Paul Stuart Store Experience - Did sales guy ruin a $678 pair of shoes?

[andr3pwd]

While at the Paul Stuart’s store the sales associate did the strangest thing – and I think he ruined a pair of $678 Grenson made Stuart’s Choice in the process.

First, he had pissed me off by responding to my question of whether they were US or English sizes with disdain that they were “US sizes, of course” (despite the fact that half the shoes on display had “English Sizes” scrawled on a label). Then he found me a pair of 10D shoes made on the Grenson 96 last I liked, I tried them and walked a few feet and noticed they were a little wide – basically there was some empty space around the instep and little toe. He asked how they were, they looked really nice, but I said I think they are a little wide. He asked me for the shoes and then proceeded to literally bend them in half across the instep, backwards and forward a couple times (edit: which made a loud crack sound) and gave them back to me. I put them back on and couldn’t help but notice that where he had bent them the coloring was ever so slightly lighter and the leather creased. I said something like I don’t see how that makes them any tighter, they actually seem looser (I bet he thought I said they were tight). I quickly removed them, gave them back and he hurriedly put them back in the box while complementing my suede chukkas… when I walked out the store I observed him stuffing the wrong shaped shoe trees into a pair of shoes for a customer buying some 348 last C&Js. So why the heck did he do that to the shoes? And did he ruin them?

 

[TRINI]

The bending helps with heel slippage...not sure why he thought it'd help with width issues though.

 

[Bull]

It's a recession. He's just trying to feed his kids. Y u gotta hate...

 

[ter1413]

It's not such a big deal. 1 pair of shoes will not put PS out of biz!

 

[Knowledge is King]

Originally Posted by andr3pwd

While at the Paul Stuart’s store the sales associate did the strangest thing – and I think he ruined a pair of $678 Grenson made Stuart’s Choice in the process. First, he had pissed me off by responding to my question of whether they were US or English sizes with disdain that they were “US sizes, of course” (despite the fact that half the shoes on display had “English Sizes” scrawled on a label). Then he found me a pair of 10D shoes made on the Grenson 96 last I liked, I tried them and walked a few feet and noticed they were a little wide – basically there was some empty space around the instep and little toe. He asked how they were, they looked really nice, but I said I think they are a little wide. He asked me for the shoes and then proceeded to literally bend them in half across the instep, backwards and forward a couple times and gave them back to me. I put them back on and couldn’t help but notice that where he had bent them the coloring was ever so slightly lighter and the leather creased. I said something like I don’t see how that makes them any tighter, they actually seem looser (I bet he thought I said they were tight). I quickly removed them, gave them back and he hurriedly put them back in the box while complementing my suede chukkas… when I walked out the store I observed him stuffing the wrong shaped shoe trees into a pair of shoes for a customer buying some 348 last C&Js. So why the heck did he do that to the shoes? And did he ruin them?
I know exactly who you're talking about. Earlier this summer, the same guy did this with every pair of shoes I tried on at Paul Stuart. At least 5 pairs, possibly more. The shoes didn't fit me very well and he kept insisting it was because they were english bench made and I "wasn't used to wearing shoes like this" (Nevermind that I was wearing the same Crockett Jones shoes they had on the shelf). Anyway, the inner parts of the shoes sounded like they were cracking in half each time he did it which made me want to own the shoes even less.

 

[Blackhood]

I had a similar experience in C&J in Jermyn Street, I was being served by the store manager and he volunteered an explanation for the bending:

Apparently the shoe is much more comfortable once a toe-crease has been put in and the damage to the shoe is no more than walking about 2 miles.

I had no reason to disbelieve him, and it seems like a logic conclusion.

 

[andr3pwd]

When I walk my feet do not bend 130 degrees in each direction. And yes, I also heard the pop.

 

[Dewey]

My Grensons are lighter across the toe crease. I used to "correct" this with polish but now I like it. I don't think that's a sign the shoes are ruined. But, I've never heard them "pop." That does not sound good.

 

[jsherman02]

with Paul Stuart and their "service"

I was told that putting a topy on their shoes was something only a midwesterner would do...

 

[ThinkDerm]

Originally Posted by Knowledge is King

I know exactly who you're talking about. Earlier this summer, the same guy did this with every pair of shoes I tried on at Paul Stuart. At least 5 pairs, possibly more. The shoes didn't fit me very well and he kept insisting it was because they were english bench made and I "wasn't used to wearing shoes like this" (Nevermind that I was wearing the same Crockett Jones shoes they had on the shelf). Anyway, the inner parts of the shoes sounded like they were cracking in half each time he did it which made me want to own the shoes even less.

lol!

 

[Slewfoot]

Yeah, I've had that happen at Paul Stuart whenever I've been in there and have cringed each time.

 

[unjung]

Seems odd to do it in a store but as noted previously, it's not as if wearing a shoe for a few minutes doesn't cause a crease anyway.

 

[Slewfoot]

^ It sounded almost like the sole was cracking in two which made me cringe. I kind of feel like any shoe salesman that would do that is doing so mostly for showing off purposes.

 

[MyOtherLife]

If any salesperson bent shoes like that in front of me, I would tell him,
'Now go to the back and get another pair; an un-circulated pair.
I did not ask you to do this to any pair of shoes I may buy here today'.
If there are going to be creases in any shoes I own, I'll be the one to crease them.

As to the OP's concern, that 'popping' sound is not good. Doesn't Grenson use some sort of fibre board for their soles? and if that was the case, he may even have damaged the soles with that pop.

 

[DocHolliday]

I don't think this is an uncommon practice, or wasn't when there were more shoe salesman around. I remember it being done when I was little and was being fitted by a salesman. First the Brannock device, then the bending, then the trial with the squeezing of the toes and the checking of the heels. I doubt they threw the shoes away, and I would never have thought to question whether the shoes had been bent before.

I wonder how many PS customers worry about whether the shoes have minor vamp creasing. I would imagine the average person is less concerned about a pristine vamp than is the average shoeporn SFer. For most folks, they're going to get creased soon enough.

A salesman at a men's shop did this for me not long ago, and I wouldn't have rejected the shoes had they fit.