What Size Shoe Do You wear?

If you will indulge me, as I don't know if we have done this before - or I really don't want to look - please indicate your 'typical' shoe size. What I am really trying to find out is the amount of customers who are 'off the grid' of what has become typical buying patterns for shops these days. More and more, shops are buying 9-11 only, satisfied to serve what most in my business believe is 70% of the market. I still believe in 'niche' marketing, so you may be able to tell where I am going with this, but small independent shops and brands need to focus on what the big boys pass on, IMO.....so please take a moment and let's see what a sample actually tells us about the marketplace for footwear. Also, Tutee's post about 1930's footwear reminded me what it was like some time ago, when I first began and merchandising/servicing a customer was much simpler than it is now. In the past, the market basically required an investment in 5-8 main patterns/colors....this allowed for a focus on sizes and fit. Sometime in the 80's (from my view), the requirements of customers changed so that shops had to focus on a much broader selection of merchandise - sales didn't go up, neccessarily, so size scales went down, as owners were forced to spread their available funds across a much greater sku pattern. At the same time, the marketers took over the business and they saw little return in an investment in sizes/widths....it was easier to simply open more accounts selling the same 10 shoes in the same small size scale.

I believe there is opportunity, still, in serving a group of clients of a certain size scale.....I won't say which of these options I am thinking of, but would like to establish some 'proof', as it were. Or, if I am wrong based on a small sample here, at least there can be some indiation to other posters here who regularly wonder why such-and-such a brand only offers XYZ sizes which they can't wear.

So, if you could, please take a second to check off your 'typical' size (no need to get exact, or reference different lasts, just getting a range) and, hopefully, I will get enough replies to 'see something'.

For this, I have done ranges, as the poll options will not allow exact sizes in the amount I am asking.....and for width I consider the following:

AA/A/B = Narrow
C/D/E = Medium
EE/EEE/EEEE = Wide

Thanks for participating -

Ron

Originally Posted by RIDER

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For this, I have done ranges, as the poll options will not allow exact sizes in the amount I am asking.....and for width I consider the following:

AA/A/B = Narrow
C/D/E = Medium
EE/EEE/EEEE = Wide
You consider E as medium?

I always thought it was wide.

Originally Posted by Jumbie

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You consider E as medium?

I always thought it was wide.

For my uses, yes......on the fitting stool, when an E is required, at least half the time it is due to a high instep and not a true E width on the scale. In this case, where American lasts are standardized with a lower instep measure than International lasts, I am going to consider it a medium - and, again, I didn't have the room in the poll options to indicate individual letter widths.

In practice, customers who are fit in in-between widths are often 'cheating'.....C and E, for example. In most cases they really need a different structured last than a different width.

I'm 9 EE for dress shoes, 9.5 EE for runners. It is frustrating trying to find 9 EE dress shoes (there are many more options for running shoes, though). Many of you who have not had to search for wide shoes might not understand the difficulty; almost all dress shoes are made in normal width, and only occasionally do anything but the most conservative and cliche of styles make it into a wide. And I won't even touch on finding wide dress shoes on sale.

It's been very difficult building a respectable shoe collection.

I am wearing some where between 9 medium and 9 wide.

Please make narrow shoes!!!!!!

Originally Posted by philosophe

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Please make narrow shoes!!!!!!



I was expecting that one.....

ok, now I am going on vacation - hopefully I'll be able to see mails occasionally, as it's supposed to rain all week -

Anyway, keep it up - thanks.

Ron

And how about letting customers mix and match shoes for both feet, separately?

My right foot is slightly bigger than my left foot, and it is hell to find shoes that are comfortable for both feet.

Originally Posted by Metlin

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And how about letting customers mix and match shoes for both feet, separately?

Likely cost-prohibitive.

Originally Posted by Style Pontifex

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I'm 9 EE for dress shoes, 9.5 EE for runners. It is frustrating trying to find 9 EE dress shoes (there are many more options for running shoes, though). Many of you who have not had to search for wide shoes might not understand the difficulty; almost all dress shoes are made in normal width, and only occasionally do anything but the most conservative and cliche of styles make it into a wide. And I won't even touch on finding wide dress shoes on sale.

It's been very difficult building a respectable shoe collection.

+1

l suppose we are talking U.S.A sizes? Size 9 U.S medium to wide.

I'm actually not sure.

I wear something like 8-9, but according to sizing charts I should be something like a 6-7.

my shoes range in size from 13-15. the sizing is that much different for each different company.

Originally Posted by JordanH.

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my shoes range in size from 13-15. the sizing is that much different for each different company.

Can be.....there is also a difference in how some EU brands label, of course. Many stick to UK sizes, or as sometimes happens in production, workers forget to switch the stamp from UK to US. Very few Italians, anyway, stock a true US last.

Small sample so far, but first thing I notice is the few 14+ list M or W......experience on the fitting stool shows that MOST 14+ lengths wear Narrow widths, but don't know it. Example, many customers would come in and say 'do you have this in 14?' and when measured turns out they need 16 A or B. I'd say larger feet are mis-fit to a far greater degree than smaller feet.

The old method of sizing for stock, when we could buy these range of sizes was:

short/wide
medium/medium
long/narrow

XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXX

Anyway, need help.......would love to get at least 1000 replies to this -

Ron

Originally Posted by Metlin

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And how about letting customers mix and match shoes for both feet, separately?

My right foot is slightly bigger than my left foot, and it is hell to find shoes that are comfortable for both feet.

Ron has tried that.