A week ago I bought a pair of black penny loafers online and on sale at Banana Republic. There was a big markdown (after all the coupons were applied) that made me feel I was a savvy shopper selecting a bargain.
But when they arrived they were too large, but I did like the way they looked. It was a classy shoe. So I decided not to return them and to go through the effort of walking 15 minutes to the nearest UPS store.
But the next time I tried them on nothing had improved (I think a part of me secretly hoped they would shrink over night). They were still too large, so I decided to try the things that you insert in the back of the shoe to make them fit better. Each packet of inserts costs about $7 dollars, which is an incredible markup for a very simple product.
But one pair didn’t really make a difference. So I bought two more pairs, thinking this would solve the problem. But it didn’t. The shoes simply didn’t fit, and now I had spent 21 dollars to fix a problem I could have been avoided if I had followed a principle we have used many times, “it is what it is.”
Meaning, shoes don’t magically shrink, a zebra doesn’t change its strips (as the saying goes), and people usually present who they are – early for a meeting or late, risk takers or adverse – and don’t change all that much without sustained effort.
The Banana Republic shoes were lovely, but too large. Full stop, as the British say. I should have faced that truth right away and retuned them. But I forgot, it is what it is.
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