There are few things more wasteful than buying a pair of shoes that does not fit well. Either you do not wear them because they are uncomfortable or, worse, you wear them and deal with the discomfort while possibly harming your feet. There are a few guidelines you can use to increase the chances your shoes will be comfortable and harmful to your feet.

The best time of day to try on shoes is in the afternoon because your feet tend to be more swollen than in the morning. You should also wear socks of the proper type for the shoes you are looking to buy. Wearing thick cotton socks while trying on dress shoes will result in a loose fit when wearing dress hosiery with the shoes.

Insist that the salesperson measure both feet, including the width. A large percentage of people have one foot at least one size larger than the other in length and/or width. Many ? if not most ? shoe retailers do not carry narrow sizes. Some shoe companies do not even offer them. New Balance is the rare company that offers athletic shoes for people with narrow feet.

Insist on shoes of the proper width. This may require the shoe retailer to special order shoes in your size. If they balk at the request, it is time to find another shoe store. Shoes that are too wide do not provide adequate control. This is especially true for people with flat feet. The length of shoes should be comfortable, but not so long that you can feel more than a thumb width between your longest toe and the end of the shoe.

If your feet are more than one shoe size different from each other, you may want to consider buying a mismatched pair. Birkenstock and P.W. Minor are two companies that offer mismatched pairs of shoes, albeit at a higher cost than a matched pair of shoes. There are also several websites that offer single and mismatched shoes, including MixMatchShoes.com and OneShoeTwoShoe.net. Another site, OddShoeFinder.com, allows users with mismatched feet to buy and sell their unused mismates left over from buying the same style shoes in two different sizes.

If you wear orthotics, make sure you try them on with the shoes. Some shoes (P.W. Minor, e.g., offers deep shoes.) are made especially deep to allow insertion of orthotics. Wearing such shoes without orthotics can result in the top of the shoe scraping against your anklebone, so check to make sure the tops of the shoes are not too high. Ask your podiatrist or orthopedist to be sure, but those who wear orthotics should probably make sure the insoles of the shoes are removable.

Walk a little in the shoes to ensure that they fit properly around your heels, insteps, balls, and toes. If you tend to often be in positions other than standing or sitting while wearing the shoes (E.g., a construction worker or a hobby gardener who may spend a lot of time crouching.), test the comfort and fit of the shoes while you are in those positions.