Wide Shoe Sizes: Where to buy? (online or B&M)

[Bill2020]

I was out at a couple of stores yesterday and just scanned through the "Shoes for Winter Walks" thread, I thought I would ask here.

I wear size E width shoes, sometimes EE depending on brand. I find it very difficult to find wide shoes, especially in a type/style that I am looking for. I'm currently looking for both casual shoes and "shoes for winter walks". I currently have New Balance since they have wide sizes.

I'm looking for recommendations on casual and winter walking shoes that are available in wide sizes.

Where do you buy shoes online (preferably with a good return/exchange policy)? I've bought shoes on Amazon and they have an excellent exchange policy, as long as the order is fulfilled by Amazon.

Thanks.

[chemocean]

I have EEEE. Sneakers are New Balance. I can get two good dress shoes at Red Wing (~175). Same style, one in black and one in brown. They have physical stores across the country. I used to get $25 coupons around Christmas, but have fallen off their best customer list after retirement.
All others are too expensive for my budget and lifestyle.

[Capricorn51]

Zappos

[chemocean]

Red Wing specialty is work boots. But they have numerous lines of causal boots. REI has a limited number of wide boots. You should be able to get a good fitting EE casual walking shoe or boot.

[runner3081]

I have not purchased a pair of shoes for myself in a store for nearly 10 years - all online. Probably 75+ pairs purchased in that time.

Check out Joe's New Balance Outlet.

[Sandtrap]

Yes. Shoes from Amazon.com (not 3rd party vendor) have a great return policy.

I have very wide "Hawaiian feet", maybe Islanders grow up wearing slippers so our feet flatten out like ducks walking on a sidewalk. Thus, it is very difficult to find wide shoes that are made for "normal" feet even in wide sizes in shape.

What has worked for me.
Sketchers: depends on the model but they fit well overall. Try and return until you find what works and if upsizing is needed. Sometimes swap out the laces for elastic laces. Or lace them as loose as possible and just step in and out of them like slippers. Many Hawaii islanders wear shoes like that. The back of the heel part is all squished down. Nobody wears shoes into a home. Never. Never ever.
New Balance: classic models "made in usa", some of them fit okay. None of the made overseas models fit, all have gone narrow. Also New Balance MW 577 in 4E, but depends on thickness of socks, and toes are a tad squishy.
The New Balance M587 used to be the gold standard in 2E, as long as made in USA, but not sure if it can be found anymore. I wore out tons of these at work and jogging 3x/week. At the time, they were the widest running of the NB line.
Dunham: mid cut waterproof boot (great for winter outside doing work etc)
Dunham: mid cut addison.
Muck Boots: brand: various types and sizes. Very good for wide feet doing outside chores.
Rockports: in XW. Sort of touch and go here. They used to be okay but sizing shape has changed since made elsewhere.
Justin Original Work Boots in 3E, not bad, inserts are rock hard so can swap them out for gel inserts. A lot of shoes get tighter with insert swaps so it depends.
Rubber slippers, sandals. Not all but certainly many more than the percentage of shoes for wide feet.
Bunny Slippers: for cold feet in winter, sizing is critical, if too tight the ears will be damaged.

I hope this is helpful for those with extra wide feet.
j

[Watty]

Be careful with buying New Balance shoes online, there have been problems with counterfeit shoes, and lots of other things.

A quick search found this.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunnin ... om_amazon/

At Amazon even if it is sold by Amazon you are still not safe since they mix the inventory from all sorts of sellers together.

Counterfeit items are a bigger problem than most people realize.

I have bought New Balance shoes online at Kohl's without any problems and they likely have better control over their supply chain. In their stores they often do not have the wide size I wear.

If you are near a major city New Balance does often have mall outlet stores in the shopping centers on the outskirts of the city.

[stoptothink]

Be careful with buying New Balance shoes online, there have been problems with counterfeit shoes, and lots of other things.

A quick search found this.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AdvancedRunnin ... om_amazon/

At Amazon even if it is sold by Amazon you are still not safe since they mix the inventory from all sorts of sellers together.

Counterfeit items are a bigger problem than most people realize.

I have bought New Balance shoes online at Kohl's without any problems and they likely have better control over their supply chain. In their stores they often do not have the wide size I wear.

If you are near a major city New Balance does often have mall outlet stores in the shopping centers on the outskirts of the city.

Joe's New Balance Outlet is the best deal in shoes out there if you are savvy with coupon codes and Rakuten (we'll usually stock up when they have 25% off $150 purchase + another 10% cash back from Rakuten). We buy 90% of our shoes for the entire family from there. I wouldn't worry about counterfeits from the company's official online outlet.

[megabad]

Zappos

+1

[livesoft]

I find EEEE shoes all the time. I don't think they are particularly wide though. In contrast, I've never seen E width.

I suggest you find a brand known for wide shoes. Altra is such a brand for walking, running, hiking shoes. Merrell has "extra wide", too.

[Bill2020]

I have not purchased a pair of shoes for myself in a store for nearly 10 years - all online. Probably 75+ pairs purchased in that time.

Check out Joe's New Balance Outlet.

My current new balance are from Joe's. But they have too much air flow for winter use.

[Exchme]

Well 6E fits me about right. New Balance is the only thing I can wear in sneakers. I get the 990's - I'm always paranoid they will stop making my size because there are only so many folks out there that are closely related to Bigfoot or Yetis, so I have several new pairs in my closet at all times. They sold their semi-dress "Dunham" line to somebody else a couple years ago, but last I checked the brand still existed.

[Super Hans]

Well 6E fits me about right. New Balance is the only thing I can wear in sneakers. I get the 990's - I'm always paranoid they will stop making my size because there are only so many folks out there that are closely related to Bigfoot or Yetis, so I have several new pairs in my closet at all times. They sold their semi-dress "Dunham" line to somebody else a couple years ago, but last I checked the brand still existed.

I don't know why the sizes aren't more standard, even within the same brand. For the 990s, the EEEE width fits great. I bought a couple pairs of other New Balance models made in Asia, and I can't squeeze into the same size. I guess I'm stuck paying triple the price. Meanwhile, in quasi-dress shoes, Mephisto in ordinary width is fine (but also expensive shoes).

[sawhorse]

I have extremely thick wide feet. I'm quite a small person otherwise, so I look like a cartoon character.

I get all my shoes at Zappos now.

Edit: I am female.

[livesoft]

And although I haven't done it, custom shoes are a thing to not shy away from.

[koryg75]

I have wide and very flat feet. Used to wear New Balance until I was steered to Brooks Beast. Comes in wide and great arch support. Updates every two years (even years) so the beast deals are at the end of odd years.

[Point]

I wear 4E. Keen shoes have a wide option and run wide in the toes anyway.

[Doom&Gloom]

As a wearer of 4E or 6E (also with high instep), I'll add a vote for New Balance. However, in my experience their sizing seems to wander all over the place with various styles, so a willingness to return them is necessary. I have not bought a pair of shoes in a B&M store in nearly 30 years.

I just bought a pair of bedroom slippers, and it was incredibly difficult to find exactly what I wanted in a pair of slippers that fit. After sending back a couple of pairs from different online sources I finally settled on a pair from LL Bean that are tight but I think will stretch enough with a little more wear.

[datadatum]

Just double-E here (not like some of you Neanderthals), and Amazon serves me just fine for most shoes.

[MN-Investor]

My sweetie wore 13EEE shoes. In addition to that, he had hammer toes (like his father and brother) and high arches, so he was very particular about getting shoes which fit. When he found a pair, he would typically buy a spare set (I donated more than a dozen pair of new shoes when he passed away). Anyway, he bought the majority of his shoes from Hitchcock Shoes. You might want to check them out. I know my sweetie loved his New Balance shoes.

[WardnerMan]

Other places to look:xlfeet.com and www.wideshoes.com (Hitchcock shoes) These people focus on wide feet. Hitchcock also understands that it is not just the width but also your toe box shape that makes a difference in shoe fit. For men, this is easier. For women, it is a whole different story. As for consistency of size - nope, shoes can vary as much as an inch and half in length for the same size. It is all shoe last dependent.

Wardnerman’s spouse

[Lynette]

Zappos

+1

+1
Unless it has changed, I found that Amazon often only has sizes that seem to be about to be discontinued. Amazon bought Zappos though it is run separately. I think I can use my Amazon ID to make purchases on Zappos. I don't remember all of the details of the interaction as I have not used Zappos for some time.

[mrb09]

Yes. Shoes from Amazon.com (not 3rd party vendor) have a great return policy.

Dunham: mid cut waterproof boot (great for winter outside doing work etc)

I get my shoes via Zappos with my amazon login. When I try shoes for the first time, I buy a couple of sizes and send the ones back that don't fit.

I have developed flat feet and a tailor's bunion, and I can't wear the old Merrell boots that I used to wear (Merrell doesn't do wide). I normally wear Brooks EE running shoes, but they're the last thing from waterproof. I second the Dunham recommendation, I got pair of Dunham waterproof "CloudWalkers", and so far very happy with them in the wet.

[khangaroo]

Another +1 for Keen. They also have excellent customer service. I just purchased the San Jose's for work and it was the easiest break-in of a work boot I've ever had. Super comfy for my wide feet.

[brennok]

Another vote for Zappos. Size 11 - 4E.

I go with Brooks Dyad though they seem to be getting narrower the last few models so switched to New Balance 840v3. I also like the Dunham Captain in black.

I have not had much luck finding another dress shoe or business casual shoe I like that fits comfortably so will check some of these other sites.

[Swansea]

I have not bought shoes here for years, but wide widths are their speciality

https://www.wideshoes.com

[Nowizard]

Can't speak for you, but I find that different shoes require sizes that may vary significantly to fit properly and would not buy on-line. Simply put, a large shoe store would generally solve the problem. Sketchers offers wide, casual and sports shoes, and wide shoes are ones I buy in all types.

Tim

[brennok]

Can't speak for you, but I find that different shoes require sizes that may vary significantly to fit properly and would not buy on-line. Simply put, a large shoe store would generally solve the problem. Sketchers offers wide, casual and sports shoes, and wide shoes are ones I buy in all types.

Tim

This is one of the perks of Zappos. Free returns. I order sometimes up to 10 pairs when I am looking for a new show. Return the ones that don't fit and keep the ones that do.