Shoes Shopping Tips

Contrary to popular belief, not all women like shoe shopping! But whether you love it, hate it, or just do it, below are some tips for buying shoes.

Shop before you drop!

If you have been on your feet all day, your feet will be swollen and sore, and you'll end up making a rushed decision, more than likely resulting in a pair of shoes you don't particularly like.

If you are going on a shopping trip, make sure you have walked around for about half an hour, this will give your feet the time to spread (which is what they do naturally when weight is put on them) but they won't be sore and you won't be grumpy, or rushed.

If they pinch your toes now....

Imagine what they will be like at the end of the day/night, this is one of the biggest shoe lies. We say, "they'll give a little" or "they'll stretch".

Only leather gives, and if the shoes are pinching your toes, it will NOT stretch enough, what you will do is hurt your feet and ruin your shoes.

Make sure that they do not hurt your toes, or anywhere else on your feet, if they hurt whilst you are in the store, it will be ten times worse by the time you've walked in them.

If you're having doubts.

Don't buy them, my friend used to say to me "if you have doubts about them now, they'll be even bigger once you've handed your money over"

If you're not certain, wait until the very end of your shopping trip, go back and look again, if you are still not certain, wait a day, look again, if you're still not certain, then you really don't want them!

Socks/tights

Socks can make a while size worth of difference, so think, are these the type/thickness of socks (if any) you would be wearing? Will they be too small when you put socks on? Too big when you take them off?

Comfort.

I don't need to tell you that very often (if not all the time!) the shoes you want are not the most comfortable. But if you are wearing heels, try to make sure the shoe has a platform and heel, this will be much more comfortable than a heel alone.

Also, slightly thicker heels offer more comfort.

When shopping, wear slip ons.

Wearing a slip on makes it so much easier to try different kinds of shoes with ease rather than lacing and unlacing shoes. You would be surprised how many women make this mistake!

Do what you would be doing.

What will you be doing in these shoes? Running? Dancing? walking? You need to do this in the shoes to establish whether they are fit for the purpose, and whilst you won't be able to take the shoes to your class or your office or whatever, do whatever it is around the shop a little bit to see if they feel right.