How to Easily Shop for Shoes from the Comfort of Home

As someone who loves shoes, but has a very difficult time finding shoes that are both stylish and comfortable, I have made a most incredible discovery. The wonderful world of Zappos.com has changed the way I shop for shoes.

I have a foot condition known as plantar fasciitis, which hinders my ability to wear many styles of shoes. Just trying on more than a few pair of shoes at one time, combined with trolling up and down the mall looking for shoes to try can be daunting, but mostly frustrating. Sometimes I think the shoe manufacturers are out of touch with reality, with the stiletto heels, pointed toes and outrageous price tags visible at most shoe stores.

Zappos.com has taken all of the work out of shoe shopping. They sell literally thousands of shoes, listed either by style, manufacturer, or price. They carry all major brands, and many that I have never heard of before. They sell in most price ranges almost every type of shoe one could want.

There are pictures of all the different styles, and most show how the shoe would look in each available color. A wonderful feature is the honest reviews by customers on everything from comfort, to whether the shoes run true to size. They feature both satisfactory and unsatisfactory reviews.

One of the most important features is that they actually carry most sizes in every style. One of my most frustrating shopping experiences is showing a shoe salesman a style I love, only to have him come back and say that he doesn't have it in my size. It seems to happen to me more often than not. I have a very average shoe size so I guess a lot of people with the same size want the same shoes.

The site was first recommended to me by a good friend who has a larger than average shoe size, and she swears that this site has changed her life. She almost never could find a shoe she liked in her size and now she can thanks to Zappos! I also have a friend with a very tiny foot and she also has had great luck finding her hard-to-find shoe size as well.

The site offers free overnight delivery, which I found amazing. I ordered a pair of shoes at 3:00 PM and they were delivered at my front door promptly the next morning. I have never had anything delivered to me that quickly and for free no less.

But the best feature of all is that they also offer a free delivery return policy . The customer has thirty days to return a pair shoes, no questions asked. Obviously, they must not have been worn! They provide you with the means to print up on your computer a mailing label postage prepaid by them , which you tape to the box provided by them and return to the nearest UPS store. It is totally painless. A credit is issued immediately upon receipt by them.

We were going on a trip recently where I needed shoes for comfortable city walking to wear with jeans and hiking shoes for walking through some trails and parks. Normally, this would have taken me weeks to shop around for two comfortable pairs of shoes that looked fashionable as well. I went on the site, ordered three pair that looked just like what I was looking for, and they came the next day. Two pair were perfect and the third pair were not comfortable. I packed up the uncomfortable shoes and shipped them back to Zappos the same day . The entire process was so simple, I couldn't believe it and it all took one day...and all with free delivery and return. I wore the shoes every day on my trip and I love them. They could be two of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I have ever owned.

Customer service at Zappos was unsurpassed. They advertise that their service is twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The transaction was followed up by an e-mail asking for a rating of customer satisfaction.

They even have a newsletter that I subscribe to that keeps me updated on new styles and reviews of their merchandise and an opportunity for me to also rate my purchases.

Zappos seems to be branching out to other types of merchandise. I notice that their web site also now offers handbags and other fashion accessories. Zappos is a perfect example of a business model that really exceeds consumer expectations on any level. I am certainly glad I tried them and they have made me a loyal customer who will continue to shop with them.