Department Store Rage

I am not sure that the retailers of America understand what their function is. Their function is for me to go to a department store, with lots of departments and get what I need. The goal of a retailer, in my humble opinion, is to make the life of the buyer easier so that they will always come back and spend lots of money. And that means that when they carry one thing, they should carry all the things that go with it. If you are buying a tent, then they should carry sleeping bags too. Apparently the fine department stores of the Bay Area don’t feel the same way.

This weekend we are heading to a wedding. It is an evening wedding at a nice hotel and so it calls for us to wear cocktail attire. The bride and groom are being especially gracious and they have invited children. I was not so gracious at my wedding, only the children in my wedding were the ones invited. This means that I need to dress my child in a suit because that is what etiquette calls for. Now I have to go and get him a suit because he grows so fast, we don’t keep one around. Along with the suit, he needs a tie, belt and shoes. Right, perfectly logical.

Then why is it all of the department stores that I have visited in the 20 mile radius around my house, while they carry suits do not carry little boys dress shoes. Every store that I have gone to have little boys suits, and then when I go over to the shoe department, they do not carry, not even one style of dress shoe for little boys. Has society gone so casual that they don’t even expect children to dress for occasions? At every store I have kindly asked the store employees if they carry dress shoes for little boys, and then they give me that curious look as if someone rearranged all the features on my face the wrong way and they are not sure where to look. And then I have to say, “You mean to tell me that you sell little boy suits, but you don’t sell the appropriate shoes to go with them?” and all have responded, “I guess not”. And this is where I storm out of store knocking down clothing racks in my wake.

I gave up looking and asked my husband to look for dress shoes at this one store that I was sure would have them. He was so sweet to go and get them. I was a little shocked when I pulled the shoes out of the box and I was holding black little GIRL boots with a chunky heel and silver zippers on both sides. If the stylish heel wasn’t a dead give away the pink insole certainly would indicate that is was GIRLS shoe. My husband thinks no one would care and/or notice. Now if my son had chosen them, I would let him wear them. If my son wants to cross dress, fine, but I am not going to shove him into it. Granted, I told my husband to hunt for a black dress shoe for Drew but I did not think he was going to come back with black hoochie-mama boots for a little GIRL. And the husband is banned once again from shopping. I am thinking that hoochie-mama boots were intentional so that he never has to go shopping again.

Finally we scored some black leather tennis shoes that will do at Target. Honestly, I didn’t think black lace up shoes for little boys would be a stretch.