Zappos

I did something very bold and daring, for me, today. I ordered shoes...on line...from Zappos. Now this is bold and daring because my foot is extremely difficult to fit. I've always been difficult to fit, but worse since I've gotten older. I used to be an 8-1/2 for years and years, but as I've gotten older, and fatter, my foot has grown and flattened and my ideal size is mow a 10-1/2 wide. This was perfect because Easy Spirit shoes carried that size and I always bought the same style, which fit perfectly and were very comfortable. In fact, they had two styles in that size and every 2 or 3 years, I would go in and buy another two pairs from Easy Spirit. It was a great relationship. Then, for some reason, they stopped carrying that size. Not only Easy Spirit, but most shoe makers seemed to stop making 10-1/2 wide. I tried their size 11 but those were way too big.

Someone told me to try SAS shoes, and lo and behold they did have 10-1/2 wide walking shoes, which I bought, but they've never fit right and aren't comfortable for heavy duty walking.

When we went to France/Italy, I took two pairs of shoes. I wore my trainers, which I've had for years and which have been teethed upon by more than one set of puppies.

They work fine for walking, even if they do look like they came out of a rubbish bin and are not fit for dressier occasions, so I brought a pair of loafers with me to go out to restaurants on the France/Italy trip. They actually don't look like I've had them for more than 20 years, do they? I bought them at the same time I bought the SAS walking shoes and I wear them all the time in the winter (and when I have teething puppies who like to chew toes).

(this was attempt #5 at this picture and amazingly, I
only have one puppy showing!)

However, the shoes are old and if I have to take them off for any reason, it's kind of embarrassing.

(I always cringe a bit when I'm wearing these and have to go through airport security and put them in a bin for everyone to see!)

Someone on the discussion board for Viking Cruises happened to mention shoes and that she had purchased Clark Wave.Wheel from Zappos and that they worked as both walking shoes and dress shoes. She raved about how happy they made her feet feel.

I had recently seen a 60 Minutes special on Zappos and had been impressed with the company, so I decided to check out the shoes. I liked what I saw. I called the company and decided to order them. Only problem is that they don't come in 10-1/2 and I know that 10 is too small, so I ordered an 11. Hearing my plight, and that we leave on the 19th, the guy I talked to upgraded my order and said he would ship them out to arrive on Monday (giving me time to try them out and walk around to see if they will do for walking).

The nice thing about Zappos is that they don't charge for postage either way, and are apparently good about taking orders back for up to a month, if you change your mind.

I'm hopeful that these will work. It's a huge leap of faith for me because my level of happiness is so incredibly tied to the comfort of my feet and I've never bought shoes before without actually trying them on. So hold the good thought. If miracles happen, they will fit, they will feel great, and I won't have to pack an extra pair of shoes for the trip, saving that much space in the suitcase. If they don't fit, there are always the theethed upon trainers and the holey loafers.