Shoes for sore feet?

[Tymon]

So yeah I literally have nowhere else to ask this kind of thing.

I work in retail management. This is the first year of my personal hell in this job and the Christmas season has resulted in me having to leave the comfortable confines of my office and work 10-12+ hour shifts on the sales floor, which is concrete.

I can barely walk to the car after work.. I've tried all of my shoes, and eventually settled on a pair of New Balance shoes with Dr. Scholls insoles. Still awful but the least awful of the few I've tried.

I know for a fact there are several of you in the medical industry who would make my problem look absolutely pathetic so let me ask you, what do you do to prevent this?

I'm not struggling with achy feet AFTER work; my feet heal very quickly and I'm always 100% the next day. Even a few hours is enough. My problem is they hurt like hell while I'm on the job.

Are there any shoes that aren't like, hundreds of dollars that I can buy that would help this kind of thing? Maybe it's just me? I see seasonal hired kids in Jordans and shit running around for the same time and none of them are complaining. Idk.

[Tyche]

I wear Nike Free 3.0 at work. I absolutely love them. They're about 3 years old and the outer is completely trashed. The sole is coming apart in spots. I just throw a pair of surgical covers over them so no one sees the horrific state they're in. YMmV (literally).

Women at work swear by Danskos. They make men's, but the design is funny. I can't speak to them however.

If you were in my shoes (pun intended), you could try them over a weekend by putting covers over them and not getting them dirty. I don't think you could wear surgical covers over them in retail though. Finding good shoes is hard. I wish you luck.

[Tymon]

I actually have a pair of Nike Free 3.0s and they were one of the ones I tried. Maybe I'll try to break them in some more.

[BaneTheBrawler]

breaking in is a pain but in my experience totes worth it. shoes get so much more comfy once broken in.

[Delayed]

Are there any running stores in your area that you could go to and try out what a good fit for your particular feet would be?
I did this for mine when I got into running, and found out that Nike/adidas etc all were bad fits for me and my feet.
I wear Saucony all the time now when not working and am never not comfortable in them.
Even though you aren't running, the idea should still be the same, trying on a shoe that is built around your own feet.

[Psion]

Im using Nike Air max, but unfortunately they DO cost hundreds of dollars. <_<; That said, i hear they last a really long time, often several years. I paid 220$ for mine, because Nike apparantly doesn't stock wide size shoes in stores, so i had to order them custom made from their online store. -_-; That said, I did get to pick all the colors for it, so at least they look nice to me!

As far as comfort goes, they're pretty great. I had the same issue, cleaning glassware in a lab, standing on my feet and bending over a sink all day. I found that the shoes aren't completely "comfy" in a sense they don't give you foot rubs and swaddle your feet in soft silk, but they feel fairly good. If you stand too long in one position they start to feel a little uncomfortable, causing you to automatically shift your weight, move your feet a bit, and keeping you from putting pressure on one spot too long. I noticed a major improvement the first day wearing it from that, went from having feet hurting like crazy by the end of the day to feeling like i could run after work if i wanted to. Haven't had sore feet anymore since getting them about a month ago.

But yeah, Im not sure you can find any good shoes for sore feet issues that don't cost hundreds of dollars, unless you like wearing crocs to work (and your co-workers won't lynch you!)

[FNH]

Most running style shoes are going to have less cushioning for weight reduction purposes, not ideal for standing around. Look in the walking section, service industry(restaurant shoes) or construction boots. The walking shoes have more cushioning and should last a while, if you can get passed looking like the youngest retiree. The service industry and construction boots are designed for standing on concrete all day. Also, you might want to check and see if you are pronating(walking more on the outside of your feet), which can cause the pain you experience. From the sounds of it you just aren't used to it and require more cushioning, which is why throwing in an extra insert helps.

If you get to the point you experience back pain not caused by trauma or injury, change insoles or shoes all together.

[Tyche]

Some running shoes have a good deal of padding though, shoes are essentially built for support, neutral, motion control or minimal flats. I ran in racing flats, even when doing training runs. That may be why I feel minimalist shoes like the frees are comfortable. If you go to a running store, they'll watch you walk, tell you if you overpronate, which require some type of shoe to control that.

Sadly, I don't think much advice here will be terribly useful for you. Trial and error. If you find a good pair, buy a couple, because they could change the design the next season and you may hate that new design. The first generation of the Nike LunaRacer was the best shoe ive ever worn. They changed it in the second season and it sucked. I went back and bought 3 or 4 pairs of the first gen online.

[FNH]

Each person is different, but running shoes are designed for running and not standing for 8-12 hours. I'm not saying he wouldn't find a comfortable running shoe, but he is more likely to find something in the other sections. I did 5 years of retail and work boots were the most comfortable, plus they went better with the uniform. If we had black slacks I would have used server shoes.

[tyven]

Check out Nike Roshe and Adidas pure boost. Those are the consensus most comfortable sneakers, however they are running shoes and I agree with FNH, they may not give you the support you need for 12 hours of standing.

I think you should also check out Doc Martens with the airwair sole. Maybe throw a doc schol in as well

[Jamison]

I have to use Brooks motion control shoes (called Beast I believe) or I'm in pretty rough shape at the end of the day.

[Tymon]

Doesn't stuff like Dr. Scholls insoles do the same thing anti-pronation shoes do? I don't know anything about it I just assumed.

I guess I can go get my feet fitted at the local running place.

[Tyche]

Doesn't stuff like Dr. Scholls insoles do the same thing anti-pronation shoes do? I don't know anything about it I just assumed.

I guess I can go get my feet fitted at the local running place.

Yeah, but you have to know if you need them. If you're overcorrecting for pronation (like wearing motion control insoles for a neutral gait), you're doing more harm than good.

I've been where you are. One summer, I went from Adidas to Mizuno to Brooks to Nike before finding a shoe that didn't make my feet feel like hell. You're just going to have to trial and error unfortunately. Even if you get fitted and pin down your gait, there's no guarantees.

[Tymon]

I'll probably go to a running store Monday and tell them what's up and see if they can help me.

I only have to deal with this for like two more weeks and then it's back to my comfortable office chair anyway.

[Botosi]

Just bought these for $130 at modells and even though I got $20 off I bet you could find them for cheaper. Absolutely love them, super comfortable and they look awesome. Nike fingertrap max

Spoiler: show

[Delayed]

i bring up a running store just because they will be able to find the right style of shoe for your way of walking/running. yoru pronation and gait will determine which shoe is best fit for your feet, and that will help out the most in the long run for your comfort level in wearing them.
Once you know what kind of shoe to look for for your feet, you can go after the style and look you want, which is what you are looking for-- the most comfortable shoe for you.
My own experience was coming from having worn adidas most of my life, and coming to find out that both Adidas and Nikes were bad fits for my own feet, once I went to Luke's Locker and had them help me out with a shoe.

[ringthree]

Any decent running store can also custom model some in-soles for you.

[Jamison]

Podiatrists can also sometimes get really good prices on some shoes as well.

[Laugana]

I swear by Merrell shoes. For years I put up with cheap crap when I went to school. Then I turned 18 and had a job and was able to afford a decent pair. A pair lasts me about 2-3 years before the base is worn away, but that's with me wearing them every day of the week for that period of time. Only thing that sucks is that I can't get the same choice as you guys get in America. I also have to get men's shoes because I take a size 9.

[Grey Jorildyn]

I suffered with sore feet for awhile last year. Told the podiatrist I work with and she recommended new balance 812s.

Dunno what your soreness is like but for me it was arches and ankles. She recommended anything with a rollbar because I was rolling my feet outwards too much and my posture is poor. Might help you figure out what the source might be or at least google up what may be the best shoe to help your specific pain.

Needless to say my feet haven't hurt for over 10 months and probably gonna get another pair soon.