These Shoes Are Made For Walking…

A few weeks ago, I put out a call for comfortable walking shoes before leaving for a work conference. Yep, I’m finally old enough to realize that it’s more important to have shoes that won’t tear up your feet than those that will win style points. Just point me to my walker now…

Anyway, I got lots of good suggestions; more than I can remember now. Overall it taught me one thing – when you find something that works for you, stick with it. It seems like every woman who responded suggested a different brand – Dansko, Naturalizer, Clark’s, etc. Some recommended I check out local shoe store, Stan’s, for a good selection of all of these options. I did and their service was great. Turns out my feet are two different sizes, so no wonder I have trouble finding shoes that really fit.

I purchased Earthies shoes from them on a Saturday morning. For the next three days, every time I went into my closet, I tried on the shoes. Each time my feet seemed wider and they got tighter. Uhoh.

With less than 24 hours before I was scheduled to leave for the show, I thought I’d check out DSW. Being the #golocal shopper that I am, I feel a little guilty going to a big name place vs. the local one, but there are some business models that are simply outdated. I’m afraid the old shoe store might be one of them. Anyway, I tried on a couple other Earthie options at DSW, but continued down the aisle to my old standby. Yes friends, I am either 14 years old or a suburbanite mom who wants sneakers for walking, but Skechers still do it for me.

Ever since the brand came out, I could count on them for having the cushion-y heel and good arch support that makes my foot feel all wrapped up and secure. These “casual sneakers” were no different.

I wore these shoes for all hours on the tradeshow floor and my back didn’t hurt at all. I can’t believe it. (Side note – after two hours on my feet in cheap-o Target flats this weekend, I had to come home to aspirin. This tells you what a old lady delicate back I’ve got.) I did get a decent blister on one foot (the bigger one) from the Skechers and whew – their odor guard could use a little help, but I would recommend these to anyone that’s going to spend a lot of time on their feet.

I’m lucky that my work is casual and these fit the uniform. If yours isn’t, I would still suggest these for vacations or Saturday morning run-arounds. For $50 (vs. the $150 I spent on the other guys), it’s well worth it.

So sorry to Stan’s and to the orthopedic shoe companies out there. Maybe I’m not ready to completely sacrifice style (or that week’s grocery bill) in the name of comfortable shoes. For now, this will work just fine.