Rule 2 is shop for shoes later in the day when your foot has expanded.
Sorry, but I would rather go barefoot than wear Birkenstocks. In addition, I have a narrow foot…and the are WIDE.
I’ve been seeing some pretty stylish people wearing Birkenstocks lately. They seem to be having a style moment in LA right now. (I don’t wear them).
@nottelling - You’re right, I’ve seen more of them lately, in LA as well. I have a narrow foot, especially my heel so Birkenstocks don’t work for me. I’ve found that various Skechers styles work well for me, Go Walks and some of their sandals. Rainbow sandals are nice, also.
YSL and Givenchy made their versions of Birks, I believe. There are possibly other designers who teamed up with Birks.
It’s fine that Birks are worn by others. I don’t like them. They don’t fit me. And I won’t buy them.
But back to the OP…good shoes can be expensive. I spend more on my shoes for comfort and support.
How do you use the pro stretch? I can see how your foot goes in it but what do you do with it? Do you get a set or just one?
No Birkenstocks for me either! Just don’t care for the look.
“It’s fine that Birks are worn by others. I don’t like them. They don’t fit me. And I won’t buy them.”
Ditto. I am into Paul Green shoes. 
Birks are definitely worn by me. I have high arches and they fill in the potential space so my arches have something to lay on.
I don’t care how they look, I have worn them for 25 years.
But I can only wear the sandals, Birk clogs are too lose and don’t support my arches as well.
Dansko is the clog I wear for arch support.
My profession requires standing on your feet most of the day.
Lab chemists stand on their feet all day. Worse than nurses, chemists literally stand in one spot while collecting fractions, mixing chemicals, etc. And we needed closed toe shoes, because when that sulfuric acid accidentally spills, you don’t want to be in sandals. Never felt the urge to get Danskos. B-) But I would buy the cheapest pair of Clarks and wear them to shreds.
ETA - those Clarks never left my office.
I love Dansko clogs. I’ve been wearing them for almost 20 years now. I’m on my second pair, but it’s time to replace them. (Call me frugal, but they wear like iron. 
) The Clarks last just doesn’t work for my feet, for some reason. Too bad, because they are significantly cheaper.
The Danskos were really wonderful when I had my chocolate business. Many hours of standing.
My feet just aren’t sized for Dansko clogs. They never fit right. I find Clarks to be very comfortable. Same with aerosoles. The rubber sole makes them easy to wear for long periods of time. And when I get sick of them, they are inexpensive to replace.
@psychmomma, you put your foot on it and rock back (so front of your foot is off the ground.) Then you hold it for a 15 count. I repeat that 5 times then do the same on other foot. You only need one. You also need something to hold onto - I use my kitchen island. I rock back to the point of “sweet discomfort.”
There is a pro stretch plus on the market now and doubles - but for my purposes the plain pro- stretch is fine.
Here’s a video: https://youtu.be/Juk0yA9MuaI
I battled a bout of PF. FWIW, I was able to heal it by using a foam roller on my calves. Turns out thos suckers were really stuck in all the wrong places. Rolling out the fibers, tendons fascia and muscle fibers resolved the PF. That said Spenco flip flops were my life saver http://www.6pm.com/spenco-women-sandals~1 currently on sale…
Those Spenco’s are cute!!! I’m not a flip flop wearer - I like a thong but need a back strap - but I want that red “YUMI Snake” pair!!!
Those Spenco’s really stay on your feet…unlike a number of back-strapless sandals I’ve owned. They have a metatarsal bump as well as a deep heel cup. I own about 6 pair of the Yumi’s.
I’m tempted to get this red ones.
I wear Teva’s all the time. Winter is tough for me without them. I wear Danskos, but after a few years of them, I feel like the upward pointed toe is starting to bother my feet in new ways. I am in search of a semi-nice shoe with an arch support, and have gone through several large zappos orders and haven’t found the right thing yet. Clarkes are close though.
I never used that foot stretcher but it looks good. I did roll my foot over a frozen water bottle. I also did an exercise where I picked up a towel with my feet (10 times each foot a few times a day). I did a lot of stretching, especially before getting out of bed. My PF lasted for 8 months, and I continue to be careful with my feet. Every now and then I get a twinge, just as a reminder.
I know that twinge feeling very well. Have been doing the exercises you all have been talking about…hope it works soon. I need to break down and but slip on slippers with arch support for the winter months, too.
Conmama, check out Oofos flipflops and clogs. Distance runners use them as post-run recovery shoes. That’s what I wear as my house slippers. They are amazingly supportive and cushioned. Don’t be fooled by the look! Make sure to try your usual size and a size smaller and a size bigger.