I recently stated a job in a warehouse. It’s decent work, with better pay than I’ve been having.
I do have a major problem though. I’m on my feet for 10 hours a day, walking on bare concrete and the flooring of truck trailers. This is more than I’ve been on them for over 2 years. Needless to say I’m in quite a bit of pain by the end of the day. Part of the problem is that I’m using cheap Walmart shoes. I think I paid $13 for them when I got them. I tried adding Dr. Shoals massaging inserts, but that really didn’t help at all.
The only regulation I have in regards to foot wear is they have to be closed toe. What would you recommend I go with? I’d prefer something that isn’t outrageously priced, but I’m willing to go upwards of $120 if need be.
I’m going to be real original and recommend Rockport of the dressport series again.
Perhaps you didn’t try the right Dr Scholls footbed. I’m not sure how to advise you on the best ones there but I do know that the right ones can make a big difference. I don’t see why massaging inserts would be best when walking on concrete.
I’ve heard fairly good things about Keen shoes and I’m expecting a delivery from Zappos by the end of the week. Perhaps some other Dopers are wearing them?
Much depends on what brands of shoes fit your foot properly. I’d go with something with a nice cushiony rubber or Vibram sole, and I’d go to a shoe store with a wide range of quality brands and get fitted by someone who really knows shoes. Arch support is also very important. You might try a more serious athletic orthotic insert instead of the Dr. Scholl’s. A lot of people like Superfeet.
Buying cheap shoes isn’t going to save you money in the end IMHO, especially when you take wear and tear on your body into account. Keen and Rockport both make good shoes, and so do Dansko, Merrell, Mephisto, and quite a number of others. But fit, support, and cushioning are key. Once you figure out what styles and brands work best for you, you can often find good deals at places like 6pm.com.
I have a pair. I work 10-14 hours a day and my pedometer would say I sometimes take over 30,000 steps per day. Not only are they supremely comfortable, they take a beating and keep on eating. Mine ran about $140 but they’re literally the best shoes I have ever had in every measurable way. I’ve had them 6 months and they’re not even complaining yet.
For the brands mentioned, a good closeout place I use is Sierra Trading Post. I buy most of my shoes from there, as prices are often half retail. Sometimes more. There are often email coupons for 30-45% additional off, and a discount just for signing up the first time.
My last two ‘shoes’ were motorcycle boots (well, Skecher boots) with Dr Scholls inserts in them.
These boots alone, are awful, but paired with these insoles, they (once broken in) were the most comfortable foot ware I ever owned. I wore through two pairs of them until they had holes in the bottom that let water in, then they made some changes and the third pair fell apart inside of two or three months. Literally fell apart. That was just the bottom, the sides wore out really fast as well. Anyways, a nice pair of broken in boots with some comfortable insoles is a good option.
Just recently I had surgery and needed something I could somewhat loosely tie once and slip in and out of so I picked up these Adidas Response Boost. I told myself I only wanted to spend $75 or so, but the difference between the $75 shoes and these $100 shoes was huge. These shoes are like walking on a cloud. And it wasn’t just because they were new, I’ve been wearing them everyday, all day, for almost a month now and I still love them. I’d wager that all the various Boost shoes with that styrofoam looking sole are probably pretty similar. You might want to stop by a Sports Authority or other shoe store and try some of them on.
Speak to your colleagues and see what they recommend. Do check about steel toecaps. And once you’ve found a pair that work for you, buy two more pairs and rotate them.
BTW over here personal protective equipment - including safety boots - has to be paid for by the employer. Does that not happen in America?
If you don’t want to order online, I suiggest going to your local Work & Gear or uniform store. They sell work shoes for all sorts of on-your-feet occupations. My current work boots come from there – I got them on sale for 30% off so they ended up being in the $80 range. You never know! Plus I can’t order shoes online – I need an actual in-person fit because my feet are a mess.
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BTW over here personal protective equipment - including safety boots - has to be paid for by the employer. Does that not happen in America?
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The most an employer will pay for is a basic uniform – depending on the job, a shirt, say, and/or an apron or jacket and/or a hat. Everything else is on you. OTOH if you itemize your deductions, you can take it off your income tax. I’ve been doing that for years.
I second the advice to go with a steel toe. From your description, it seems like you’ll be working around pallets and forklifts and other “heavy” things. These things are not conducive to threat-free walking. Now, dropping a pallet or heavy box on your foot would ruin your day, but you don’t even have to drop anything on your foot. Just stubbing your toe on a pallet is going to be painful. And if you ever DO drop a pallet on your foot, you’ll be extremely glad you had the steel toes.
I’ve had decent luck with Dr. Scholl’s “Work” insoles. I’ve got a pair of them in my Ren Faire boots, and they get me through 10+ hour days of walking, standing and dancing on ground so hard-packed it may as well be concrete.
Give REI and Red Wing stores a try. Sales people are knowledgeable and can steer you in the right direction. On-line stores cannot give you a good fit.
Thanks for all the advice folks. I’m going to look into everything recommended and see what I can find. Asking coworkers advice won’t help unfortunately. A lot of them are wearing shoes similar to mine.
I will be working around pallet jacks, forklifts, cherry pickers, etc, so steel toed is definitely going to be something I’m going to go for. I already had my foot ran over. Luckily it didn’t do any damage.
