Pushing my luck, but keeping options open

The new glasses saga continues. Have you noticed how each new purchase - laptop, phone, whatever - gets agonised over on this blog? As if I'm obsessed by the trivial things of life, and blind to more important things. And yet I'd say it was a way of crowd-sourcing a variety of much-needed comments that I can take on board before coming to a final decision. Whether I agree or not, I do want to know what people think. And although the final decision always rests with me, and may hang on factors I can't mention here, it's good to know how readers are reacting.

I can be very stubborn, but I am also willing to listen. The quick concensus on my second choice of two days back - those metal-framed specs with rather square frames - was either 'Well, they're OK, but you'll never love wearing them' to 'No! They're horrible!' I didn't consider them horrible, but I knew I was unhappy with them, and probably making a mistake even worse than with the first pair of glasses, the large and assertive red-purple specs that made me look bossy and managing. Friends Jo and Sue, with whom I was lunching yesterday, chortled at the idea that those first specs didn't reflect my personality. 'You are assertive!' cried Sue. 'No I'm not,' I said, 'I see myself as having a soft personality. I admit I always know what I really want, and I don't usually dither, but I never force my views on anyone else, nor try to interfere with their ideas, and I don't want to wear glasses that give the impression that I'm an unstoppable force who takes no prisoners.' Hoots of laughter.

Anyway, I set out where I stood on ordering the square-framed specs, and, after getting their views on what best to do now, decided that I must go straight back to Specsavers that very afternoon and stop the show - cancel the order - and then discuss my options.

The other girls were relieved. And so was I, subject to being able to carry off what I immediately saw might be pushing my luck a bit too far. Specsavers had been easy about one change of mind. But two?

And Sue, who had chortled about my not having a forceful personality, now confessed that she herself wouldn't have the nerve to return yet again, get them to junk a second order, and consider a third. (Now it was my turn to express surprise: I'd have said that Sue was more than adequately assertive where something important was at stake, as are all my friends)

The long and short of it was that my recent eye test had shown I needed new lenses, and that at the moment I was using glasses that weren't up to the job. I had to get new ones. They simply needed to suit both my face and my personality. To comply with that, I needed frames that were soft and subtle, and not hard and bold. I'd actually paid £216. Specsavers had my money, and unless they refunded it were duty bound to accommodate me.

Well, I needn't have worried. All was smiles, and willingness to satisfy me. I saw first the girl who had assisted me a week ago, and then a chap whose name tag said 'sales manager'. He was clearly determined to deliver excellent customer service. I showed him photos of myself wearing my 'old' specs, then the red-purple 'bossy' specs, and now the latest 'square' choice. I explained what I really wanted. I showed him a screenshot from the Specsavers website of the silver specs with a hint of pink that would do nicely, but hadn't been in stock on my last visit.

First, he checked the status of the 'square' order. Remarkably, the lab had already produced the varifocal lenses for these specs. But they could be reshaped around the edges to fit similar-sized frames, and would certainly be fine for the 'silver with a hint of pink' pair I had my eyes on. So he put that order on hold, pending my final choice.

I'd explained that I was going on holiday, but had already fixed up an appointment first thing on 6th November. The plan now was to keep that appointment, and during it look at the 'silver with a hint of pink' pair, plus anything new that had come in with the next frame delivery - they were having such a delivery while I was away. Meanwhile I was perfectly happy to manage with the specs I was using.

This took the pressure off. I could now go away with the whole business left open-ended, and not come back to a compromise choice that I didn't really like.

Before I left the shop, I had a jolly good look at all kinds of frame on display, cost no object, to see what else might suit me. I came to the firm conclusion that I should entirely avoid thick dark angular frames, and stick to light-coloured frames with an oval shape. It was half an hour well spent.