Michaels, Flip Flops, and The People's Seller and China Direct Store, Cotton Mary Janes

Before
After
Shoe basket

We figured we would have a basket of flip flops and inexpensive cotton shoes available for any guests whose shoes are not practical for dancing.  We picked up 20 pairs of flip flops, in various colors and sizes, for $1 each from Michaels.  We got ten pair of cotton shoes from China Direct Store, plus 13 more cotton shoes from The People's Seller.  The cotton shoes from China Direct Store were only $1.50 each (including shipping) due to having a "slight stain" on them, but it was not one we could even see on casual inspection.  The cotton shoes from The People's Seller would have been $3.85 each if we had bought directly from their site.  However, we found an ad from them on Old Bridge free classifieds that allowed us to buy a dozen pairs for $17.88, or $1.49 a pair.  Due to some minor technical issues with their site, they agreed to throw in a thirteenth pair for our trouble.

The Michaels flip flops came with a cardboard tag around each of them.  (See picture on upper left.)  We removed that, and replaced it with a ribbon.  Each ribbon color corresponded with a size.  We then got Wilton printable tags, also from Michaels.  We printed tags saying, "Extra Small," "Small," "Medium," "Large," "Size 5," "Size 6," "Size 7," "Size 8," "Size 8½," "Size 9," and "Size 10."  We threaded each ribbon through an appropriate size tag for the pair of shoes it went with, and tied it in a bow.

We then arranged the shoes into two baskets, also from Michaels.  We made a sign for the first basket saying, "Dancing," and one for the second saying, "Shoes."  Below those words, the first one said, "XS-M," and the second said, "M-L," to indicate what sizes were found in each. (Details on how the signs were made can be found in the "Paper" section.)

People have asked how we determined what sizes to get.  Basically, I looked at eBay sellers who were selling large lots of mixed sized shoes, and tried to determine what a normal proportion of each size would be.  Based on this, we got the following in the Mary Janes:

• One size 5
• Four size 6
• Five size 7
• Two size 8
• Five size 8½
• Four size 9
• Two size 10

In the flip flops, we got the following:

• One size XS
• Four size S
• Ten size M
• Five size L