I conducted an experiment this afternoon (Sunday, June 2nd), to see if what I had heard regarding the manner in which someone of my age (64) was treated when trying to purchase a pair of running shoes and was somewhat taken aback at this saleswoman, attitude This young girl behaved as if I was most likely a (possibly) senile old biddy who likely couldn't run a mile if my life depended on it. But this wasn't really my problem. I had the girl measure my foot after informing her that is was unusually wide, but instead of taking a note of the width, she simply checked my foot's length and determined that I was a size six. For one thing, my shoe size had always been a six and a half, but that didn't sink in, if she, in fact, had been paying much, if any, attention--which she obviously wasn't.
Then she disappeared into the back of the store and procured a pair of black Assics runners after I had stipulated that they weren't as wide as the Saucony runners I prefer. I was looking for running shoes that were a bit more pliable. Well, when I mentioned that even though I was "No spring chicken" I had been a distance runner most of my life and ran twelve miles per day six times a week. This gal either thought I must be either exaggerating or perhaps a bit senile, as she was about as interested in selling me shoes as I was in putting up with her unprofessional behaviour. I had no desire to buy anything she had to sell and when I deliberately mentioned that I needed an estimate before I could actually purchase the product she stated that I could only get that with a receipt AFTER I bought them.
After tossing in a somewhat patronizing "We can only hold them for 24 hours ' I was done. By this time I'd had more than enough of her weak salesmanship and simply said, "Well, I guess that's it then." "Have a good night" were her parting words to me, although it was only 4 PM.
And I'M the senile one?
