Step It Up - An Open Letter to Bob's (Sketchers)

Dear Bob's Slippers,

When I was a kid, one of the "big ticket" items we'd get in our stockings at Christmas was Totes Socks. I loved getting them. I loved the non-stick bumpy bits at the bottom, preferring a speedbump or zigzag pattern over a Botts Dots one. As much as I loved receiving them, I only loved wearing them once or twice. After that, the original comfy cushion and fuzz is dulled, and all the socks do is make my feet hot. Sure I'd bring them out and wear them on cold nights, but when I woke up in the morning, I was no longer wearing them. I would take them off in my sleep and forget about them, only to rediscover them when I changed my sheets and saw a week's worth of mismatched socks and totes under the sheets.  It still holds true to today; I go to bed with socks on, take them off in my sleep, then wake up barefoot, none the wiser until I change my sheets and find half a dozen mismatched socks.

Not unlike this Earth over the last billion years (give or take), I am not above evolving. This pandemic has changed me. No, I haven't spent all my money on Totes, but I have been spending time with its cousin, the slipper. My thinking and my experiences changed when I embraced the slipper. Because of the slipper, I no longer have errant socks milling about at the foot of my bed under the covers. 

It started a few Christmases ago. Captain Awesome wanted a pair of slippers. I got him some but they sent the wrong size. In my laziness to return them, I decided I would like to keep them and wear them. And wear them I did, into the ground. I wore them so much they turned into but a shell of what a slipper should be. They lasted almost 2 years. 

When they wore out, I bought a pair at Walgreens. They were awesome the first time I wore them, but after about a week of wear, they were no longer comfortable. The squishy had gone away and the fuzzy became scratchy. 

I gave up slipper wearing and went back to my former sock-wearing behavior. 

Then the SIP order came. 

I dug out my failed Christmas gift slippers, quickly realized I should have just thrown them away (so I did). I got out my Walgreens slippers, wore them for a day and realized they weren't going to cut it. I went to Amazon and found some Bob's Slippers by Sketchers. I thought hey, I have Bob's shoes that I bought at Costco on a whim, and they turned out to be really comfy shoes, why don't I give their slippers a try?

Try I did. They were awesome. They stayed awesome from March until this week. This week they officially turned to the uncomfy and on the crunchy side. I have to admit, I did throw them through the wash once a few months ago. Captain Awesome and I were house-sitting for some friends. Knowing I would want to wear slippers at their house, I threw my trusty Bob slippers in the washer and dryer so I could wear "fresh" slippers at their place and not track in any germs from my house or outside. They came out a little shrunken, but stretched out easy enough after a few hours of wear. 

With this pandemic and everyone needing to stay home more, my guess is that slipper wearing is on the rise. And with all that slipper wearing, there is the accelerated slipper wearing-out-ing. Our need for slippers is exceeding the life of the slipper. 

Oh Bob's, comfy slipper maker extraordinaire, slippers aren't just for after work anymore, they are for work. America's slipper needs are changing. We need a more durable slipper. Please help. 

Thank you,

Andrea

P.S. I am not a crackpot