You know that feeling you get when you see the perfect pair of shoes and you just have to have them in your closet? I was recently shopping at a department store in Chicago when I spotted my dream shoes. Only two things held me back from my purchase— they didn’t have my size, and my “dream” cost more than I was willing to spend. I’m a bargain shopper, so dropping that chunk of change on one pair of shoes, even if they were awesome, isn’t happening. The rest of the trip, I wandered from store to store, looking for a comparable pair that wouldn’t break my budget.
By the second day, I was losing steam while trying on every shoe that was cheaper and mimicked the look of my coveted shoes. Finally, my husband suggested that we go to another department store and see if they have the same shoes in the right size. You see, he didn’t care if I paid the full price for the shoe; like every man, he just wanted the whole experience to come to an end. We searched the vast shoe department until we came upon the exact pair. I tried them on in the right size and immediately knew that I had to take them home. In my twisted mind, I had convinced myself that I would only get these shoes if I could wrangle at least 20% off the full price. The sales clerk searched in each department on the floor, asking other clerks if they had an extra coupon. He came back empty-handed. Tired and frustrated, I just decided to wait for the next time I saw a sale. I believe my husband was ready to kill me.
We were walking to the door of the department store, when a woman stopped me. She looked directly at me and said, “Can you use this? I just want someone to be able to take advantage of this since the sale is over in 20 minutes”. There I was, in the middle of a store, hugging this stranger— who seemed more than pleased that I was so excited about her coupon. I ran up the escalator and made my big purchase with the coupon— the sales clerk was happy since he got his sale.
So what is my point in sharing this story? I am a firm believer in girlfriend support. None of this would have happened if my new girlfriend (for life!) hadn’t taken the time to think about another girlfriend. She was finished with her shopping and had enjoyed her day. She could have easily just walked out the door and gone on with her life, but she didn’t— she went out of her way to make someone else’s day. You know what happened when she went the extra mile for someone she didn’t even know? She left the store a happier, healthier person and I left with a hot pair of shoes.
