A couple months ago I ordered these boots. Here is a photo of them! The right one, anyhow.
And here is the other side.
So I got these boots from Timberland at a deeply discounted price which was awesome but it also meant I had to order them without being able to try them on first. From their description, I thought they would be perfect for tromping around chilly, oft rain-soaked San Francisco.
They arrived a couple weeks later and I pulled out the mess of tissue stuffing and cardboard bits and tried them on. My heart sank. The boots were REALLY snug! Too tight, I thought. But I couldn't exchange them without a big headachey hassle so I decided to just break them in and deal with it, maybe they would stretch a bit.
So I wore them out and about and got used to them and even enjoyed them. They still felt a little too tight and rigid on the tops of my feet but I liked how they looked and I figured they had to break in at some point.
And then just a few days ago I was putting the boots on for an outing. As I held one open and angled my foot, I noticed something seemingly ripped on the inside of my boot. Oh no! Had I already wrecked my new boots? I reached inside.
Guess what I found inside my boots?
Yeah.
I've been wearing my boots for approximately A MONTH with the cardboard inserts STILL INSIDE.
