Here in Edmonton, they can. We're a small market so we don't get a lot of the merchandise that Vancouver or Montreal or Toronto gets. There's a binder here that you can look at and order what's available. Back when the shoe department was Brown's (and it's still probably true today), if you saw a shoe in a magazine that you liked, you could bring in a picture and they can check their system to see if they can order it for you. It was likely that one of the bigger stores had it. And they have an online system where they can see where a shoe in your size is and get it for you. I'm a 6 so if there's a shoe I like, they can see if it's anywhere and get it for me.
Maybe I just get good service.
I have my eye on a pair of YSL sandals (the ones with the stars but not the $1000+ ones - there's a less expensive pair at $575), and a pair of Jonathan Kelsey? metallic blue pumps.