The Problem
It has happened to us all. The shoes fit great in the store, but once you get home something changed. Maybe your foot was swollen and now the shoe seems too big. Or maybe the longer you wear the shoe the tighter it feels. Or maybe you have a toe that seems to be rubbing a blister.
There are several things that can prevent you from returning shoes. You may have already worn them outside and gotten the bottom dirty or scratched. Or maybe you threw away the receipt or the box. Sometimes if shoes were on clearance the store doesn’t accept returns.
Fitting Shoes Back in The Old Days
In a museum I once saw a pair of shoes from the Civil War. Surprisingly there was no left and right shoe. The museum curator stated that Civil War soldiers would put the shoes on, get the shoes wet, and then the shoe would mold perfectly to the shape of the foot as it dried. The wet leather would stretch out in all the appropriate places and shrink tighter in all the appropriate places. Perfect fit every time. Thank goodness they sell right and left shoes now. I’m so glad I don’t have to look for the nearest creek, river, or washtub each time I buy a new pair of shoes.
How To Make A Shoe Fit That Is Too Big
Sometimes you can add an insole to make a shoe fit better. This will take up some of the extra room and the shoe will feel smaller. You can buy insoles made from thick or thin materials, depending on how much room needs to be filled in. If your shoe is still slipping on your heel, there is a solution for that too. There are cushioned stickers that adhere to the inside of the shoe where the back of the heel is. These have a foam or gel consistency and prevent the heel from slipping as you walk. All of these shoe products can be purchased at a minimal cost at any drug store such as Walgreen’s or CVS or department store such as Wal-Mart, K-mart, or Target.
How To Make A Shoe Fit That Is Too Small
There are three options that I have tried when my shoes seemed to be too small. It seems like my shoe size went up half a size each pregnancy, and I didn’t want to just throw out all my shoes. Sometimes I would put on extra thick socks with my shoes and wear them around the house to stretch them out. I don’t recommend this though because limping seems to follow soon after trying this and can’t be good for the health of my feet. The best solution is to have them professionally stretched at a shoe shop or a cobbler shop. They can even customize the stretch it you have a particular toe that the shoe is binding. There is also a spray called Shoe Stretch that is sold at shoe repair shops. You can spray it on the shoes, which softens the leather so it can stretch and conform to your foot easily. Then put the shoes on to get a customized fit.
Hopefully some of these ideas will help you get a more comfortable fitting shoe. Goodbye limping and heel slipping. Hello perfect fit. And like they say, if the shoe fits wear it.
