:: Fleet o' foot ::

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

I'm a fashion pariah in every way, from knowing what to purchase to how to spot a good sale to determining a proper fit. It's a quality that I'm very comfortable with, for reasons beyond its helping my being perceived as heterosexual (not that I need the help - I carry around spare issues of Maxim and FHM at all times), but it leaves me in a lurch when my old apparel wears down beyond usefulness and I need a replacement. I generally abhor shopping for clothes.

However I am a consummate misanthrope and a cheapskate to boot, so any purchasing experience free from salespeople and fellow bargain-hunters automatically has a leg up. Thus I normally prefer online commerce, but that's not such a good idea for clothing, since seeing it in person, trying it on, and so forth are not tasks best left to flat computer monitors and far-off warehouses. That is unless the items are fairly small (so the tiny images on one's screen can more approximate the real thing), with a standardized fitting scale. It might work for hats, scarves, gloves, or... shoes.

For the second time, ordering from Zappos.com exceeded my expectations. I purchased new shoes at 10pm last night with 4-5 day free shipping. Before taking a shower at home this morning I checked my email to find a notice that they had upgraded shipping to overnight at no additional cost (which they did almost a year ago when I last ordered as well). When I walked into work my shipment was waiting for me. This pleasant surprise was in addition to what I already knew and loved: that it was cheap and quiet.

Zappos.com not only endorses your hermetic lifestyle, but does so with great alacrity.

Posted by morland @ 02:58 PM

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