It was hardly a month since I set foot in Bombay...and then there was the much awaited sale of Woodland shoes. I went there on the 3rd day of the Sale and was glad to see that there were many models available. Upon enquiring from one of the salesman, I was told that it was a surplus stock sale and the stuff was less than an year old. Good news I thought.
And without much difficulty, I chose for myself a pair of Sweat Leather Shoes..brown in color. They looked sturdy, and fairly decent. The original price was 1800+ and I got it in Rs 1340.
It was a pretty heavy shoe too. The lighter models didn’t have any good looks, and the models with good looks were both heavy in terms of weight and cost. So I opted for them.
The average 2 hrs/day travelling that I did during those days was on either a BEST bus or the 11 No. bus...my feet. But never was I among those ppl who would abuse their belongings, least of all, their shoes. They were a prized possession...my life’s first ever Woodlands.
But after 6 months, I noticed a small crack at the junction of heel and the flat sole, in the right feet. This small crack got gradually promoted to a deeper and meaner crackand in the 8th or 9th month , the heel bid goodbye to the rest of the shoe....man it was pathetic.
I was at my office, and had to literally limp my way back home. That day, I swore I would never even smile if I ever came across a female who was limping cos the heel of her shoes was broken.
Yes..a female...cos normally, a male’s shoes’ heels aren’t supposed to give away. Well, atleast I haven’t seen it happening except in my case!!
The overall shoe quality wasn’t much impressive either. I was recommended a special shoe polish which costs around Rs 60, and lasts for around 3 months. I used it fairly regularly, but it was just after 8 months or so, that my shoe nowhere resembled a sweat leather shoe.
The comfort was non existent when I wore the shoe...it came back to me only when I took them off.
The shoes demanded a lot of care, and neglecting them for a short period gave them really haggard looks.
I didn’t have much money upon me to waste on another shoe like this one. Moreover, with faith once lost, it’s lost forever. So I got another sole fixed into my shoe..which seems to be fine for now.
What I don’t understand is why do these big shot MNCs dump their waste or obsolete stuff in India. I wish I could file a case against these reckless giants and give them a tough time, and in many cases, even make them bankrupt! Cos that’s what they do to our life styles and faith.
P.S. The comments below didn’t match my opinion...so here they are:
Durability: OK - should last for six months
Shoe Weight: Bad - Quite heavy