Best SHOES To Wear To Get Fit

I have chronic planter fasciiitis and nerve damage. My physical therapist told me to wear NEW BALANCES with black soles. They are stiff enough to support your feet. He proved this to me by twisting my current sneakers into a pretzel. Although I don't run, I wear running shoes because I feel that they support my feet. Take good care of your feet. I tried Rebocks but they hurt so much I got my money back from the store.

You can favor most any other body part, but its difficult to get to the toilet, kitchen, care for yourself and get to work if you feet are messed up. As a public transport commuter I stretch my feet 3 times a day while waiting for my trains. On the weekends I don't think to do this, and boy does it make a difference in pain levels. Also, I keep Pepsi bottles of water frozen in the freezer and ice my feet while watching TV so the tendons shrink down and don't hurt so much. I put the bottles IN my Crocs so they don't roll away and to facilitate the icing.

ENSURE that you aren't messing your feet up with crap shoes that contort them into torturous positions. You want to be able to walk on them for 90 years!

Obviously if you go with Monkey's idea and if you really like a pair I would see if the store match prices with other stores around the block. These days they should match prices.

Most of these shoes are manufactured in China with cheap labor and their markups are ridiculous percentages from the retailer to the consumer.

I prefer Asics for dance and Nike Crosstrainers for everything else.

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

mcarr609 wrote: »

Personally I would go to a professional store to get sized up and see what brand & price best suits. Most of the store's employees are trained up and have a machine to get the full dimension of your foot to get the best fit. In Australia we have the store called the Athletes Foot Then I would check out the price on Amazon or similar online store to see if you can save some dosh. Goodluck

Yeah, but if you honestly like the shoes that the employee helped you find, you should buy from them. They took their time to help you, you should return the favor. But if you like those shoes, by all means buy the replacement pair later on from a cheaper venue!

Or you could ask if they price match. Walmart and other stores do this on request.

kshama2001 wrote: »

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

mcarr609 wrote: »

Personally I would go to a professional store to get sized up and see what brand & price best suits. Most of the store's employees are trained up and have a machine to get the full dimension of your foot to get the best fit. In Australia we have the store called the Athletes Foot Then I would check out the price on Amazon or similar online store to see if you can save some dosh. Goodluck

Yeah, but if you honestly like the shoes that the employee helped you find, you should buy from them. They took their time to help you, you should return the favor. But if you like those shoes, by all means buy the replacement pair later on from a cheaper venue!

Or you could ask if they price match. Walmart and other stores do this on request.

walmart probably isn't going to have gait analysis.

I also don't expect my local store to match most online prices. they do not sell enough inventory to do that sort of thing

NyalD wrote: »

I love shoe threads. I do everything barefoot. That way I know my shoes fit!

I wouldn't want to be doing anything barefoot in a council-run gym, nor in the great outdoors! Maybe in your part of the world, the streets and parks are sparklingly clean, and the gym equipment doesn't smell weird, but right here, they are manky! So I wear shoes - however, my pilates studio promotes a barefoot existence, so I do get that good foot health is all about letting the foot be in it's natural position, it's just not practical day to day!

kshama2001 wrote: »

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

mcarr609 wrote: »

Personally I would go to a professional store to get sized up and see what brand & price best suits. Most of the store's employees are trained up and have a machine to get the full dimension of your foot to get the best fit. In Australia we have the store called the Athletes Foot Then I would check out the price on Amazon or similar online store to see if you can save some dosh. Goodluck

Yeah, but if you honestly like the shoes that the employee helped you find, you should buy from them. They took their time to help you, you should return the favor. But if you like those shoes, by all means buy the replacement pair later on from a cheaper venue!

Or you could ask if they price match. Walmart and other stores do this on request.

Walmart can buy things in massive quantities and get a discount. Price matching on a few pairs of shoes isn't going to hurt their bottom line. Smaller stores can't buy at the same price as Walmart, and price matching could actually cost them money. My parents used to own a toy store, and the KMart in town could sell board games at a price lower than my parents could buy them from their distributor. Yes, smaller businesses have to sell things at a price higher than Walmart. I'd rather give my money to a small business.

I have made to measure orthotics for collapsed arches so I wear my trainers virtually 24/7. At the moment I have Addidas Supernova Glide Boost and they are sooooo comfy.
My podiatrist recommended neutral support so that the shoe doesn't interfere with the orthotic, also try to find one with a one-piece sole to limit movement and promote stability.

Lots of votes for Asics here, but Asics cause my husband to overpronate and aggravate his shin splints. Just sayin'; they're great shoes but not for everyone :-) There will be an element of trial and error involved, no matter how much research you do.

I have resigned myself to buying new trainers about three times per year because they get so worn out through heavy use. Having knackered feet is not cheap. Good luck!

You have to try different brands on to see what works best for your foot. I used to be a Nike girl but once I found Asics I have worn nothing else - RN for 24 years.

moyer566 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

mcarr609 wrote: »

Personally I would go to a professional store to get sized up and see what brand & price best suits. Most of the store's employees are trained up and have a machine to get the full dimension of your foot to get the best fit. In Australia we have the store called the Athletes Foot Then I would check out the price on Amazon or similar online store to see if you can save some dosh. Goodluck

Yeah, but if you honestly like the shoes that the employee helped you find, you should buy from them. They took their time to help you, you should return the favor. But if you like those shoes, by all means buy the replacement pair later on from a cheaper venue!

Or you could ask if they price match. Walmart and other stores do this on request.

walmart probably isn't going to have gait analysis.

I also don't expect my local store to match most online prices. they do not sell enough inventory to do that sort of thing

My point was that brick-and-mortar stores are aware that they are losing market share to online retailers like Amazon and are starting to price match.

Also, if they don't have a matching policy, they may have the authority to reduce the price rather than completely lose the sale.

evileen99 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

mcarr609 wrote: »

Personally I would go to a professional store to get sized up and see what brand & price best suits. Most of the store's employees are trained up and have a machine to get the full dimension of your foot to get the best fit. In Australia we have the store called the Athletes Foot Then I would check out the price on Amazon or similar online store to see if you can save some dosh. Goodluck

Yeah, but if you honestly like the shoes that the employee helped you find, you should buy from them. They took their time to help you, you should return the favor. But if you like those shoes, by all means buy the replacement pair later on from a cheaper venue!

Or you could ask if they price match. Walmart and other stores do this on request.

Walmart can buy things in massive quantities and get a discount. Price matching on a few pairs of shoes isn't going to hurt their bottom line. Smaller stores can't buy at the same price as Walmart, and price matching could actually cost them money. My parents used to own a toy store, and the KMart in town could sell board games at a price lower than my parents could buy them from their distributor. Yes, smaller businesses have to sell things at a price higher than Walmart. I'd rather give my money to a small business.

I just used Walmart as an example because I remembered this story from last year: Walmart Stores Are Now Price-Matching Amazon.com

I prefer the small business shopping experience myself - staff is more helpful and knowledgeable, etc.

There's a Walmart closer to me than Market Basket, but I go to MB for groceries because the employees are treated better.

Cherimoose wrote: »

JoRocka wrote: »

MonkeyMel21 wrote: »

mcarr609 wrote: »

Personally I would go to a professional store to get sized up and see what brand & price best suits. Most of the store's employees are trained up and have a machine to get the full dimension of your foot to get the best fit. In Australia we have the store called the Athletes Foot Then I would check out the price on Amazon or similar online store to see if you can save some dosh. Goodluck

Yeah, but if you honestly like the shoes that the employee helped you find, you should buy from them. They took their time to help you, you should return the favor. But if you like those shoes, by all means buy the replacement pair later on from a cheaper venue!

um no.
it's business- not favors.

I suspect you haven't run a business before.

If someone knows they're not going to buy there, and asks for a professional fitting, it's basically theft of services.

Not to mention just plain rude and d*ckish. These people take their time to help find the right shoe for you.

If you actually find it at the store where you're being helped, you should buy from them. You're not gonna find it much cheaper other places anyway. Not the new versions of the shoe anyway.

kshama2001 wrote: »

nordlead2005 wrote: »

Just an idea for those that feel like they should/shouldn't buy in store. Some CC's (Citi has one) that will price match for you regardless of store policy. Go to the store, but the shoe you want, and then price match it with the CC.

I'm intrigued but don't really understand. Credit cards like Citi will give you a refund if you let them know that you bought something at Store X but it is cheaper at Store Y?

Yes. For example. I just bought a gift for my wife. 1 day later it went on sale for $15 less (saw it in my email the next morning). The store does not price adjust and it was a website, so returning it would have cost me $5 of the savings. I went on Citi's website, plugged the information into the PriceRewind tool, and I'm now due a $15 CC statement. It should go through in the next month.

Essentially, the CC company uses it as a feature to attract customers hoping they never use it. Just like extended warranties or car rental insurance through a CC.

Not something I'd use for every purchase, as it is more effort than buying at the low price in the first place, but it is a nice feature.

EDIT: to clarify, Citi's tool you just enter what you bought and for how much and they'll find the cheaper price for you. However, if their tool fails, you can mail them a filled out form with a copy of the advertisement and your receipt.