How to Buy Wide Width Shoes On Sale

Buy wide width shoes and special shoe sizes online.

If you have wide feet or odd foot sizes, you know it's not easy to find comfortable shoes that don't leave your feet hurting. Although sometimes it seems that all shoes are made in narrow or medium widths, you can buy wide width shoes - you just have to know where to look. Read on to find out how to buy wide width athletic shoes, wide width dress shoes, and other wide width styles on sale.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Ruler to measure foot size
• Arch support insoles

1. Measure your feet. Make sure of your real current foot size. Don't assume that you need shoes in the same size you bought last. Don't assume that every wide width shoe seller or comfort shoe distributer uses the same size chart, either. By measuring the length and width (and even your instep height), you can follow the wide width shoe store's size chart guidelines.

2. Visit online shoe shops that have a wide selection of comfort shoes, such as Zappos, or those that deal specifically with comfort shoes and unusual sizes, such as Footsmart. Visit stores that carry Birkenstock sandals and Birkenstock shoes, which come in wide widths. Visit Easy Spirit or Naturalizer for dress shoes. Or go to an athletic shoe shop website like New Balance. Although medium width is the standard for running shoes, certain shoe lines often come in wide widths as well.

3. Check out the wide shoe size charts. Some sizes are UK sizes and you may need to convert US to UK shoe sizes by using exact measurements and converting standard units to metric. Determine which wide size matches you. There are C, D, E, EE, EEE, EEEE, W, and other wide-width designations. Different stores use different width rating systems.

4. Once you've determined your shoe size according to the way each shoe seller defines it, then search for wide width shoes in the store. Many of these comfort shoe stores have search functions that allow you to select only wide width shoes in your size.

5. Some brands that come in wide width include Birkenstock, Softmoc, Hush Puppies, Haflinger, SAS, Dexter, Easy Spirit, Danner, and Rockport. Some brands have styles that are not officially wide width but that tend to be wider, like Merrell, Ecco, and Dansko.

6. If this is the first time you've tried to order wide width shoes online, order at least two widths, and maybe even two shoe sizes, in the style you want. Then when you receive the wide width shoes, try them out and return the shoes that don't fit.

7. Look for comfort shoe sales for discontinued colors, discontinued comfort shoe styles, and discontinued materials, as well as at the end of summer and at the end of winter. Get on the email mailing lists of comfort shoe stores and wide width shoe stores so you can receive discount offers and sale offers.

8. Wide width shoes and comfort shoes tend to go on sale less than regular shoes. If you do see a sale, get more than one pair if you know the shoe fits well. And don't think the stock will last forever...wide width shoes tend to be thin on the ground.

9. Wear your wide width shoes with arch support insoles if the shoes don't come with extra arch support. This is recommended for foot and spinal health.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to comply with the stores' returns policy when you return wide width shoes. Most won't let you walk outside with the shoes.