I don't know if there is anybody out there like this grumpy old man, but I resent the way shoes are sold here in the UK.
I am size eight and a half. There are few shops that sell half sizes. This is always my question at the door when I approach a shoe shop. Do you sell half sizes? The reply is usually "No sir, if we did we would have to have twice as much stock.".
The conversation usually degenerates from there. One shop keeper in Whitby recently closed the conversation by advising me to "chop your toes off then." My daughter, who was with me, and is also a marketing manager, tried to intervene and suggest that this was not the best sales strategy, and that the customer was often, at least partially, right. "Don't tell me how to run a shop, I have been doing for 35 years....."
Another regular response from an assiduous assistant is to enthusiastically suggest that I buy a size nine and buy an inner sole to assure a good fitting. Even if I could cope with toes that protrude half an inch too far, I usually kill the idea by inquiring who is going to pay for this compromise.
No, my parents did not fight in the war for this sort of thing, &c &c.
Any Naim owning cobblers who have views??
Don from sunny downtown York
Posted on: 16 April 2012 by TomK
I didn't realise how restricted we are in this country until we lived in the US in the 80s. The first time I bought a pair of shoes there my feet were carefully measured by a very knowledgeable salesman who told me I'd been wearing a size too small for most of my adult life (I'm not referring to the UK/US size differences). I was then offered a number of different sizes and widths and quickly found a perfect fit.
I used to have trouble getting well fitting shoes but now I know what size my feet actually are, I have no problems whatsoever.
Posted on: 16 April 2012 by mista h
My main problem has been with finding half sizes with sports shoes,as i find moving around a squash/tennis court quickly you do need a good fitting shoe. Have in the past tried Sports direct who half massive stocks,but with no luck.
In the end after much searching i found both on good old Fleabay.
Hitec ad-pro for squash and K-swiss for Tennis.
Mista h
Posted on: 16 April 2012 by winkyincanada
Originally Posted by TomK:
.....very knowledgeable salesman who told me I'd been wearing a size too small for most of my adult life....
You didn't find them tight then? Isn't the wearer the person best able to say whether shoes fit or not? Everybody that has ever fitted me for shoes has always tried to put me in shoes at least one size too big. I don't even bother getting measured anymore as they just have no clue. I just try on different sizes until I find the ones that fit snugly.
Posted on: 16 April 2012 by Don Atkinson
I have mainly bought Barker and Clarke Shoes for the last 30 years or so (other than Mountain/Walking boots) and have always been able to buy half sizes and a variety of widths in a wide range of styles.
But as for getting my feet measured, well no, this never seems to be an option. As Winky does, I just try a few different sizes until I find a pair that fit.
Cheers
Don
Posted on: 17 April 2012 by tonym
Originally Posted by winkyincanada:
Originally Posted by TomK:
.....very knowledgeable salesman who told me I'd been wearing a size too small for most of my adult life....
You didn't find them tight then? Isn't the wearer the person best able to say whether shoes fit or not? Everybody that has ever fitted me for shoes has always tried to put me in shoes at least one size too big. I don't even bother getting measured anymore as they just have no clue. I just try on different sizes until I find the ones that fit snugly.
Sometimes Winky, it's not always immediately apparent. I spent the best part of three years trying unsuccessfully to find a comfortable pair of walking boots, simply because I couldn't grasp that my feet had grown at least a size. Of course, older boots seemed to fit OK because they'd stretched and my most comfortable pair of shoes, some Clarks leather trainer types, were marked as size 10.5 & my fuzzy old brain couldn't accept that I now needed size 12.
As you age, your feet change quite significantly so worth bearing in mind. If they don't feel comfy in the shop, they won't get better with wear!
Posted on: 17 April 2012 by TomK
Originally Posted by winkyincanada:
Originally Posted by TomK:
.....very knowledgeable salesman who told me I'd been wearing a size too small for most of my adult life....
You didn't find them tight then? Isn't the wearer the person best able to say whether shoes fit or not? Everybody that has ever fitted me for shoes has always tried to put me in shoes at least one size too big. I don't even bother getting measured anymore as they just have no clue. I just try on different sizes until I find the ones that fit snugly.
It was a historical thing. As a kid I was told regularly that I had a high instep so not all shoes would fit properly. Some would fit ok, some not. Some would hurt my feet after being worn for a while because a nice cosy snug fit in the shop isn't necessarily the best fit in the long run. I guess my mother almost conditioned me into thinking my feet were much weirder than they actually were. The high instep for example was often primarily a sign of shoes being slightly too small. After many years I'd just accepted my feet were a strange shape. it was advice from a knowledgeable stranger that made me think again.
Posted on: 17 April 2012 by chimp
My feet are different sizes, however when I was a lad I didn't know this. Whenever I needed more shoes I was duly escorted to the shoe shop by my parents. The assistant always measured my right foot and based on that, the size was determined and shoes were bought. My left foot is or was a size bigger than my right. Now I have straight toes on my right foot and all my toes on my left foot are curled round to a certain extent.
I was going to post a pic but thought I would spare you all.
Regards
Donald.
