I saw an exquisite pair of Givenchy ankle boots from last fall -- in MY SIZE no less -- but another savvy shopper got her hands on them before I was able to grab them. There are few things more frustrating in the world of fashion than sales such as these, but I didn't panic. When the woman tried them on, they were a good half-size too large, and I was certain that she would put them right back on the shelf, and I could go in for the kill. 

But I was wrong. She decided to hold on to them, so I spent a good hour creeping around the store, keeping her in my line of sight, hoping that she would change her mind. Finally, "last call" came, and she tried on the beautiful boots once again. Another female shoe shopper sitting nearby kept gushing about how great the price was and how gorgeous they were, and it took everything I had not to scream, "PLEASE, shut up!" Alas, to my dismay, Miss Givenchy was convinced, and she made her way to the register with my beloved boots in tow. I sat amidst the cluttered racks of shoes, completely disheartened, and worse, empty-handed. 

As embarrassed as I am to share the story of my psychotic stalking, I know we've all been there. I obsessively lusted after these boots when they came out last year, but as an intern with no income, I thought they could never be mine. When I read Racked this morning, they posted a photo of the boots in question, and I dropped everything to run back to the sale, where I was once again unsuccessful. The staff kept reassuring me that they restock every morning, so I plan on dropping by a few more times before it closes on Labor Day. While I'm not proud that I feel such disappointment about something as materialistic as a pair of Givenchy boots, I'm determined to be vigilant. I will keep you posted on my quest, and hopefully I will be able to change the "heartbreaking" in the title to "triumphant." 

Do any of you have sample sale horror stories? We'd love to hear them!