I've been had!

Quick story:

If you know me, then you know that i really like shoes (cliche I know), and also that I am incredibly picky about my shoes. I've been looking for a comfortable pair of sandals for a while (as mentioned, my shoes have all fallen apart). They sell shoes on the metro and in underpasses, and i've been to a big indoor market to look around too. Shopping here ranges from normal stores, with prices marked and salespeople, to a guy with a table on the street and all the shoes in a big huge pile and you have to root around for your size and whatnot and then haggle.

So, yesterday, in my travels, I saw a pair of shoes I liked on the metro. As usual, they did not seem to have my size in the color I wanted. The seller disappeared for a bit and then came back with my shoe, my size (all of this complicated by the fact that he, like many other dudes who sell stuff outside, did not speak much Russian and me almost no Azeri). So after much deliberation (including being told that i could not walk in the shoes when trying them on, to see if they fit!!!) I bought them.

Here's the kicker!

They were not the size I asked for! I am a 39 or 40, and I asked for a 40. When I thought he was running around trying to find the 40, he was actually rubbing out the size on the shoe! The size stamped on the bottom he tried to ink over! They fit, but damn, he got me! THe shoes are fine, but it's the feeling of someone else getting the better of you. All I can do is shake my fist and realize that i lost this battle of street smarts.