Because I had to...

So the other evening it happened; I was walking near an area that has a really amazing shoe store when I saw  these:

Nearby I saw a sign that said "last pairs 49 euro" I knew it probably wasn't talking about these shoes but still I held some hope. It being Sunday meant the store was closed so I made up my mind that after school the next day I would head back to the store.

I had actually been in the shoe store before, but without a lot of intent to buy. The thing about stores in Florence is: in general, if you don't see something you want in the window, you don't walk in the store. Having said that, if you really are looking to buy or at least have some money you're willing to spend, you'll find a shop's employees very helpful.

(of course this varies a lot, shop to shop)

I walked in (the shop) and asked about the 49 euro sale, as I suspected it didn't apply to my shoes. Never the less I showed them the shoes I wanted and expressed how I liked them but had limited funds. I knew the price, but had an amount in my head that I said I wouldn't go over. Thankfully the guy working there was very cool and ended up knocking off 20 euro from the window price (which actually came to 5 less than my limit ;) 

Welcome to the family.

As I tried my shoes on in the store, an older man working there took a look at the shoes I had been wearing(the ones I bought in the US before my trip) he read (shamefully) "made in Indonesia" and then gave me one of those, ever so Italian "come on, why the heck are you wearing this crap" type of look (but in a funny way, not an offensive way). At which point the other salesman was quick to point out "no, this is a good shoe, made in Italy, not Indonesia, not China, here in Italy." If he only knew that I had two pairs of Italian leather shoes at home, oh well.