Face Off at Nordstrom Rack

Let me preface this story by saying I almost never find shoes or clothing I like for myself. Even if I head to a store intending to buy myself something, I almost always leave with clothes, shoes, or toys for Iyla. I can't help it- she is so much fun to buy for!

So today I set off to Nordstrom Rack to browse the Holiday sales and see if they had any cute kiddo items. Lo and behold I found this new treasure for Iyla buried in the midst of the toddler sale rack:

Swoon! 

Fox sweater in hand, I decided to check out the women's shoe department, where historically some of my favorite pairs of shoes have been found. I headed to the size 6 isle and got down to business. After a few try-ons I found this amazing pair of black Rag & Bone boots for 25% off the already discounted price:

I then started trying on ballet flats, which I've never owned before. I've always wanted some for business casual wear, but never found any that were quite comfortable enough. There was one pair in particular that caught my eye, and I took them out for a test run up and down the Nordstrom isle. They were comfy and cute, but I wanted to comparison shop a few other pairs before making the final decision.

As I was taking off the shoes I noticed another lady had entered the isle. We proceeded to weave around one another several times in a sort of territorial square off. 

I then headed around the corner to take a quick peek at the next isle. Upon finding there weren't any other flats that interested me, I returned to the first isle with the intention of buying the original pair. 

They weren't there.

I quickly realized the other lady had pulled them down, put them on, and was now doing her own promenade. And this was a long, full isle of shoes, folks; I was fully convinced that she had found THIS particular pair through my original modeling. 

I noticed she had one other pair of flats waiting by her purse, likely deliberating between the two. I was paralyzed, knowing that the only thing I could really do was covertly stalk her and HOPE against hope she didn't take the shoes. I had already scoured the racks and knew this was the only pair left in my size. 

The lady then turned the box on its side, slid it back onto the shelf, and went around the corner. I surmised she had laid the box that way to mark it so she could easily find it again. 

I had other ideas.

With adrenaline pumping, I grabbed the box and headed straight to the register, praying she wouldn't see me racing walking across the store. My heart didn't stop pounding until I got into my car & slammed the door, shoes in hand.

My Nordstrom trophies

It's amazing what a sense of competition can do to one's perceived value of an item! These suckers had better be worth it.