Fun fact about me, I used to be a shoe salesperson at Nordstrom. It was my second job in college. The first one at Maggianno’s curbside didn’t end well. Let’s just say not having a car made it hard for me to get to work and I think I got fired? I honestly can’t remember. But my second job in college was at Nordstrom. A store I love and grew up shopping at my entire life. I even participated on the BP Fashion Board back in high school. Nordstrom has a special spot in my heart.
The job was the best. 20% commission on all our sales in the shoe department, which is the highest in the whole store. And nothing was better than when you had someone come in who wanted to buy a designer shoe. The commission was SO good. At 19 years old, this was a big deal. Plus, running up and down the stairs to get shoes for customers helped me keep the Freshman 15 off. A win-win. We would run up and down up to three flights of stairs to get shoes for one customer. It was a serious workout!
But one thing I will never, ever, forget, was a training session we did one early morning as a team. It was a sales training session and I remember it so vividly. And one thing we learned that has stuck with me ever since, is the way to get any shoe to fit better. If a shoe is ever so slightly too big and your heel flops out of the back, I can make it fit perfectly. This came in handy for a few reasons. Sometimes we either didn’t have a smaller size, or the smaller size was too small. The customer was in between. The trick? Put a very thin pad in the ball of the foot.
You can even sometimes disguise this by pulling up the insole and placing it in the footbed. Super thin. I’m talking a couple of millimeters, not even. We kept these in the back and they made all the difference. It’s now my secret weapon to make shoes not only fit better, but be more comfortable with a little extra cushion.
How To Make Shoes Fit Perfectly
Ever have a shoe that your heel just flops out of while you walk? Or a pair of sandals that are just a bit too big and your foot slides forward? This little tip will turn those shoes into the most perfect fitting shoe.
The Mistake People Usually Make
Often, people make the mistake of putting something in the heel of a shoe if it’s too big. You’ve seen the little thin long strips that stick to the heel of the shoe and hugs your foot. Sure, it may feel snug, but guess what? All that’s doing is shoving your foot further into the footbed of the shoe. Which is not comfortable!
Your shoe should fit your foot at the widest part for ultimate comfort. So by pushing your foot forward, you are cramming it into the footbed and your shoes will not be comfortable. Sure they may stay on your feet because you’ve filled in any spaces with sticky shoe fillers. But you’ll hate wearing them.
The Little Shoe Trick I Love
Instead, what you want to do and what we did often for customers, was put something thin in the footbed of the shoe to push your foot BACK into the heel. This allowed the widest part of your foot to still stay at the widest part of the shoe (hello comfort) and makes the shoe fit your foot perfectly.
Foot Petals is a great brand that makes a really thin footpad that you can put in the front of the shoe. These are great for two reasons. They help make the shoe fit better but it’s also added comfort. Another layer of cushion. Target also has its own brand too which I’m using today. They’re perfect. Just pop them in with the little sticky side down, and voila. Your shoe fits. Period.
They have several options too. I always start with the ball of foot inserts. This pushes your foot back and into the heel of the shoe. If your foot is still flopping out of the heel, you can then, and only then, add the back of heel insert. Some shoes I’ve even done these long strips too as you see in the sandals. These sandals are a half size too big for me and my foot kept pushing way forward. I put this full-length insert in to push my foot both up and back. Now the shoe fits perfectly and it’s a little extra layer of cushion. These are now super comfortable and fit perfectly!
Shop The Foot Pads
