Favorite Work Shoes?

I know a lot of you guys work in vet clinics, boarding kennels, pet stores, and so forth. And we seem to have a lot of sneaker geeks here .

For that type of environment, what kind of shoes do you use? I'm SO hard on my shoes, I work in pet store retail on cement floors. I bought some Dr. Scholl's work specific shoes, and although they have been good as far as not giving me pain, I bought them in November I think and they are falling apart. I've tried thinner running sneaker types, I had a lot of pain. I tried New Balance tone ups, pretty, but I had a lot of foot pain and they frayed and fell apart. I'd really like to find something that is more durable than just a few months too.

I'm always in the fish tanks and getting the shoes wet, so breathable but water resistant is necessary too. I've looked at Danskos but I'm concerned that they are so enclosed, they wouldn't be very breathable and would smell.

I don't know, what do you guys wear?

I adore my Keens for work. I do lots and lots and lots of carry outs of big bags of dog food to customer cars. It's SO nice to be able to step in a puddle and not have wet feet the rest of the day!

I have these.

Lol... Chucks?

I like my pumas and NB Minimus too.

Well, I WOULD wear my VFFs but my boss says no because they look different :wall: But I do wear them, along with my pajamas, when I do weekend kennels

Instead, I wear these water shoes I find at Walmart. They're around $8 and full of awesome. They don't last more than a couple months, but for $8 that's okay with me. I just stock up to get through the winter months when they're not available. Super comfortable, minimalist, and still pass for regular shoes. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Op-Women-s-Ibiza-Water-Shoes/17772336

I will take a look at the Keens. We have Merrel too where I work, so maybe trail shoes like that would be best.

I wish we sold VFF's, I would feel so much more comfortable wearing them if we actually sold them haha.

I liked my Danskos when working in kennels - water resistant, comfy, durable, and pretty nonslip, too. I always wore socks in mine and had no issue with odor.

Keens look really cute and I want a pair, but I've never tried them to know how comfy they are...

I love my Chucks (like totally just bought another pair on clearance at Target today...) but I wouldn't recommend them if you're on your feet all day, especially if you have any kind of flat foot. Even working at a desk for most of my day, wearing them all day sometimes makes my feet hurt. If I make the mistake of wearing them somewhere I have to actually walk all day (I wore them to Chicago once... not my brightest moment), oh Lordie, woe to my feetsies.

My Kangaroos are probably my most comfortable sneakers to wear all day. Although one day I wore my Brooks Pureflows to work because I was going straight to the gym afterwards and that was like BEST FOOT DAY EVER, but I don't want to wear out my running shoes bumming around work. =P

Danskos are supposed to be incredibly comfortable and healthy for your feet. I think my mom got a pair when her feet started giving her trouble. They aren't super cute but she liked how they felt.

Wore Danskos at work and loved them!

Shoes for crews. But I forget what pair I have so that's probably not helpful.

I keep wanting to buy a pair of Danskos because EVERYBODY in the hospital back home were either in those or crocs. I know crocs don't fit into my dress code, but I'm hoping Danskos will?

I have never had shoes as comfy as my Keens for work. I can't wait to get a sandal pair this summer.

I wear VFFs or my DCs if it's cold out.

I have Nike Dual Fusions...
http://www.famousfootwear.com/en-US/Product/31787-1020151/Nike/Grey+Pink/Womens+Dual+Fusion.aspx

Not gonna help you with the water because of the mesh on top, but super comfortable. I'm on my feet 10-11 hours a day and it's no big deal. I've had shoes before where I couldn't even go for a quick 15 minute walk with the dogs without being in pain. So I'm happy with these guys. They're holding up well, I've had them for about a year and I haven't noticed any wear and tear on them.

i wear some crappy $20 shoes from payless that i bought when i had almost no money and work was demanding nonslip nonmark "safety" work shoes, so thats what i got. theyre black, leather, plain which suits me fine, but are not comfortable at all. thankfully my job involves a lot of randomness, kneeling, sitting, laying on the floor, standing, squatting, etc so im not literally "on my feet" for 8 hours. otherwise i think i might die. when i try VFFs and see if my toesies like them, ill get funny looks at work probably, when Im under a tub scrubbing the pipes with a toothbrush, whistling, and my funky shoes sticking out are all you can see :rofl1:

Good thread. I can never seem to find shoes that are really comfortable for my feet... I wasn't thrilled with my Asics and I just got these Nike's that are just... okay.

They're always comfortable for small walks, like 1-2 miles, but after that my feet get sore. I'd really like to be able to walk over 4 miles without being uncomfortable. It's not that I'm in excruciating pain, it's just that I think they should be comfier than they are?

Maybe it's just my feet, LOL. I *think* my arches are maybe kind of high, but I'm really not sure how to even tell. Definitely not flat feet.

I am on my feet all day on concrete, and Dansko's are the only shoes I can wear that don't make my hips ache by about hour six. They are also incredibly durable. I tried a pair of Ariat clogs for work, and they looked like crap in under a week.

Dansko's aren't like sneakers, in that you put them on and think "Oh my gosh, my feet feel like they are on clouds", but for whatever reason, they just work.

Foot doctor. Folks who work at a running shoe store, if they are well trained and well educated, can also give you an idea, but if you really want to know the details, a doctor is the way to go. A doctor can also give you a good idea of what kind of shoe you will need for your feet, then you can head back to a (quality) store and say "I need this and this and this kind of shoe" and they'll match you up. Google can probably also help steer you in the right direction if you google your needs, provided you don't have a quality shoe store around you.

Obviously, it's what fits your foot and your walking style the best, but I find myself the most comfortable in either New Balance or Avia. The New Balance are nice because I can order them in a "2E" width for no extra charge (most "wide" shoes for men are "4E" width and end up being too wide for me).

In the New Balance line, I usually gravitate to the "Cross Trainer" type for every day use. Decent support and they hold up well for me. Also, New Balance has always stood behind their product for me. My daughter had a pair break within a few weeks of getting them and the retailer refused to exchange them. A quick call to NB and they said, "Send them back, we'll ship you a new pair". I'm in the process of that with a pair I have now, which are well past a reasonable warranty period, but not "worn out". I made a comment about the eyelets breaking through and could they consider reinforcing them in the future. They asked for the shoes back so their engineers could see what happened and will send me a comparable current model of my choice.

All of my umpire shoes are New Balance and I plan to get another pair of "base" shoes this year (specialized with a "turf" sole). Currently, my base work shoe is the MX623 in all black and I have the armored "plate" shoes as well.

In the Avia line, I usually get the running type shoe. They are light with great support and cushioning. I do have trouble finding the wide widths, but I haven't done too much investigating in ordering them online.

I do have a pair of "Hi Tec" sneakers that I wear mostly for workouts. I got those on a closeout BOGO deal when I bought a pair of New Balance at an Olympia Sports (the location was closing down). They have held up well and are light enough that my legs don't feel tired at the end of the workout (beyond the normal "workout tired"). I wish they had a little more arch support, but if I put an insert in there, they are perfect.

Edit: I also recently purchased a cheap pair of Nike sneakers to have another pair to "swap out". I find it's a good idea (for me) to change my shoes frequently, especially if I'm on my feet a lot during the day.

Too much info? Sorry

I first bought my cinemas specifically for working in a boarding kennel. Better traction and quick drying when washing down kennels.

I work in retail and the dress code is black formal shoes so I wear Steve Madden walker boots. They've been lasting extremely well actually. Comfy too.

A lot of people adore Danskos but they don't fit my feet well. I have to wear orthotics in my shoes and they really throw off the fit of the Danskos for some reason.

I wear running shoes. I think my current pair are Nikes, but I just went to a running store and had them help me pick out a well-fitting and comfortable pair. When one pair runs out, I go back and say THANK YOU PLEASE MAY I HAVE ANOTHER PAIR until the particular model isn't made anymore and then start all over again.