Our Top Secret New York Correspondent told us a wonderful Shopping Story today. 
She was walking by a Gap store in Manhattan—We can’t tell you which one, for reasons that will become clear later-- and noticed some cute shoes on the mannequin in the window display.  They were simple, black suede flats with just the right round-toe shape, and they were perfect with the skinny pants the mannequin was wearing. 
“They will be mine,” our TSNYC thought.  “Oh yes.  They will be mine.”
So, being a proactive person and all, she marched into the store, but when she arrived at the shoe section, she couldn’t find the simple flats she fell in love with in the window.  She located one of the headset-sporting Gap associates and was told that the mannequin’s shoes were for “display only” and weren’t for sale.
Well.  As any true shopper knows, being told one can’t buy something is tantamount to a declaration of war.
TSNYC knew she needed to find the store manager to figure out how to get her shoes.  When she spotted a Gap Person strolling around the store talking on his cellphone, she immediately recognized him as the manager.  (Who else would be headphone-less and allowed to talk on their cellphone on the sales floor?).  She approached.
After a bit of schmoozing (we don’t have all the details on this), it was determined that the store had, like, nineteen pairs of these display shoes all in the same size, which was 9.  Which is very weird, because, what mannequin wears a size 9?  Who would display such a huge shoe?  But!  It gets weirder.  Our TSNYC wears….Yes.  You already know:  a size 9.  (She’s tall, okay?). 
Coincidence?  No way.
“I was meant to have a pair of those shoes,” she explained to Gap Manager With A Cellphone, batting her eyelashes and tossing her hair.  “There must be something you can do.”
And apparently Gap Manager with Cellphone agreed, because he clandestinely sold her a pair of Display Only shoes for $39.50.  Again, we didn’t get every detail, but we picture grubby bills being passed under the display table (where the neatly stacked and folded V-Neck sweaters in 5 colors belied the corruption taking place below).
Of course, we’d like to think he didn’t make the decision to breach corporate “Display Only” policy lightly.  We picture him shaking his head and sighing as he gives in to our TSNYC’s pleas.  “I don’t know why I’m doing this for you, TSNYC” he (maybe?) said.  “If the top brass gets wind of this, you know it’s my ass.” And our TSYNC would have replied, “You and I both know that won’t happen.  You really came through for me, Gap Manager With A Cellphone, and I owe you one, man.  I won’t forget this, I promise.”
And we can see her as she walks out onto the hustling, bustling, New York street, only looking back once to give Gap Manager With A Cellphone a wink and a thumbs-up before she disappears into the black towncar that’s waiting for her at the curb. 
So what’s the moral of this story?  Pick One:
A. New Yorkers are actually friendlier than we think
B. Don’t take No for an answer
C. Everything’s for sale
D. Sometimes it pays to have a gigantic foot
E. All of the above
I hope we’ve all learned something today.