My shoe was discontinued!!!!

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OK, this ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, but it's a good read all the same! Last year was the first time I had done the 60-mile 3/day walk for Susan G Komen for the Cure. I knew when I signed up for it that I'd have to buy "good" shoes. I usually just buy the $20-$30 shoes that are on sale that look good on me (or so I think!). But this was serious stuff so I knew I'd have to spend some bucks to get good shoes. My aunt told me to go to this place called Metro Run & Walk because they will actually fit you with a pair of shoes, not just size them for you. The closest one was 45 minutes away and I had to go on the weekend because they weren't open late enough for me to get there after work. So, I went, spent about an hour trying on shoes. The guy that helped me was AWESOME! I remember the first pair wasn't that great, the second pair was really nice, about 10 more were EH, OK. Then he put this one shoe on me that felt like a bedroom slipper. OH! I was in heaven! But, before he would let me buy this pair of shoes he wanted me to try one more pair - which I didn't like at all. Then I had to wear the "bedroom slippers" on one foot and the 2nd pair I tried on just to make sure which one I really liked. Well, the "bedroom slippers" pair won hands (or feet) down. So, I spent about $100 on one pair of shoes - more than I usually spend in 6 years - knowing that I'd need another pair in about 5 months. So, about 5 months later, here I am procrastinating, it's like 2 weeks before the walk and I need new shoes. I've been training in the "bedroom slippers" and I want another pair to do the walk in. But, this place is very inconvenient, so I go someplace close - actually a place that my Aunt says is pretty comparable in service. First they tell me they don't carry the shoe that I want - I wanted the same shoe I had been wearing (OH, this shoe is soooo cumfy!!!) - but they offer to fit me with another shoe. They do the same things with my feet that the other place did so I figured they were gonna give me a good shoe. After about 3 shoes not really feeling well, the girl impatiently tells me "Oh, you'll get used to it". Well, I only have 2 weeks to "get used to it" so I I give it a try - and they have a 30-day return policy. The next day, I couldn't even walk a mile without being in pain. I take the shoes back, they "fit" me with another pair, and within a couple days I'm in pain. I'm down to a little over a week before the walk and not feeling very confident that I'm going to survive it. So, I call the place that's hard to get to because I know I wont be able to get there. I ask them if they can mail me the shoe, which they do without charging me for the shipping and still giving me the discount for participating in the walk. WHOA! They just won my business for LIFE! So, 2 days later - a week before the walk - I get the shoe in the mail. And it's the wrong one! I forgot to tell them I need a wide shoe. Now, I was going away for the weekend and there's no way I could get the shoes back to them. But as it turned out, I was able to swing by the place on our way back into town that weekend to exchange the shoe. And they didn't have the right shoe... But, the manager said he'd call the other stores see if they had it and then ship it out to me overnight (at no shipping cost again!). He called me later in the day, told me it would be in the mail the next day, I had it 2 days before the walk. NO blisters at all for the walk, I was SOOOOO happy!!!! Well, I was still within the 30 day return policy for the shoes that didn't work for me, so I took them back. They owner was there and waited on me. When I returned them he said they weren't the same shoe I bought. I explained that I wanted a certain shoe, they didn't carry them, I tried the first shoe they "fitted" for me, returned it for the 2nd pair that didn't fit me, and am returning it for a refund because I went elsewhere to get the shoe that worked for me. This idiots response was "You just cost me over $200 because I can't resell these shoes!" Oh, I'm sorry that your return policy isn't working out for you dude, but it's not MY fault your staff failed to fit me properly! Guess where I'm never shopping again! OK, fast forward to this year's walk and my training. My shoes are shot, I shoulda bought another paid MONTHS ago. The walk is like 5 weeks away and I so don't want to end up in the same position I was in last year. So, I call the place that's 45 minutes away and make sure they have the shoe. NO!!! It's been discontinued!!! But, they have some of that shoe in the mens' size that would fit me, it's the same shoe I had, just different numbers on it. I'm very disappointed, but know I need new shoes for the walk because I have no cushion left in mine. So, we trek out there today - I so don't have time for it, but I can't walk for any length of time in the old shoes for the training. I get there and the girl I talk to says I might want to try the "new" style of the same shoe. It's now a Cumulus 11, not a Cumulus 10. OK, I'm game. Oh My Gosh! This shoe is so awesome! I was so worried that I wasn't going to find a good shoe and this is just awesome!!! The new shoes are the blue ones, the old shoes are the red ones. Oh, and red is my LEAST favorite color so I'm glad I got something different - although I don't care for blue much either...