Gift of Shoes

Recently, Best Good Friend and I were visiting my personal favorite shoe website - Zappos.com - because they had a free overnight shipping promotion. So I was perusing the listing of shoes and, naturally, ran across a pair I was dying to have.

She said - don't order without me! So I asked her what she wanted and what size.

She thought I was kidding but I was serious. We agreed - I'd order the shoes and since she needed hosiery (and so did I), she'd order us the L'eggs. HA.

So I ordered her a pair of shoes with the stipulation that she pay me back NEVER. Well, the shoes came and it gave us an excuse to have a "shoe lunch" - one of our very favorite kinds to have.

Turns out her shoes didn't fit. Sadly. And since Zappos is such a great company, they pay for the return shipping as well. I sent them back and told her to pick another pair in the same price range and we'd do an even exchange.

She told me not to worry about it but she had picked out this very cool pair of flipflops.

So. One day, after one of our luncheonfests, I decided I would just buy them for her and she would be surprised at the office. I looked up her office shipping address and, instead of ordering online because I wanted to ship to another address, I called Zappos directly.

They have some of the best customer service around. I placed my order and told the lady I wanted it shipped as a gift to someone else. No problem, she said. She asked me what the occasion was. "I just wanted to give my friend a pair of shoes."

"Wow!" she said. "Can I be your friend?"

The next day, Best Good Friend's shoes arrived and she was terribly happy and surprised. She said when she saw the Zappos box she thought, "SHOOOOOOOOOES!"

I told her I have that exact same reaction every time I order a pair. :)

And you know what? I discovered I not only enjoy buying shoes for myself... but someone else as well.

Sort of like Paying it Forward but with shoes. ;)