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12thMan · 08-26-2009, 09:51 PM

Actually I have a funny Ted Kennedy story too. Umm...not trying to one up you TTE.

I was working at Nordstrom in Pentagon City back in July '04. One Saturday afternoon this burly figure lumbered into the mens shoe department. He was dressed casual. I think he was wearing a hat, not too sure. From time to time, we'd get a Colin Powell, this Senator, that Congressman, Mayor so and so. Celebrity sightings weren't all that uncommon. We were trained to greet each customer entering the department within 30 seconds. I think I beat the other salesperson by a hair. It was never obvious we were competing amongst ourselves.

"How are you today, let me know if I can assist you."

The gentleman fires right back, I know exactly what I need. Two types of customers I always hated selling to were guys who came into the department with their wives and elderly guys who knew exactly what they wanted. The former couldn't be talked into anything, the latter couldn't be talked into anything. As was our custom at Nordy's you seat the customer and proceed to measure their feet. If you're keeping up, that's point number three out of Nordstrom's Five Point standard.

Almost immediately I noticed this guy wasn't wearing any socks. I thought to myself either this cat is homeless or he's fucking loaded. Look, I'm in a hurry. I need a burgundy captoe. Shit (I thought to myself), we don't sell a burgundy captoe! Sir, I'll be right back. On my way back to the stockroom I asked an older salesman, who's that guy in my chair? He said he looked familiar but didn't know who he was for sure. I shrugged it off and brought out four pairs of shoes and a shoe tree. Popped the lid on the first box. A black captoe. Second box, a brown captoe. A black, oxford, plain toe. And then the ultimate insult, a burgundy Allen Edmond's penny loafer. They ran about $225. Surely the burgundy would catch his heart. He stares down at me with this incredulous look while I'm slipping on the first pair. So where you headed to this weekend? Boston, he replied. Yeah, that's where you from? No, but I am from Massachusetts. What's going in Boston this weekend? How's that shoe feel? Don't like it. By now he's getting antsy and has no more patience for my Nordstrom bullshit.

It was something about his voice and that Bostonian accent. He was coy the entire time though. It wasn't until he was stepping onto the escalator, without a Nordstrom shoe, that it finally hit me that was Teddy Kennedy I was chatting with. Seemed like a pretty nice guy. Until this day I haven't forgiven Nordstrom for not having a burgundy captoe in stock.

08-26-2009, 09:51 PM	#6
12thMan MVP Join Date: May 2005 Location: washington, D.C. Posts: 11,460	Re: Sen. Ted Kennedy dead at 77 Actually I have a funny Ted Kennedy story too. Umm...not trying to one up you TTE. I was working at Nordstrom in Pentagon City back in July '04. One Saturday afternoon this burly figure lumbered into the mens shoe department. He was dressed casual. I think he was wearing a hat, not too sure. From time to time, we'd get a Colin Powell, this Senator, that Congressman, Mayor so and so. Celebrity sightings weren't all that uncommon. We were trained to greet each customer entering the department within 30 seconds. I think I beat the other salesperson by a hair. It was never obvious we were competing amongst ourselves. "How are you today, let me know if I can assist you." The gentleman fires right back, I know exactly what I need. Two types of customers I always hated selling to were guys who came into the department with their wives and elderly guys who knew exactly what they wanted. The former couldn't be talked into anything, the latter couldn't be talked into anything. As was our custom at Nordy's you seat the customer and proceed to measure their feet. If you're keeping up, that's point number three out of Nordstrom's Five Point standard. Almost immediately I noticed this guy wasn't wearing any socks. I thought to myself either this cat is homeless or he's fucking loaded. Look, I'm in a hurry. I need a burgundy captoe. Shit (I thought to myself), we don't sell a burgundy captoe! Sir, I'll be right back. On my way back to the stockroom I asked an older salesman, who's that guy in my chair? He said he looked familiar but didn't know who he was for sure. I shrugged it off and brought out four pairs of shoes and a shoe tree. Popped the lid on the first box. A black captoe. Second box, a brown captoe. A black, oxford, plain toe. And then the ultimate insult, a burgundy Allen Edmond's penny loafer. They ran about $225. Surely the burgundy would catch his heart. He stares down at me with this incredulous look while I'm slipping on the first pair. So where you headed to this weekend? Boston, he replied. Yeah, that's where you from? No, but I am from Massachusetts. What's going in Boston this weekend? How's that shoe feel? Don't like it. By now he's getting antsy and has no more patience for my Nordstrom bullshit. It was something about his voice and that Bostonian accent. He was coy the entire time though. It wasn't until he was stepping onto the escalator, without a Nordstrom shoe, that it finally hit me that was Teddy Kennedy I was chatting with. Seemed like a pretty nice guy. Until this day I haven't forgiven Nordstrom for not having a burgundy captoe in stock. Last edited by 12thMan; 08-26-2009 at 10:03 PM.