Shopping online was definitely a no, no for me. I have always been a brick-and-mortar type of girl. But here I am wanting to step out of my element and become a Shoe Influencer. Then Covid-19 came and took total control of how I did everything and that included shoe shopping. A double whammy! The shoe influencer game is tied to followers, buying online, messaging brands, letting the brand see that you follow and respond to their platforms as a sign that you are serious about what you are doing.
I miss going to the shoe department and having the salesperson bring me two or three different pair of shoes to try on, can you bring me an 8, 8 ½, and maybe a 9 in certain styles or asking a stranger what do they think when I don’t have my shopping partner with me to give her opinion.
Let’s not forget the crazy fun atmosphere in the shoe department with women talking loud, laughing, and shoes all over the place. Plus, we can now take pictures with our iPhones and send selfies. OMG!!! We run the poor salesperson nuts because they never seem to have enough staff especially if there is a sale or it’s one of those popular shoe stores that not only do they sell badass shoes but some of them have clothing and accessories.
I’m talking about some of my hometown favorites like Anthropologie, JCrew, Madewell, Poetry, Zara, H&M, COS, and Hu’s. Let’s not forget my New York City favorites, All Saints, Saks Fifth Avenue, Fly London, Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, MiuMiu, and Chanel. I know that online shopping is the new beast among us but for me, it’s sad when I can’t go into the store.
Covid-19 came and took total control of how I did everything and that included shoe shopping.
These Raffia fiber shoes are Contre-Allée’s signature style.
So here I am trying to learn the etiquette of shopping online and liking it. Covid-19 has me quarantined and even though I can talk about shoes all day. If I want to purchase shoes I have to go online. Online means credit cards and payment options like PayPal. Another brick wall for me because I like cash only. But now I’m using my credit card more and paying the balances off immediately. I make sure the bank account attached to my PayPal always has money in it.
Amazon Has Me Spoiled
Let’s not even talk about how I couldn’t get used to the shipping process. Amazon has me so spoiled with delivering in one or two days. Some of these shoe brands take 5-7 days to deliver and if it’s a brand I’ve never heard of but popular online it can take a month because it’s coming from out of the country. I was totally not ready for this and the first time it happened I literally reported the brand to PayPal because I thought they were ripping me off because it took so long before I got my order. Rookie mistake!
Now, I only make payments for my orders on PayPal which helps me feel secure that there is some backup if the order goes south. I review my entire order before I hit the submit or place your order button because in most cases you will get some idea of the delivery date and maybe a tracking number.
Listen to me, a baby boomer! Learning my lessons, figuring it out, and trying to reinvent how I shop. It can be done. It’s not like I’m building the Empire State Building and have no architecture skills.
Just like shoe shopping, I am going to master all these aspects of shopping online.
I hope this blog will make you take another look at shopping online, give you ideas of how the game works, and make you realize that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel because someone else has already done or experienced what you are doing.
For more inspiration follow me on Instagram.
When I got the gist of this Influencer game, I thought oh hell no! I just found my second act in life. Hosting a blog will allow me to bring you all the goodies that I know about shoes. Giving you style tips, educating you on how to have an eye for shoes, and be a positive critic of the fashion trends.
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