If The Shoe Fits ...

My feet are big. There is no doubt. They’re not as big as some but they are bigger than most. This I know and have come to deal with. But I guess they are actually “bigger” in China than at home in the USA.

In the US I can go to any shoe store and find a pair of shoes that fit and are the look that I want. Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not a person who needs a different pair of shoes for every day of the month or year; I don’t need to have a special pair of shoes for each suit that I own. (Although I do because I only have one suit.) I just want a pair that feels comfortable and looks decent.

In China it’s a different story. I have been to several stores looking for a pair of shoes. I have tried looking for sneakers, hiking shoes, dress shoes, you name it, and I have not been able to find anything in my size. I had many sales people say they could help me, then they would look at my feet and smile from ear to ear and wave their hands in front of them saying (in Chinese) “oh so sorry your feet are huge! We can’t help you!”

Well, after talking with a few friends about my dilemma, both Melody and I were told to try out the “Zoo Market.”

In Beijing there are these markets that you can go to and buy everything your heart desires. There’s the Silk Market, the Pearl Market, and several others where you can find anything you want, but you have to look hard and be prepared to “bargain”. At these places usually the price they tell you is not the price you should pay. You can negotiate and really get a good deal.

So off the Zoo Market we went. It’s located just outside the Beijing Zoo, hence the name. It is seven floors of absolute chaos, hence the name. It is a feeding frenzy. Most of the floors consist of just rows and rows and rows of small booths that are packed with jewelry, purses, shoes, jackets, suits, jeans, etc…So in we went.

We went up to the 4^th floor to find some shoes for me and maybe some clothes for Melody. We found the shoe area first and that’s when the fun began. Several people told me that they could help me until they saw the size of my feet. “Oh so sorry your feet are so big!! I can’t help you!!” Then I found a person who said that she could help me … supposedly. I pointed to a pair of hiking shoes on one of her shelves and she said yes she has them in my size. I said “Great” and asked her for the price. She told me 260 yuan. (approx. 39.00 US) I told her that I wanted to look some more and started to walk away. She chased me down and immediately lowered the price to 200 yuan. (approx. 28.50 US) I then told her 180 yuan and she said “OK.” (approx. 25.50 US) She then asked for the money. I told her “No. I want to see the shoes first.” She smiled and said “OK.” She then went to find the shoes that I requested.

At this time I think I need to tell you that I had already told her the size of my shoe. In the USA my shoe size is a 13, but in China it’s a 48. When she came back she had a 44. I told her it’s the wrong size and that I need a 48. She says “OK” and takes off to find the right size. Now understand that while she was gone I was sitting in her little cubicle waiting for her to return. People were stopping by and looking at the shoes, picking them up and so on. Well imagine their shock when they turned around to look for the owner of the business and found me sitting there looking back at them. It was pretty comical. They would look at me and I would look at them. They would then get this weird, funny look an their face as they began to process the fact I was not the owner, I was American, I could not understand them, and I had big feet. They would look at me, look at my feet, look back at me, look around and then put the shoes that they wanted to buy back on the shelf and simply walk away looking very puzzled or, even better, just simply laughing.

When she came back she had another pair of shoes that I did not want and they were size 46. I tried them on just to humor her and of course they did not fit. By this time it seems that a crowd was starting to gather. First they were mostly the salespeople for the other shoe places around where we were, then customers started watching.  It seems that they were starting to take an interest in me and my feet. Hey! It’s not everyday that Chinese people get to see a size 48 foot in China.

Well after trying the second pair of shoes, the sales lady informed me that she could not find the shoes that I wanted in the size I needed. I then pointed to a pair of brown flat Nikes and she said that she did have a pair in my size and went to find them. She came back with another lady who was holding a pair shoes in a box. They were the brown Nikes, but they were size 47 again. I tried them on just to humor the two ladies and … you guessed it,  they did not fit.

The original lady needed to take care of some other customers and told me to wait and she would help me some more. (It seems I was becoming quite the entertainment by this time.) I told the second lady that I need size 48 not 47. I wrote it down and showed her. She said “OK” and left and then came back again with a pair of brown Nikes size 47. She took one shoe out and pulled and stretched it, loosened it up a little and then gestured for me to try it on. Now I knew that this was same pair that I just tried on, but now I realized that this was getting pretty funny so I played along and tried it away. It didn’t fit. I started to laugh and Melody, who was sitting beside me for most of the entire event, was laughing also. The lady, however, was thinking that it did fit because I was able to get it on. I told her “No! It doesn’t fit and now my toes are all bunched up and my foot hurts!” The ­lady just looked at us and I really don’t think she knew what we were laughing at, but I could see that she just couldn’t believe that the shoes just did not fit. She stood looking at me and then went away and came back and grabbed the same pair of shoes yet again, took the same shoe I just tried on and practically ripped the thing apart trying to stretch it out and then put it on the floor and gestured for me to try it on again. Now Melody and I were both laughing again and I said “OK” and it still didn’t fit. The second woman, utterly confused and befuddled, then just walked away.

The first woman was then able to help me again. She looked around her little space, desperate to find something that would fit. She reached up and pulled down a pair of the most hideous sneakers I have ever laid eyes on. They were glossy white and black with a shiny hot pink stripe up the back and also a hot pink Nike swoosh on the side. Now Melody and I were laughing all the more. The lady asked me to try them on, I slid my foot into the shoe and it actually fit!! I just looked at the shoe with absolute amazement and Melody was practically falling off the stool she been sitting on. She then decided that she needed to take a picture.

Needless to say I did not buy them.

After we fully recovered, Melody and I decided that the lady could not help me and we left. As we were leaving another woman grabs Melody’s arm and guided us over to her booth where she told us that she would help us and went away to find me a pair of shoes. After about a minute we decided that we would look somewhere else and almost ran out as fast as we could.

Well soon after we went up to the sixth floor and found an entire floor filled to capacity with shoes, thousands of pairs of shoes. And, after a little looking, we were shown a shelf of shoes that were in my size.

I am now the proud owner of a wonderfully comfortable pair of brown walking shoes which love. My feet are happy.

Oh yeah. The price for the good shoes was about 235 Yuan. (About 33.00 US)

For just a little more than that, Melody got a dress, 2 pairs of shoes, a bracelet, some earrings and I don’t know what else.

To summarize,

Went to Zoo Market.

Tried on several pair of shoes that were the wrong size.

Tried one pair that was the right size but would not be caught dead in them anywhere, at any time, for any reason.

Finally, after nearly breaking all my toes, laughing hysterically, being comedic relief for not just Melody but most everyone else there, was able to find a pair of shoes that I like and are comfortable.

So in the end, Melody got some cool stuff and I got some comfortable shoes and a story for my blog.

ONLY IN CHINA!!