I just looked this up and I wonder, are you my long lost twin?
I recently had a callus-like pad removed from the ball of my foot, under the fourth toe, and it looked and felt just like the description of Morton’s neuroma I just googled for.
I too prefer blunt toed shoes, and need good support.
6pm is owned by Zappos. I rarely buy shoes anywhere else the deals are so good. They carry a lot of comfort brands like Clark’s and have sales constantly that offer even bigger discounts on already marked down shoes. I’ve gotten a few that don’t fit and I’ve taken then to an upscale resale shop. If I spent ore than $25 I probably would send them back.
I have a, um, few more pairs than four.
I buy Danskos, Keen, and Tevas online, often from Ebay. I know what size I wear in those. A good rule is- buy your pocketbooks and clothing wherever you get a deal, whether it be GoodWill, thrift store, or Ross’s type discount stores- buy your shoes and underwear new, and get the best quality you can afford. Danskos of the clog type are near ubiquitous in the health care field due to comfort and orthotic like footbeds. A bootmaker friend echoed the size up philosophy- and I often buy athletic shoes in men’s for the wider toe box . In heels it’s pretty much Sofft, and I don’t wear them often at all so they are classics. I wear rubber boots a lot, given I live West of Seattle by quite a bit, and the best there are men’s XtraTuff, aka Alaska tennis shoes. They have a shank. I have snow boots, wore them once this year, Merrells. Another round toed comfy brand.
I’ll throw in a plug for Onlineshoes.com. They, like Zappo’s, have a one-year return policy, and they include a return label with the shoes. It took a couple of tries for me to get shoes I really liked, but then I discovered that Walking Cradles brand fits my feet well and they have sensible shoes that look professional. The site often has online coupons and sales, but the shoes I’ve bought (and kept) would have been worth full retail, given their comfort and how long they last.
I have worn the same model for 10 or 15 years and mail order is fine for that. I buy from Zappos since that is the only way I can get 14W.
Although it does not quite fit the OP’s needs, Joe’s New Balance Outlet is a great place to get running shoes on the cheap. Since many runners want to buy the same shoe year after year, it is an ideal situation as they frequently carry older models.
Actually, I really like that site as well. I have a pair of New Balance athletic shoes and really like the way they feel.
Just make sure you aren’t lazy like me. I have 6 or 7 pairs of shoes total that don’t fit, and I missed the window for returning them.