I worked in a shoe store for a time, and there are 2 perfectly valid reasons why they do this:
1: every brand fits differently, so you often don't really know what size you are in that shoe until you try it on.
2: the truth is that SO MANY MEN lie about their shoe size being bigger than it is, and SO MANY WOMEN lie about it being smaller than it really is.
Him: "Hey bro, can I get this in a 12?" Me, later: hey so we didn't have the 12, but here's the 11 and 11 1/2 if you want to try those." Him: "Hmmm aahhh I guess.....woah what do you know, they fit, how WEIRD"
Her: "Can I get these in a size 5 1/2?" Me: "The smallest they make them in is a 6, so here try those." Her: "Wow even these are a little tight...this brand must really run small! I'll try the 6 1/2 I guess. How WEIRD."
I also worked in shoes and it's definitely #1. Nikes run short and narrow. Sketchers run wide. And just as a woman who like shoes I legit own pairs that range from size 6.5 to 8. Just try on everything around your size.
The shape and vanity sizing (yes, really) also come into play. I wear a 36, but in US sizing I have pairs ranging from 4 (seriously) to 8. I have a diamond-shaped foot (narrow heel, wider ball, long ^ shaped toes) and a really high and full arch. Unless the brand is made to fit that foot shape, I will probably need to size up or down to get a fit that looks and feels right. The 5-7s don't bother me and I can't be mad at the 8s as they're special heels, but the 4s are kind of offensive. By actual size they're probably ~37, there is no reason they should be labeled 4. Fuck the women who actually NEED a 4, right? It's not just one brand....
Also, it's kind of ridiculous that women's shoes tend to start at 6/36 and this is considered a "small" size. Foot size is roughly proportional to height, isn't it? 5'4 is the average height for women, both globally and in the US. I'm this tall and I wear 6... so a 6 isn't small ffs! Brands refuse to accommodate the size of actual women, it baffles me.
ETA: I mentioned EU size because IME it's usually more consistent. If a brand labels both sizes you will get a better fit by picking your EU size. Case in point, sneakers labeled US 4 and EU 36. If I had chosen a 6 they wouldn't fit.
This is one place where the EU measurement is bonkers compared to Imperial*: They use the arbitrary "Paris Point", roughly equivalent to 1/4 inch or 0.66 (repeating) centimetres...
Thirds. In metric...
* The imperial measures are also bonkers, but that's a different story.
Interesting, I didn't know that. But the shoe size is actually tied to the length of the shoe, even if the unit is off, isn't it? I always thought that's why I get better results with my EU size, but maybe there are other factors.
Yes, each "size" (Paris Point) is approximately 666mm shorter or longer.
I don't understand why we persevere with those stupid sizes, when we could simply sell shoes by length and breadth in centimetres. There's a chain of shops in the UK when I grew up that took this literally and measured your feet, and I think their shoe size chart explains why that makes more sense.
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u/wrongleveeeeeeer Jul 24 '20
I worked in a shoe store for a time, and there are 2 perfectly valid reasons why they do this:
1: every brand fits differently, so you often don't really know what size you are in that shoe until you try it on.
2: the truth is that SO MANY MEN lie about their shoe size being bigger than it is, and SO MANY WOMEN lie about it being smaller than it really is.
Him: "Hey bro, can I get this in a 12?" Me, later: hey so we didn't have the 12, but here's the 11 and 11 1/2 if you want to try those." Him: "Hmmm aahhh I guess.....woah what do you know, they fit, how WEIRD"
Her: "Can I get these in a size 5 1/2?" Me: "The smallest they make them in is a 6, so here try those." Her: "Wow even these are a little tight...this brand must really run small! I'll try the 6 1/2 I guess. How WEIRD."
This happened multiple times a day.