That’s a Complete Croc part 2 of 2

Once we had all of our games purchased for the orphans, Mr. Hong Kong said he would swing us by the Croc “store” on the second floor on our way out of the warehouse. The store was more like a 30-foot by 12-foot stall. Crocs were piled everywhere. In fact, Tim inadvertently caused a Croc avalanche while searching for a pair in his size.

First, as a guy who made a portion of his living for twenty years creating copy-righted images, I am pretty hesitant to support the trademark-infringing grey market. Second, I have never really been a fan of The Croc. People who own them invariably tell me “Yes, they’re ugly, but they are so comfortable!” Me? I never hear anything past the words “Yes, they’re ugly . . . “

But those piles and piles of brightly colored plastic combined with those low, low prices proved too much for even me to resist. I found a pair of the newer generation Crocs that look decidedly un-Croc-y.

And then I became the not-so-proud owner of my very first pair of Crocs.

The question then was did I buy fakes or real Croc? Now, before you accuse me of wishful thinking, please realize that unlike strutting around in a convincing Burberry knock-off, there is absolutely no social cache in shuffling around in a pair of Crocs. I couldn’t care less if they are “real” or “fake.” Either way, I have on my feet what are quite possible the front runners for the ugliest footwear of our generation.

But with that said, I think –seriously- that I got myself a genuine pair of Crocs for about the cost of a gallon of gas.

It’s a little hard to say what lead me to this conclusion. The tag feels right, they actually came in a bag with "Croc" printed on it, the stamping on the bottom of the shoes looked legit. But beyond those tangibles, there was just something that looked and felt right about them.

And yes, all you Croc owners are right, they are incredibly comfortable. None-the-less, I am not completely comfortable when I wear them.

I don’t know what makes me more uncomfortable, knowing that in a small way I supported the Chinese grey market

or

simply the fact that I’m –sheesh- wearing a pair of Crocs.

-Jack