Retail help

[pam]

I'm with Souly. I tried the Skechers shape ups for about 2 days. Couldn't take it anymore. I finally spent a few extra dollars and got a good walking shoe with the arch support I needed. It was much better after that.

Edited August 29, 2012 by pam

[mdfxdb]

?? what happened to Alucard1975?

[Guest xforeverxmetalx]

The issue with shape ups is they don't tend to offer the right support. You need something with a strong arch as well as cushioning. I started this job I'm at now with a new pair of shape up's. They were great before i was working for just going and walking around for a few hours. I didn't need my orthotics for the first time in years, but when i put them on at work i was in agony, they just didn't have the support for the type of work i was doing. For the most part if you are standing on your feet all day you need something more like a true walking or training shoe with both the cushion and the support. trainers and walking shoes offer more stability than runners or shoes like shape ups which will help a lot. I have grown to like saucony, but also asics work quite well. New balance is good as well, even more if you find you have a wide foot.

I got those custom Dr. Scholls arch inserts (the ones where you stand on a machine and it tells you which one would work best) and tried putting those in the Sketchers. Didn't help at all - actually I'd say it made it worse (though they were a bit better with the first pair of shoes I used). So I'm not so sure anything like that would work.

[classylady]

I have a bad knee that I injured snow skiing many years ago. Standing on it for long periods of time or running can make it worse. When I was working retail one Christmas season, a coworker suggested I take glucosamine. I'm usually pretty skeptical about supplements. But, I was desperate, so started taking it. It actually helped, not only my knee, but also my back. My back aches weren't as extreme. My adult daughter, who has had her meniscus replaced in her knee, also tried it. It didn't help her. Maybe her knee is too damaged, or has a different problem than me.

[pam]

I got those custom Dr. Scholls arch inserts (the ones where you stand on a machine and it tells you which one would work best) and tried putting those in the Sketchers. Didn't help at all - actually I'd say it made it worse (though they were a bit better with the first pair of shoes I used). So I'm not so sure anything like that would work.

I could see how they wouldn't work in the shape ups. You've got two forces working against each other.

[skippy740]

I've been where you are... but I worked at Fry's Electronics - over 100,000 square foot store selling computers.

The right socks/shoe combination will be very helpful to you. Even lately, while I'm not working in a retail store, I've done some cold-canvassing for selling insurance products. The links below are some of the best looking and most comfortable shoes/boots I've ever worn - and they're not that badly priced either. I found them at a local store that sold work boots to people in the postal service & construction. I trusted them to know what they were talking about, and not only do I wear them for work, but they're good enough for wearing to church. I'm interviewing now with Merrill Lynch and I will be wearing these to my interview - they're that nice of a shoe.

Rocky 5†Polishable Dress Leather Chukka - dress boots

Rocky Polishable Dress Leather Oxford -#511-8

Make sure you break them in before doing a full shift in them. I did a 3 mile walk in them while they were still too new and I paid for that for the next week. Don't do what I did.

Get some real work socks. You're in Walmart - so go to the Men's socks section and get those thicker black work socks and wear those. If you're wearing thin "dress" socks, you don't have enough absorption or cushioning. I only wear the Dickies work socks now and I don't regret it one bit. As a side benefit, it's much easier to always have matching socks because they all look the same.

Just my $.02 worth.

[volgadon]

How about the Spelling, Capitalization, and Punctuation Police? Do we get equal time?

We hang people on commas.

[pam]

We hang people on commas.

[Soulsearcher]

I got those custom Dr. Scholls arch inserts (the ones where you stand on a machine and it tells you which one would work best) and tried putting those in the Sketchers. Didn't help at all - actually I'd say it made it worse (though they were a bit better with the first pair of shoes I used). So I'm not so sure anything like that would work.

there's a big difference between something that comes out of a package and something made for you. The inserts you are talking about can help but are made for a type of foot and not YOUR foot. You can get ones made that are made for the exact issues you are having. Second is Pam is right, inserts need to be usually put in a shoe that won't act against what the insert is trying to do or it can make things worse.

[Guest xforeverxmetalx]

Alright, well what (other) shoes do you guys recommend? The socks I wear are sports socks - I guess work might be better?

[Guest]

Alright, well what (other) shoes do you guys recommend? The socks I wear are sports socks - I guess work might be better?

First of all you need to study your foot to see what the real issue is. Each foot is different. Places such as Walmart has a Dr. Scholl's foot analyzer. This machine will give you an idea of what kind of pronation you have. It doesn't really tell you the type of pronation - it just shows you your pressure points on your foot and the Dr. Scholl's product to match.

But generally, here are the very general types of foot pronations. By the way, pronation is the compound movement of your entire foot - this is the combined movement of your heel, arch, and toes - that gives balance to your gait. The bone and muscle shape of your foot will determine the type of pronation you have. And the type of pronation you have will determine what kind of pressure you are applying to areas of your foot.

1.) Neutral pronation - this is the normal pronation which is the ideal. The outside part of your heel makes initial contact on the ground then rolls inward as it evenly spreads the pressure across the entire heel and then transfers balance from your heel to your toes continuing on that inwards motion. The foot then pushes off with slightly more pressure on the big and 2nd toes but with pressure distributed to the rest of the toes as well supporting the movement. This rolling inwards motion as the foot moves from heel to toe allows the body to naturally absorb shock making your knees and your body support your weight evenly.

2.) Overpronation - this is when your heel to toe motion rolls too much inwards so that your heel is not completely balanced on the ground making your ankles and knees unstable. Your foot does not evenly absorb shock. Your gait then finishes off with the big and 2nd toe taking all the pressure to push off.

3.) Underpronation - this is when your heel to toe motion does not roll inwards enough so that your heel is not balanced on the ground and you push off with your small toes. Same as overpronation, the shock is not absorbed evenly.

Even when standing still, the neutral pronated foot will balance the weight evenly across the foot. Over and under pronated feet will cause extreme pressure on the outside or inside arch which causes pain.

You can pretty much tell what kind of pronation you have by walking on concrete with wet feet. You can study the imprint on the concrete to see the type of arch support your foot has. If you see that there's a big dry spot spanning more than half the width of your foot where your arch is, then you may be underpronated (high arch). If you see your footprint is just one big blob of wet without an arch you may be very serverly overpronated (flat footed). The normal pronation will give you the normal arch with almost half the width of the foot dry where your arch is but no more than that.

So, depending on your foot shape, you'll need to purchase the shoe that matches.

My best suggestion is for you to get an orthopedic shoe if your problem is really severe like extremely high arches or extremely flat foot. This is also the best if you have back problems like herniated or bulging discs and such. Also, if you're extremely overweight. Places such as S.A.S. retail stores or even outlet stores have sales people who will study your foot and give you the proper shoe for it. S.A.S. shoes are amazing orthopedic shoes. My sister has scoliosis and she's a nurse. She walks a lot more than retail workers. She wears these shoes.

If you're just a bit over or under pronated, you can get walking shoes (regular ones, not Shape-ups or the like!) and put the proper Dr. Scholl's gel insert on it with the help of the machine.

But, if you plan on doing retail work for a long time, it will be worth your while to invest in the proper shoes of good quality. Go ahead and spring for the S.A.S. type shoes... or even just go to a running specialty store and get shoes like Asics that have all different types of shoes for every foot shape and foot activity (may come out cheaper than S.A.S.).

I especially love Asics. Their cross-trainers (good for retail work) is very good. I am overpronated so I have the Asics Gel-Fortitude.

Edited August 29, 2012 by anatess

[Guest]

When I had to get custom orthotics ($$$) they were just awful at first. The podiatrist told me to expect that, and that they will even make your hips and back and other things hurt for a week or so while everything is shifted into alignment. After that I wouldn't say they were super comfy, but they do take the strain off of my feet because they force me to place weight in the right places. Apparently I put my weight on the wrong parts of my feet. So it might be worth giving your orthotics another shot for a few days. As far as shoes, I'd look for comfortable cross trainers or even something marketed to nurses. Some even have removable liners so that you can put your orthotics in, in place of them. If you go to decent shoe store they should be able to steer you in the right direction.

[mnn727]

See an actual podiatrist and explain what is happening.

[MorningStar]

You really have to break in orthotics too. Wear them for an hour the first day and the gradually increase the amount of time. It look quite a long time before they felt comfortable to me. My arch fell when I broke my foot and I was in pain all the time, so I finally caved and got the orthotics.

[Guest xforeverxmetalx]

When I first got the arch inserts for my high arches from the Dr. Scholls machines, I wore them for a few weeks before I got the Sketchers. So they were definitely broken in by then.

I'll look into some of those shoes, though.

See an actual podiatrist and explain what is happening.

I saw an orthopedist (the podiatrist was backed up for awhile) who basically said to do some stretches and to combine the Sketchers with my arch supports. Didn't help a bit. So I'm not sure what a podiatrist would do given there aren't any underlying problems or anything (I had xrays and such done).

[Guest]

This is a great shoe for high arches:

Nimbus

http://www.asicsamerica.com/getmedia/37f8f65a-03fb-47a1-b60b-748ad564f8c8/t241n_9359/?maxsidesize=550

It is up there at $140 retail price (might be able to get it cheaper at D!ck's Sporting Goods and the like).

This is one is also good for high arches but it doesn't have as much heel support as the Nimbus:

Galaxy 5

http://www.asicsamerica.com/getmedia/1d42b61a-912d-4d02-9571-179e62fd9299/t231n_9091/?maxsidesize=550

This one is priced at $60.

[pam]

I thought I had heard about this regarding the Shape Ups. I finally found what I was looking for.

Skechers Will Pay $40 Million to Settle FTC Charges That It Deceived Consumers with Ads for "Toning Shoes"

[applepansy]

THAT is your problem.

Sketchers shape ups are designed for toning muscles. It is made to be off-balance on purpose so that you have to work muscles more. These shoes are not meant to be worn all day! One hour, two hours max. It is supposed to be used as a work-out accessory - the idea is that you can work-out while walking through normal errands and such saving time.

So, if you're using this for retail work, you're working your legs and glutes off the entire day!

I wear Sketchers shape ups. (My glutes are not getting any smaller.) They are the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. The one plus is I have better balance than before wearing them. Mostly because I have to be more aware of where I'm stepping and that I'm stepping on my foot correctly... and not on the side of my foot. I do think my legs are a little stronger...but the glutes? bleh!

I have chronic pain. These shoes have help tremendously with the pain in my legs and feet.

My husband worked retail for 15+ years and might be going back (after we finish with his foot surgery). Good shoes are very important and the right SOCKS are just as important. I don't think they make them anymore but the socks I used to buy for him were tight around the arch. It helped him a lot.

The foot surgery is not related to the retail work other than standing on his feet for so many years did make the problem worse.

Edited September 8, 2012 by applepansy

[Guest xforeverxmetalx]

I thought I had heard about this regarding the Shape Ups. I finally found what I was looking for.

Skechers Will Pay $40 Million to Settle FTC Charges That It Deceived Consumers with Ads for "Toning Shoes"

Yep I heard about that too. But I didn't really care about the toning, just the cushioning.

Anyway, what do you all think about Birkenstocks? I know they're quality shoes, but they have a variation with high arches (link) that looks like it might help. Plus I was thinking about getting them anyway before I got this job because I like how they look.

[pam]

I've never tried them. Mainly because I refuse to pay that much money for a pair of shoes.

[Iggy]

Yep I heard about that too. But I didn't really care about the toning, just the cushioning.

Anyway, what do you all think about Birkenstocks? I know they're quality shoes, but they have a variation with high arches (link) that looks like it might help. Plus I was thinking about getting them anyway before I got this job because I like how they look.

Try Croc's - Crocs? Official Site | Shoes, Sandals, & Clogs | Free Shipping

I love them, and so does my hubby!

[pam]

Try Croc's - Crocs? Official Site | Shoes, Sandals, & Clogs | Free Shipping

I love them, and so does my hubby!

I would have loved to have worn crocs when I worked retail. However, they are not condusive to the type of retail I did. Mopping floors etc became an ice rink since they have no grip to them on wet surfaces. But for an electronics section they would probably be great. Sometimes I wish I could wear them where I am working now as I'm on my feet a lot. But they are on the "can not wear" list for our business dress codes.