Shoe shopping with boys, our strategy

I've blogged before about the challenges of shopping with our three boys. For example here. I think we've learned the art of doing it successfully pretty well, though, and we proved that again today. There are three keys

1. Know exactly what you want
2. Find what you want, buy it, and leave. 
3. Do it all fast

There was a need to buy shoes and no time lately to do it. All our weeks and Saturdays have been too busy, leaving Sundays. We don't normally shop on Sundays, but today we made an exception and hit the shoe shop. We bought six pairs of shoes in under half an hour.

My new brown rain boots. Do you like them? My old ones were terrible
for walking in, which kind-of defeats the purpose. These ones
look better and feel better. And in the land of much rain, these are
much needed.

This was probably the most shocking part of our trip. Not long
ago my eldest son and I could share shoes. Look what's
happened since then (this is my foot)! Now his feet are bigger
than his dad's. These shoes are Japanese size 29 (i.e. 29 cm length feet).
I think that is about 11.5 in Australian men sizes.

And may we avoid going shoe shopping for a few more months as a family! On the way home I lamented that we aren't preparing them very well for their future wives. They asked, "Why?"

I tried to explain that many women like to shop around, they take time to try on many different styles, even different shops, before they make a decision. There was silence in response to my explanation. Women are from a different planet? I doubt they have any comprehension of that kind of shopping behaviour. Oh well, I guess I still have time.