Do you know exactly what you’re doing when your shoe shopping, or are you totally distracted by style or price and little else? When it comes to shoe shopping, you need to keep in mind more than fashion. For the sake of the comfort of your feet, you must also factor in things like function, flexibility and support. Here are some highly useful tips for choosing the perfect footwear for your needs:

1. A really simple trick is to take a tracing of your feet and carry it with you in your bag. Any shoe you’re considering, place on top of the tracing. If it’s shorter, narrower or in any part inside the lines of your foot, you don’t even need to try it on.
2. Never go shoe shopping in the morning. The best time is late afternoon as your feet expand naturally during the day. Morning purchases could end up being too tight as the day goes on.
3. When you head to the shoe shop, make sure you are wearing the socks or tights you intend to wear when you have the shoes on.

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4. Make sure a professional measures both of your feet and you should have this done every time you buy a new pair of shoes. As we age, our feet can change shape and become wider and longer. Most people have one foot bigger than the other. If this applies to you, always buy your shoes to fit the larger foot. For Mens Rieker Shoes, visit https://www.cottersshoes.co.uk/product-category/brand/rieker/rieker-mens-2018/
5. Always stand up in the shoes you are trying on, press the toe of the shoes and make sure there is about half an inch of clear space between the end of the shoe and your longest toe. Your toes move forward when you walk so it’s important to have this space. Give your toes a good wiggle to check for room.
6. Take a walk around in the shoes you are trying on to get a good idea of how they feel. They should fit snugly around the heel, have room to breathe on the balls of the feet and have plenty of toe wiggle room. Don’t think the shoes just need to go through a period of being broken in. Good shoes should fit from the start.
7. Don’t be swayed by any other information apart from your own judgement when it comes to comfort, sizing and feel.

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8. Width is equally as important as length. A sign that shoes may need to be wider is pressure on the balls of the feet. Sometimes you don’t need a half-size bigger but just a wider fitting.
9. Check inside the shoes for anything that might cause discomfort or irritation, such as seams, tags and uncomfortable material.
10. Do the shoes feel cushioned when you walk on different surfaces? If you can, try to test them out on concrete and carpet to compare how they feel.