night, just before closing time, and I got some decent shirts for not a lot of money. The romance didn't last too long, but I still have the shirts.
So, remembering that, I went up to Woodbury on a Sunday afternoon (minus my old friend) to buy some shoes. Big mistake! The parking lot was a migraine-inducing nightmare (I actually did leave the mall that day with a migraine), and the shoe store was utter chaos, with no salesclerk in sight, and what seemed to be a rabid, riotous mob grabbing up shoes indiscriminately. Basically, you were on your own. I bought a pair of ill-fitting shoes (I guess the days where a salesclerk measures the size of your foot with that big metal device are long gone...they definitely are at Woodbury Commons, in any event!) that caused my feet real discomfort for a year or 2 and then disintegrated. (PS- I didn't get the job.)
DSW? My old friend swears by them and comes often to browse through row after row of shoes. Often, I'll accompany him, bored out of my mind, although when a Borders existed on this same location, and I used to work in nearby Piscataway, I'd come here often on my lunch hour to browse through books and CDs. So, this huge, cavernous warehouse does bring back some bittersweet memories.
I came for myself once, when I needed to buy...you guessed it...black shoes. I don't remember that there was a lot of sales help available, but I did find a pair in my size that looked acceptable. The price didn't seem all that cheap to me, but then I'm not really up on what the market will bear when it comes to black shoes. When I went up to the counter to purchase the shoes, the guy ringing me up was pretty aggressive about me giving him my email address. He didn't get it, but it left an unpleasant aftertaste (although I've gone through the same thing at virtually any Barnes & Noble bookstore I've patronized). The shoes were ok, but...once again...they didn't last all that long.
A few years ago, at my current job, I had to once again purchase a pair of black shoes. At that point, I went onto the Amazon website, put in my shoe size, and bought a pair of cheap black shoes, leaving it up to chance whether they would be any better or any worse than any other pair of black shoes I've bought over the past few decades. They arrived quickly at my doorstep, they were actually pretty comfortable and fit well, and I'm still wearing them, several years later. Cheap doesn't necessarily mean worse.
Which also doesn't necessarily mean I've sworn off DSW if an emergency occurs, or I've been locked out of Amazon for some reason. Amazon worked for me at least once when it comes to shoes, but I can't really say buying shoes on the website is the smartest or most economical way to go about it. Seems a better idea is to actually hold the shoes in your hands and then try them on and walk around the carpet a bit before you purchase them. And DSW does have row after row of shoes, from the front area where Borders used to display their "sale" books, to the back, where I used to purchase DVD's and CD's back in the day. DSW has never been very crowded when I've been there, which is a relief, especially when I recall the ravening hordes at the Woodbury Commons. My old friend swears by DSW and their prices (although I have to say-- some call my old friend a cheapskate; the more magnanimous might call him frugal, a wary consumer with a limited budget seeking a bargain).
As for me? Let me put it this way-- I'd definitely come here before braving again the nightmarish maelstrom of some crowded outlet like Woodbury Commons.
But Amazon might still be my first choice.
