What happened to half sizes?

Being a consumer in a country where one is spoilt for choice is supposed to be a love affair. Or thats what I thought until I couldn’t find a shoe in my size in about all the shops I went to save for one. Before you make your conclusions, this is not because my size is so on demand and all stores had run out, it is because my size just doesn’t exist for them.

I know you are thinking what size foot I am and going ‘if you are one of those people with ridiculously big feet, then tough luck for you because you are in the minority – God should have had extra pieces and decided it couldn’t hurt to give them to you!”, I am a size 8 and a half. Nothing strange for a woman of my hieght and stature but strange enough not to find the size in stores.

I have complained to friends and most of them only identify with me in sympathy because they are the readily available sizes. But one refered me to a shop that lo and behold had all sizes that feet come in and to top it all they had all fashions one can dream of. I couldn’t wait to lay my hands on two, maybe three gorgeous pairs until i saw the price tag on one of them and I almost fainted. The price was a small fortune and if I was going to get the three pairs then I would be paying a kings ransom (well, maybe not exactly but you do get my drift, right?). So back to square one, damn.

God must have seen my depression when I quickly dropped those pairs of shoes like hot coals before an unwanted sales assistant comes to my side and makes me feel guilty about going into the shop and not buying, because just across the road from the shoe store was a department store which has good quality stuff. I walked to the shoe isle and found lovely and comfortable shoes and they came in a size 9 which was imensely exciting. But alas, my heart beat too soon! Size 9 is a tad too big just like size 8 is a tad too small. Which leaves me with one option, I must be a size 8 and a half.

Agony is when your are a size 8 and a half and no store that is affordable stocks that size. What happened to half sizes and comfortable fits? Once again I am wondering away in wonderland if I am the only one that loves to complain or others have just learnt to ‘make do’…