Six Bucks Well Spent
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
So I went shoe-shopping on Sunday, having run my trusty pair of Bates through the wringer over the past couple of weeks (and indeed, years).
They’ve lasted that long because I’ve taken pretty good care of them. I put enough time into polishing them that I am perpetually annoyed at how short a decent shine lasts. Especially when traveling, a decent shine goes in a huge hurry. And to put it back on requires amazing amounts of efforts (lots of wax, a soft towel, a ton of elbow grease, and matches).
And I’ve tried the easy touch-up methods, too. Brushes, soft cloths to kind of buff it up a bit, all have very limited effects. So when I get busy, as of late, or when I travel, I end up wearing very dull shoes, which comes very close to driving me insane.
Ladies and gentlemen, such is no more. When I chose the first pair of shoes in the Clarks Bostonian outlet, the girl took them to the front to polish them up a bit. One was slightly scuffed, and I didn’t feel like going through the aforementioned polishing ritual described above, so I really appreciated the gesture. Other than the scuff, they looked very tolerable, especially as compared to the dull pair I was wearing.
But when I walked up to the counter with the second pair, I was amazed at what she
had done in the intervening moments. The shoes veritably shone–no more scuff, and the tolerable look had given way to a beautiful polish. And the girl held in her hand a very innocent looking sponge contraption. She took the second pair and prceeded to do the same thing.
I proceeded to the rack of innocent looking sponges and proceeded to read up about their magic. I was interested but skeptical; I have tried enough of these things that I figured it wouldn’t cut it. And yet, taking a look at the price tag, I decided that six bucks was worth the potential benefit.
And at home, having tested the magic on shoes both brown and black, formerly dull and scuffed, I am believer. That was six bucks well spent.
