shop policy

[lorriette]

My local shoe shop (cheapy chain type) had a pair of boots, a pair of sandals and a pair of courts I liked. I went in and asked for eights(uk) and found only the sandal came in that size. This turned out to be 41euro(7) and a narrow fit. I asked the sales lady what else they had and she replied that very few of thier shoes went to 8, due to poor demand. This I find doubtful as I know of two women size 9, three 8s and numerous 7+ all living within 5km of me. Add to that those I don't know and the guys too. Luckily Barrets and Barrentino are only 25km away.

[chris100575]

That's very poor. Apart from the fact that I know several women who wear 7 - 8, a size 41 certainly feels more like a UK 7 to me, an 8 would be a 42. Chris

[Dr. Shoe]

42 is a men's 8 and womans 9 though retailers are starting to adopt the modern practice of calling 42s 8s. A 41 is a mens 7 and a womans 8 in most cases.

[hhberlin]

Oh yeah, I know that problem. A shop near me has some interesting pair of shoes now and the but they have them only up to 41. One pair I bought has a round toebox and would be a perfect fit in size 42. But as closed pumps they're too short for my feet and thus I can only wear them about an hour. Another pair is my current favourite for wearing at home but after a while they are not the most comfortable and outside wearing is certainly not possible. They're made of mostly textile fabric and very well cushioned inside, have a nice thin heel of 11cm (measured on the back of the heel) and very pointed toe. The heel part is almost unconcealed (just about 15mm of cloth). They're of that pseudo-trainer heel style which I consider quite strange. If those would be in 42 I'd think they'd be quite comfortable to my toes as well (not so strained as they are in 41), and I would be able to wear them on the street...

[keels]

I just wish that all manufacturers could standardise on sizing. Depending on make and style I might be an 8 a 9 or somewhere in between. I have to say though that most shoe shops in my area have most styles up to size 8, some even in a 9.

[hhberlin]

Sizing should be standardized on the feet. If a certain style needs to be bigger, the shoes should be adjusted accordingly instead the wearer having to know to buy a different size.

[Dr. Shoe]

They are in general but if you have a narrow foot then you can get away with a smaller size in pointy toes or vice versa. Moreover, an experienced heel wearer can wear heels in their normal size whereas a first timer may need a pair larger.

[dr1819]

Here's my shop policy:

Rule 1: If the shop doesn't carry comfortable heels in my size, then it's off to a different shop.

loriette: My local shoe shop (cheapy chain type) had a pair of boots, a pair of sandals and a pair of courts I liked. I went in and asked for eights(uk) and found only the sandal came in that size. This turned out to be 41euro(7) and a narrow fit. I asked the sales lady what else they had and she replied that very few of thier shoes went to 8, due to poor demand. This I find doubtful as I know of two women size 9, three 8s and numerous 7+ all living within 5km of me. Add to that those I don't know and the guys too. Luckily Barrets and Barrentino are only 25km away.

Sadly, this is the same approach taken by much of the shoe industry. They find larger sizes languishing on their shelves, so they assume there's not much demand.

Yet poll after poll shows that production among the four middle sizes (6-9) overestimates demand by 30%, while production among larger sizes (10-11) underestimates demand by as much as 50%, and for much larger sizes (12-13) by approximately 100%.

Demand isn't the issue. Advertising is. Most women know they can obtain their sizes at any shoe store.

But those with sizes outside the median 75% have to look long and hard for heels that are stylish, well-made, and ergonomically sound.

Again, the problem is that manufacturers rely on sales far too much as an indicator of demand, failing to realize that sales is but a small part of the production-demand cycle. They fail to consider advertising, marketing and style trends, purchasing habits, and raw exposure as factors which heavily influence sales.

The bottom line is that the demand is there. The sales are not, because those that demand modern styles in their sizes "know" that their sizes just are "not" available from traditional manufacturers.

The tide will turn when the top 20% of all manufacturers not only begin offering their heels in sizes to cover 98% of the market, but they collaborate with their retailers to ensure the word gets out.

One of the reasons I applaud J. Renee' is that they're one of the very few mainstream manufacturers who offer true high heels in larger sizes (13, even 14). Sadly, a lot of women (and men) who wear 12+ sizes would love to have a wider range of styles available to them, but the manufacturers and retailers keep coming up short - and for the wrong reasons.