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It’s gotta be the shoes
This morning, as I was searching the Associated Press database for a debate photo to update our home page, I ran across this one of Gov. Palin. Now in the interest of being fair and balanced here on WorldMagBlog, I looked and looked for a similar shot of Sen. Biden from last night, but for some reason, the AP had none available.
Topic: Campaign 2008, WorldMagBlog
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back to top70 Comments to “It’s gotta be the shoes”
The photog is obviously a leg man. Katie Couric has the same problem amongst her anchor peers; no one ever talks about Brian Jennings legs.
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Someone at NRO remarked recently about the “va-va-va-voom!” factor.
I’m just sayin’….
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How would folks react if they saw a tattoo on either leg?
StuBob, I visited NR online. Andy Stanley has a neat thing going with his North Atlanta churuch. Folks can actually “write a letter” to whoever the next president is.
Not sure if the letters will actually get delivered, but it is clever. Some entries are interesting
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Didnt Dorothy put on a pair of red shoes to get back to Kansas?
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There is no way Joe Biden could smile while standing for an hour and a half in those shoes!
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I think Sen. Biden only wears shoes like these in the privacy of his home.
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They (women) were talking about the shoes this morning on Today. These don’t seem as high as those platform red shoes of hers, which are really spiffy.
I can’t help but note that it is Mickey who put this thread together and the first few posters are men. I think Palin made her point.
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Deb made the best point. I didn’t care for the sexism directed at Senator Clinton and I think it’s worse in regards to Governor Palin. Where are our feminist leaders now?
But of course, what would you hvae thought had she been wearing comfortable Birkenstalks or, better, mukluks?
Just saying . . .
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Interesting I have seen this no where else other than WMB.
There are a lot of mages out ther, but people seem to be using some modicum of sense (at least occaissionally) in what they use.
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Those are classy gams; as a runner one notes the strong muscalature. Gov. Palin killed last night with bright intellect, style and, considering her short experience in national affairs, held her own well with Sen. Pzlin.
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I think some of you are missing my point, which is that I found it very telling that AP would shoot and offer such a photo in the first place.
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Yeah, but maybe those “air dropped” dumbpster buzzards will discover (and disclose) that in the kitchen she’s barefoot.
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Her shoes WERE discussed this morning on Today. I heard it. I have only heard Geraldine Ferraro come to Palin’s “defense” — and this, too, appals me, though it has improved my view of Ferraro. As usual, you either agree with the feminazis or they shred you — which is what they’re doing to Palin.
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Mickey, is that the whole photo as you found it?
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NJL,
You’d like the American Thinker op-ed piece by Kyle-Anne Shiver this morning:
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“An emerging literature indicates that beauty may play an important role in politics as well (see e.g. Banducci et al., 2003, and Klein and Roser, 2006).” http://ftp.iza.org/dp2311.pdf
Let’s face it. Sen. Obama is not a bad looking guy. Gov. Pallin is a knockout. As much as we would like to think we are objective and don’t care about the physical appearance, the majority of us just are not wired that way. It doesn’t hurt to be pretty (now I understand why I haven’t been successful thus far).
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Yes, NJLawyer, it was. (I did have to crop it a little bit on the top and bottom so it would conform to the standard size I use here on the blog.) There was a slightly different legs-only vertical version also available from AP.
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I was about to ask if anyone knew of a similar photo of a cute male politician back side, but I can’t think of a male politician I think is cute. Maybe Edwards in a Ken doll sort of way.
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that should be “male politician’s back side.”
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Don’t you remember those bare-chested Obama photos from last Spring? It looked to me like he had the beginnings of emphysema, but that wasn’t the consensus from the women at work.
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What? I thought that was a shot of Biden?
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Her shoes obviously don’t fit! Most women I know would be embarrassed by photos that show the back heels gaping that much.
It really casts doubt for me on her ability to lead this country in a crisis if she can’t even get some pads that will push her heel back and make walking less tiring on the balls of her feet.
(Sorry…that last one was me playing the role of a gay NJL.)
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Luke–and I’m just kidding–to quote Will and Grace, “I swear you are more gay before nine o’clock in the morning than some people are their entire lives.”
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Luke – 22
You couldn’t play the part of NJL no matter how you try, tough luck. As far as the shoes, what do you know? I love shoes, buy too many – those shoes fit her just fine – a little jealous are you? LOL
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Thank you, Victoria for your defense! I certainly wouldn’t want Luke playing me in any capacity inasmuch as I now envision him as his avatar. I just think someone who looked like that representing me is miscasting.
I looked at the picture again and thought the shoes fit just fine, so I agree with Victoria on that, too. It would never occur to me to determine a person’s fitness based on clothes or shoes, male or female, though I did like Biden’s tie last night. I’m not as superficial as Luke seems to be, and he’d have to be to think about putting pads in a shoe. I don’t understand how a mind like that works.
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And MIM, this paragraph sort of sums it up (especially where Luke is concerned):
“To listen to Governor Palin’s critics lately, though, one might imagine that none of her real accomplishments, nor the honesty and integrity evidenced by Mrs. Palin in office, actually count any more. Sarah Palin has proven her qualifications by actually making decisions that have borne real fruit — results. And proven results certainly matter to me.”
I learned a lot more about her last night, and I was impressed by everything that she has done while raising her family. I was also impressed with the fact that when her family came on stage, the first thing she did was check on the little guy. That’s one good baby. I haven’t seen him cry yet.
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In any caes, can we all agree that Sarah won the “shoes, legs” portion of the debate?
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Gov. Palin won:
The debate, instant ability to answer questions while at the same time giving some real American style spirited remarks. As far as her appearance, the woman has ‘class’ – the way she pulls it all off is strictly her style, she copies no one –
Watching poor Biden grinning like a little kitten, trying to figure out how to handle his opponent was entertainment – while Palin offered answers to important questions about leadership, he continued to grin. Poor guy, he must be in a daze today as he looks back over his little performance.
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For MIM and others regarding the Supreme Court and Biden
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/10/02/brian-kalt-couric-interview-illustrates-palin-biden-divide-and-biden-comes-out-worse.aspx
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Transcript – debate 10-2-2008 Palin and Biden
IFILL: Vice President Cheney’s interpretation of the vice presidency?
BIDEN:
Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we’ve had probably in American history. The idea he doesn’t realize that Article I of the Constitution defines the role of the vice president of the United States, that’s the Executive Branch. He works in the Executive Branch. He should understand that. Everyone should understand that.
And the primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America, give that president his or her best judgment when sought, and as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there’s a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit.
The only authority the vice president has from the legislative standpoint is the vote, only when there is a tie vote. He has no authority relative to the Congress. The idea he’s part of the Legislative Branch is a bizarre notion invented by Cheney to aggrandize the power of a unitary executive and look where it has gotten us. It has been very dangerous.
That is one ugly remark!
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More reaction than I thought!
Adios, Will and Grace produced some seriously good one liners. I was always kind of love & hate with that show.
NJL has had some seriously shallow qualifications for the presidency over the last couple of weeks – up to and including voicing the opinion that Obama dancing on Ellen wasn’t in keeping with the “dignity” of the office! My joke is based on a real situation.
And Vicky, I worked my way through college selling ladies shoes at Nordstrom. I’ve put more pairs of shoes on more women’s feet than I care to admit, and Sarah Palin has half inch gaps in the back of her heels you could stick your big finger into.
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Luke –
You don’t know what gaps are gaping, what a nutty thing to say.
Nordstrom’s, LOL, what a silly comment, yep you have it all wired by looking at a picture.
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Victoria (30): It’s worse than that you think. Biden, with his thirty-however-many years in the Senate, thinks that Article 1 is about the Executive Branch. Article 1 concerns the Legislative Branch; The Executive Branch is covered in Article 2.
His apologists will say he merely misspoke, but I don’t believe it.
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http://tinyurl.com/3pbkxu
Here is another picture where the angle makes it more clear. Interesting factoid about Palin. Her left foot seems to be her “big foot.”
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“yep you have it all wired by looking at a picture.”
She’s a woman in poorly fit shoes, not Terri Shiavo!
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Luke
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Luke – 34
Get over the shoes, its not important – you might find this fascinating, but its silly-ness to the extreme –
I’m not going to links looking at shoes –
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I’m surprised to learn that after Palin’s performance last night, she is not scheduled to do any of the Sunday talk shows. With the election coming up fast I would think the campaign would want to get her back out there to keep the Palinistas revved up?
Will she be doing any interviews with the press?
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Luke,
The campaign may have bought the shoes so big so they would not cause blisters and they could be returned. As you know, Nordstrom has a reputation for taking anything back, and you probably know that many women buy things to wear for one night and then return them. We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for these shoes in the future to see if they get worn again.
I may have to write a letter suggesting a gam-cam at future Palin performances. It’s a nice view.
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I think the shoes, dress, and photo all speak to a larger point. Palin, unlike Hillary Clinton, is comfortable using her femininity — which is to say (necessarily) her sexuality — on the political stage.
Old-school feminists like Clinton want to be respected for being just as smart and tough as men. They don’t dislike sex, of course, but they would be angry to be seen or treated as a sexual object. Women like Palin are just fine wearing more feminine attire, winking at the camera, and flashing flirty smiles.
It plays great at home, but can it work in international politics? The post yesterday about the middle eastern diplomat coming on to her suggests otherwise. They wouldn’t do that to Clinton because she doesn’t put out that vibe. Palin unapologetically does.
For that matter, I’m not sure it plays that great at home, outside the red-meat conservative base. Among NBC’s panel of undecided female debate watchers, for example, 5 of the 7 women had a less favorable view of Palin after the debate. I don’t know that was because of the way she uses her sexuality, but I’d be interested to hear them say.
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I understand Mickey’s point and I agree. It’s sexist. You won’t see a picture of a male politician’s legs like that (not that I would mind, but that’s another story…).
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JJF- 40
That is an excellent analysis.
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OK, lets take a look at Condi Rice. This woman has worn short skirts, tall boots and coats that are mid-calf that fly open as she walks from planes, etc., but no one says a word, I wonder why that is? – could it be that she gets a pass? – and WHY!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51640-2005Feb24.html
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OK, I looked at Luke’s link and it appears he’s right. The shoes look too big.
This’ll help her, though — Sarah Palin: So down to earth, she knows less about shoes than the gay guy at Nordstrom’s!
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But Stubob, the guy from Nordstrom’s is overtaken by the shoes, have pity, he can’t help but make that his afternoon/evening discussion – have a heart doctor!
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Condi doesn’t resort to sex appeal to sell herself.
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Though there were those who commented on a pair of black boots Condi wore.
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“My joke is based on a real situation.”
Luke, are you for real?
This is why I buy my shoes on line — to avoid the gay shoe salesman and his nonsense.
With respect, JJF, (”They wouldn’t do that to Clinton because she doesn’t put out that vibe.”) Clinton has no vibes to put out. She can’t compete with Palin when it comes to femininity or using her sexuality. Now, I feel for the Pakistani president because he got in such hot water, but I would have no problem with Palin giving him a wink and a smile in a conference if it will get us closer to getting bin Ladin. If he’s susceptible, so be it. It’s a tool in the toolbox, and that sort of thing is older than the hills. There will always be women who will be jealous of her because she’s feminine, but that’s their problem — and maybe yours.
Let the woman be who the woman is! And if she’s secure in her femininity, I give her credit for using it.
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Hey NJL
YOU WRITE:… “This is why I buy my shoes on line — to avoid the gay shoe salesman and his nonsense.”
I don’t buy shoes on line, but when I enter the shoe departement ‘I’ pick the salesperson, they don’t have a chance to pick me for ALL the obvious reasons.
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NJL – 48
You write:… “There will always be women who will be jealous of her because she’s feminine, but that’s their problem — and maybe yours.”
Oh ….. you hit the bulls eye with that one.
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Joel Achenbach over at WaPo has a refreshingly light-hearted take on the debate:
Here’s the big news: Sarah Palin has mainstreamed the political wink! She’s not just a winker, she’s a twinkler. And a champion smile-talker. She would flash that same smile even if she were telling you that she’d just burned down your house. What other expressions can she do? Libby Copeland had a great line in her deconstruction of Palin’s expressiveness: “Palin is all emoticons.”
Hit this to read the rest.
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It’s too simplistic to see this as “Clinton’s a bag, but Palin is sexy.”
Because she’s an old-school feminist, Clinton has long suppressed that public sexuality. I do not doubt it was a conscious choice, motivated by a desire to be taken seriously for her ideas and not be objectified for her body.
Hence the pants suits.
Clinton doesn’t want her legs showing, because a woman’s legs are, inevitably, a sex symbol. So Clinton hides them.
Palin, on the other hand, accentuates them. She’s comfortable being seen as a sexual object. That’s not to say that she doesn’t want to be respected for her mind, I’m sure she does. But she’s comfortable being appreciated for both her sexuality and her ideas, even to the point that she’s willing to use her sexuality as a political tool. Clinton is not.
Prostitution is also older than the hills, but that doesn’t make it right.
I don’t know whether it is always ok, always wrong, or “it depends” that a woman manipulates men with her body. But the fact that some of them have been doing it since time immemorial does not answer the question.
Personally, I much prefer a smart woman who is comfortable with her sexuality over the hard-line old school feminist who seems to have an almost hostile ambivalence toward her own femininity. But this isn’t about me. This is about whether America is best served by a flirtatious VP. I don’t think so.
I also happen to think Palin is dumb as a pile of bricks.
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It’s all a left-wing cover-up at its worst. Joe was wearing bright orange clown shoes and they didn’t want to highlight that. I thought they looked pretty snappy myself.
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Orange clown shoes
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“I don’t buy shoes on line, but when I enter the shoe departement ‘I’ pick the salesperson, they don’t have a chance to pick me for ALL the obvious reasons.”
You know, I was going to make a sarcastic comment about the practice implied here – that is, going out of ones way to ensure that a gay person doesn’t earn much needed commission for serving costumers – but then I remembered that this is VICTORIA!
I think we can replace “shoe department” with “Payless” and “salesperson” with “that poor stock girl who has to go hunting through boxes because the only 9.5 has a scuff mark”!
P.S. – Salesperson? That’s cute. I like it when the conservatives inadvertently use PC language.
Still I never would have guess that NJL and Vicky dislike gay people so much that they would rather mail order shoes! Well I don’t like you either, NJL. So I hope you have difficult feet to fit and no free return shipping!
And aren’t we all a little interested in learning how Vicky gaydars her salespeople?
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Luke, if all gay shoe salesmen are like you, it would be a waste of my time — and it’s my time. I have no obligation to put up with nonsense and silliness in order to purchase a pair of shoes. It’s still a free country, and I have freedom of association rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. I stay away from all whackadoodles, gay or not. WHICH IS WHY I BUY ONLINE — I know my size, I choose a pair, and a week later the box is here, I put them on my feet and I’m ready to roll. I avoid EVERY salesman and save time and gas on top of it. And it’s my time. I’m not Victoria, a shoe afficionado. Plain pumps all the time. There’s no reason for me to encounter your nonsense at all. You would make purchasing a simple pair of shoes a real drag.
And if you don’t like people using their gaydar — assuming such a thing exists — perhaps you should behave better and they won’t avoid you. Freedom of Association and all that. The sale lies in the approach after all.
JJF, “It’s too simplistic to see this as “Clinton’s a bag, but Palin is sexy.”
No, it’s not. If you ever read a legal brief, you would even complex issue laid out as “yes or no” questions. There’s a winner and a loser. On the issue of who’s sexy, Palin’s the winner. On the issue of who has a better education, Clinton wins. On the issue of who I agree with more, Palin wins. She is not dumb. I’m sorry, but you don’t have to be a Philadelphia lawyer to be vice president. You need to be able to make a decision based on the facts, and I’d rather have a person who wants to reform things in a traditional manner than someone who wants to reform things by changing the nature of the government and hand us over to socialism. All competent people are not alike, and you’re bias is showing.
I won’t speak for the men here, but I suspect they know a pretty woman when they see her, whether they’ll admit it or not, and your paragraph about how you want this cerebral woman and that’s all you look at — well, that’s poppycock and pc. I didn’t suggest that Palin prostitute herself at all, and I won’t ask her to deny who she is. There’s something psychologically wrong with a person who wants to deny that sexuality exists. If you think that men don’t use their sexuality, think again. Maybe it doesn’t work for you, as it doesn’t for some women, but Palin can make it work. Hillary can’t. It happens to be the thing that has tanked Hillary, quite frankly, because not feeling secure in it — and Palin is VERY secure about it — proves you have an ax to grind somewhere, it proves you aren’t secure in yourself as a person and don’t accept yourself. In other words, I’m sorry Palin is such a threat to you.
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Victoria at #30: Interesting that the current vice president has completely redefined the office in direct violation of the Constitution — this is not a secret or even a particularly controversial statement — and your only objection is to those who call attention to it.
Let me point out that if Obama wins, Biden will move into that office and will have the same powers that Cheney has taken. Are you comfortable with that? Or will you want Biden to return to the more traditional, and Constitutional, role?
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JJF: That’s not to say that she doesn’t want to be respected for her mind, I’m sure she does.
Good luck with that.
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MICKEY: I found it very telling that AP would shoot and offer such a photo in the first place.
The AP would have done as much for Biden if he’d appeared with high heels and bare calves.
Similarly, the AP thought it was newsworthy that Sec. Condolleezza dressed as a dominatrix to review the troops, all in black leather, high heels, and a rather high hemline.
PETER LEAVITT: Gov. Palin killed last night with bright intellect . . .
What a brilliant move to say, “Nice to meetcha, can I callya Joe?” so that she could later say, “Say it ain’t so, Joe!.”{
With stratigic thinking like that, Gov. Palin is sending a forceful message to America’s enemies.
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Cheney hasn’t succeeded in his quest for a legislative role in the Congress, and no one else will get it either. What people really object to is that his voice was heard when traditional VPs were very low profile.
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Luke: Still I never would have guess that NJL and Vicky dislike gay people so much that they would rather mail order shoes!
I’m always a bit taken aback when I encounter people who are actually proud to be bigots. But the more I read posts here, the less it surprises me.
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And I am always surprised by people who insist that I do what they want me to do or think the way they want me to think. Who do either of you think you are? You’re a bigot when you insist that I do that, so right back at you.
When Luke takes the liberty of insulting me by pretending to play me gay, he deserves what he gets. He overstepped on that one. If he can’t take it, he shouldn’t dish it out. If he can’t get along in society and people avoid him, that’s not my fault — it’s his. If he failed as a shoe salesman, maybe he should have adjusted his pitch and focused on selling shoes rather than his gayness — that is, after all, why people go to a shoe store.
And both of you — get your facts straight. Victoria does not buy her shoes online. She stated that plainly, and I suspect that’s because she wears more stylish shoes.
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NJL – 56
EXCELLENT!
Those whoever they are that work in stores, whatever they might sell don’t own the customer. I walk into Nordstrom’s or wherever I might be shopping, then ‘decide’ who will help me. I also have many people whom I have known for some time assist me, they know what I might buy.
There are sales associates who feel that if they approach you, they OWN the sale, – that’s not how it works where I live, we choose who we buy from, most always knowing the person previously. It’s arrogant for any salesperson to believe they have the ‘RIGHT’ to own the sale. This has happened to me in the past, when it does, and it’s ‘in your face’ I simply change sales people, I’m polite but firm. After all its my shopping pleasure and my money which is being spent not theirs!
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NJL – 62
You said it – it’s true, I can’t top that one!
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I love the bigoted, mean, hateful attacks that are made on here against gay people because it totally negates the Christian Gospel. People get to see that Christianity has become a false religion, based on hate, not love. I’m sure Jesus is very proud of them!
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Victoria & NJL – I guess you ladies don’t buy your shoes at Payless, like I do, huh?
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Karen O,
Me too – I haven’t dealt with a shoe salesperson in years. At Payless the clerk might go as far as asking if I’m finding what I’m looking for, but that’s it.
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Karen and Pauline, what’s your point?
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It is funny isn’t it LUMPS? LOL
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