Shoe shops should let you mix and match sizes, amirite?

The remaining shoes should be given to the void, I guess.

by Shot-Sherbert 2 days ago

I guess it's not unreasonable to assume that there as many people with a left foot 1 size bigger than the right as there are people with a right foot 1 size bigger than the left. I could see it working when ordering shoes online, you have a big enough pool of customers that you can use that assumption and it will average out to being about the same. In a store the catchment area is probably too small though and you would end up with those leftover shoes.

by Anais08 2 days ago

The shoe shops just have to partner with the pirate shops to get rid of the odd ones

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Send them back to the manufacturer / distributor. If enough people buy mismatched pairs, eventually they'll get two of the same size back, and they can make a matched pair again.

by Human-Air5629 2 days ago

Obviously I know this would be a logistical nightmare, but wouldn't it be good if it was a thing! For you, maybe. But when everybody is now paying extra for shoes because of the amount of wastage on buying and having to eventually throw a bunch of unsold, unmatched shoes away. It's not so good.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

The matching would be available to all customers, so it becomes a domino exchange. Person A takes sizes 5 and 6, person B 6 and 7, person C 4 and 5, and so on. Most people only need to match one size up or down. Simply price shoes as 'x per shoe' instead of a pair. Inevitably, there'd be some sizes which are more popular and less popular, the market would adjust. It's not like shoes are produced as a pair automatically. You still need to make each item separately, they're just packed together.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Most people would still be taking matching pairs. And the "mismatched" mair doesn't account for which shoe is the smaller size. There's going to be much more wastage and everybody else will take the brunt of the cost.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Wouldn't do that to the shoe shops. Just use an insole or get custom shoes made if you have such differing shoe sizes. But yes, probably an unpopular opinion.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Why not get shoes hand made for yourself? Custom made shoes are pricey, but they tend to quality and with better longevity.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I don't think it's as common as you think. Also, it looks better to have the same shoe on the outside, what should be easier is finding ways to alter the inside of the shoes to fit one's feet to make them comfortable.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Easier to get the slightly larger shoe adjusted, for instance via insoles.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Shoemakers do. You can get shoes in any size you want.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Living in a bubble, I see

by mariewiegand 2 days ago

This would not be commercially profitable for most manufacturers. Not only 99% of their customers don't have that problem, but the 1% that do will often buy two pairs, thus making them more money. But there are brands that make shoes in customizable sizes, they tend to be quite expensive though.

by georgedach 2 days ago

Find a software developer and make a mismatched shoe size mapping app. It finds people with your opposite sizing and you can trade shoes with one another. Sure, it sucks to buy two pairs of shoes, but one of your shoe buddies may help offset the cost.

by Jolly_Willow6716 2 days ago