Shoe sizes

As From Today Shoe Shops To Only Offer The Correct Size

It was the end of an era in shoe-selling trade as shops around the country have agreed to only offer the correct size to customers. The long tradition of offering an alternative is to cease from today. Shoe shops around the country have all signed up to the new charter.

The last ever occasion of such a 'sale' was filmed for a Channel 5 documentary - My Life In Shoes. Ted Moult, 44, became the last customer to experience the pointless exercise.

Asst - Can I help you?
Ted - Have you got these in a 9.
Asst - I'll check..... (10 minutes later) ..... We've only got these, which are an 8 and a 10.
Ted - So the choice is to have major surgery to remove my toes or to wear really thick socks.
Asst - It's all we have. They are nice.
Ted - If only they were not the wrong size...or colour. The pair I showed you were brown and they're black
Asst - They are popular and look good.
Ted - Do you sell shoe paint?
Asst - I don't think so.... I can check. Try one of the pairs while I go and look. Your feet can shrink.
Ted - Not in the time I've been waiting.
Asst - Your feet can also swell if you're pregnant!
Ted - I'll get my todger removed along with my toes then and hopefully they can add a womb while I'm in theatre.............

The story had a happy ending. Ted found a store later on in the week that had his size and colour, which he bought due to the fact that it was what he wanted and they fitted perfectly.
"It's a shame to lose the old traditions but you have to move on. I shall fondly remember my complete waste of time experiences," said Ted

It also completed 10 years of not selling an alternative size for shop assistant Sue.
"It's something I've always done. In my heart, I know I should just come back from the stock room and say 'No, we don't have that size' but I was always trained to bring out and offer the sizes immediately above and below the actual size the customer wanted. Some people do try them and they are either too tight or too big. I don't think it's the shoe that is faulty. Some people just have the wrong size feet," said Sue

It's hoped that colour and style will be added to the new shoe-selling charter.
"I'm not sure that it is workable to be honest, but that's a long way off," said Sue.