Buy Shoes For Comfort Rather Than Style
I explained this on a couple of posts but I will keep saying it, when you go shopping for a shoe you should put comfort before the style of the shoe. For me, this is crucial because you are actually wearing the shoes, the stylish part is more so for the viewer not the person wearing the shoe. I catch myself buying some shoes sometimes that they just look cool but they cannot be an outrageous price either. Initially, comfort is what I rely on when I am purchasing shoes. I have to be comfortable wearing the shoe because I intend to walk in them throughout the day and I do not want to go back home to change shoes because my feet are aching since I made a bad choice choosing the shoes. Therefore, it is important to take your time at the store when you are trying on pairs of shoes. I have seen people simply walk in and ask for their size and say they are ready to go simply because they think they will love the shoe and be comfortable when they put it on. Some shoes are built a little differently as to where you need to go half size bigger to be comfortable. Some shoes run a bit smaller and some shoes run a bit bigger.
You should try on both shoes and walk around the store to feel how comfortable the shoes are. Like I mentioned in other posts, the employee probably will not mind since you are essentially investing in the shoe because you do not plan on wearing them once, you want to have them for months on end, or years. In addition, you should try on more than one pair and let the employee know what level of comfort you are looking for, they will guide you to the right shoe. Some people need more padding than others. For example, my dad has a bad back so he needs shoes with more inserts or padding to be comfortable walking throughout the day. A couple years back my dad had invested in the Sketchers shoes that had the memory foam and those helped immensely keep his back pain to a minimum or to where he would feel no pain at all. Buying the wrong shoes can also lead to other problems not just back pain. Tight pointed shoes are also bad because they basically squeeze the front of your foot. Most tight pointed shoes are dress shoes and you should stick to buying the conventional ones with the round front instead of the pointy tight shoes. They can lead to bunions, corns, and other toe deformities. You do not want these just to look good while wearing them because those problems will get worse over time if you keep wearing them. Some people have a flat foot and you should also make sure that you buy shoes that are designed for your foot.
I forgot to mention, when you are at the store you can also ask the employee to measure the length and width of your foot to also give him or her a better idea of what shoes you should try on. Some shoes are even sold in wider sizes so this can help tremendously to helping you find the right shoe. Another suggestion that an employee told me a while back is to shop in the evening. He told me that your feet tend to swell towards the end of the day which changes your shoe size. This does not mean that you may be a size 9 in the morning and a size 12 in the afternoon, that is not the case, it may be that you only need a half size bigger or the next size up. In addition to the last point I made, some people have one foot bigger than the other and I would suggest buying the size that fits on the bigger foot for obvious reasons. If you buy the smaller size, your bigger foot will be uncomfortable and it will ache. Buying on comfort is extremely important because you plan to wear shoes numerous times so you have to be able to wear them throughout the day and not give a thought that your feet hurt. There are different types of shoes as well, and you can check out my other post for that. There are different types for different activities that you plan to do throughout the day, just make sure you are buying the right ones.
There are many reviews out there on sites about shoes that other people found comfortable and you should consider their word but always try on the shoe before you make your final decision. I also choose to stay away from buying from online stores because I want to see the shoe in person and I want to try on the shoe. It is also a big hassle if the online website you went to does not have an actual physical store to go to when you want to return the shoes, so it is a big issue. I cannot stress the importance of buying comfortable shoes and I will keep saying it so that people are not injuring themselves with a bad pair of shoes. Many problems come with a bad pair of shoes and you can easily Google all the problems people incur because of a bad choice they made at the store. Do not buy on impulse and make sure you are getting your money’s worth when you choose what pair to buy. It is simple to avoid all these problems you just have to have enough patience when finding the right shoe to avoid long term problems. Your pain and suffering are not worth those shoes that you wear just so that they match your outfit. I do not want to make this sound like a life or death decision but they are important because they support your body and with the wrong pair, you can expect major back and foot problems.