Alright guys, grabbed my notebook earlier this week ’cause my sister wanted shoe advice for her size 5.5 feet. Figured I’d walk through it step by step.
The Online Mess
Started like always, jumped onto some shopping sites. Typed in “women’s shoes size 5 to 8”. Boom! Thousands of results. Overwhelmed doesn’t even cover it. Clicked filters – brand, price, type. Still too many. Found some promising pairs, checked reviews. Big mistake. Half said “runs big”, others screamed “runs small”. Utter confusion. Felt like everyone was guessing. This online crap wasn’t working.
The Width Lightbulb Moment
Remembered my sister complaining once about her “slightly wider” right foot. Ding ding ding! Maybe width mattered more than she thought? Searched online about width sizing. Turns out loads of folks with size 5-8 feet struggle finding shoes ’cause of standard widths not fitting right. Regular width too tight? Narrow foot swimming in the shoe? Makes sense now. Always skipped that “Width” dropdown box thingy before like a dummy. Won’t make that mistake again.
Hitting the Actual Store
Online was a bust. Drove to the mall after work. Wandered into shoe stores feeling kinda lost. Asked a store person for help finding shoes that fit different widths in the 5-5.5 to 8 range. She actually knew stuff! She asked when my sister’s feet felt worst? Evening? That swelling thing? Yeah. Told her. She nodded like it was obvious. Measured my sister’s feet right then using their little metal thing – heel to toe AND width. Numbers were different from her old worn-out shoes. Shocker. Tried on several pairs both standing and sitting, following the salesperson’s advice. Moved my feet, wiggled my toes. One pair felt great walking down the aisle, the other pinched near the pinky toe after just a minute. Material felt cheap, too. Learned: stiff plastic heels = bad news later. Ended up picking these soft, flexible New Balance ones almost by accident – they just felt right. Sister loved ’em. Proof you gotta walk in them.
Stuff I Learned the Hard Way
- Measure Properly Always: Don’t assume you know your size anymore! Use a Brannock device thingy or trace your feet like a kindergartner at home.
- Width is Crucial: Ignoring the B, D, E labels? Seriously dumb move. That’s why shoes never felt comfortable long-term.
- Go Shopping Tired: Feet swell up during the day. Afternoon/evening shopping equals finding shoes that fit when your feet feel fat.
- Material Matters: Cheap synthetics look okay but feel awful after an hour. Need that flexibility.
- Take Them for a Walk: Don’t just stand there admiring them in the mirror! Walk. On different surfaces if you can. Can’t? Just pace the darn aisle. Any pressure points? Show up fast.
- Check that Heel-to-Toe Squish Test: Push down hard on the front of the shoe with your thumb. If there’s no little gap behind your toe? Too small.
Basically, my old way – guessing online, choosing looks only? Completely half-assed. It takes effort, trying stuff on. Proper measuring feels awkward but saves hassle later. Happy feet are worth the extra work. Learned that the hard way, hope this helps you skip the headaches!
