Suggestions for where to buy comfy work shoes

September 29, 2010 4:07 PM

Shoe question - I like brands such as Clarks, Born, Dansko, etc. for work and was wondering if anyone has suggestions of where to buy them. I'm looking for a bargain on these brands but with a good variety of styles to choose from. Also if you have a favorite brand you'd like to share, that would be great. As much as I love the way heels and strappy shoes look, they aren't practical for all day wear and I'm a sissy about foot pain. I need shoes that look professional but are hopefully not too masculine and are going to be comfortable all day.
posted by greensalsa to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (16 answers total)

Sierra Trading Post sells closeouts and discontinued items and suchlike, and carries a lot of comfort-shoe brands.

REI Outlet and Zappos affiliate 6pm are probably worth looking at as well.
posted by box at 4:11 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

For Clarks, I really like DSW. I have gotten a couple of pairs of Clarks there for way less than retail. Downside is DSW is very hit-or-miss, so you have to check regularly... sometimes there's a great variety of practical/sensible shoes and sometimes it's all heels and sandals, it seems. I've also bought super comfy Privos (by Clarks) and BOC (by Born) at DSW.
posted by dayintoday at 4:13 PM on September 29, 2010

I stock up on SAS dress sandals for work. Very comfy when you're standing in front of a classroom for a few hours per day. eBay is usually my friend here (full-price sandals regularly go for about $80-$100).
posted by thomas j wise at 4:38 PM on September 29, 2010

Seconding 6pm.com. Because they're an overstock sale site for Zappos the stock isn't always consistent, but I've gotten great deals on Borns and Clarks there.
posted by something something at 4:41 PM on September 29, 2010

I've gotten good deals on Clarks on Amazon.com. Prices will vary depending on style, color and even size, but if you get the right combination, you can save anywhere from 10 to 70% off retail.
posted by platinum at 4:47 PM on September 29, 2010

Seconding DSW. Though I haven't seen them at DSW, another brand I love is Naot - some of their strappy sandals support me better than many of my less-strappy Born's or even Keens.
posted by ldthomps at 4:53 PM on September 29, 2010

BORN are my favorites too. shoes.com is having 20% off Born shoes until tomorrow with the code BORN. Additionally, I usually get my shoes here because there is generally a 20% code available for the site.
posted by smalls at 5:29 PM on September 29, 2010

These are mostly the type of shoes I wear, and I either get them at Zappos, 6pm, or a variety of local stores which have the words "comfort shoes" in their name (in case you want to search and buy local to you).
posted by matildaben at 5:45 PM on September 29, 2010

The Dankso Outlet sells their overstocks and discontinued styles at a lower price.
posted by honeybee413 at 6:25 PM on September 29, 2010

I have these flats from Earth Origins and I love them. Very comfortable and cute. I got them at Famous Footwear for cheaper.
posted by radioamy at 6:53 PM on September 29, 2010

6pm is just what you need. The best thing about 6pm: in addition to their regular clearance stock, they regularly have extra sales on various brands. So check the website everyday, and soon enough you'll see "up to 70% off of born!" and so on. Sizes and colors tend to be limited, but I've gotten some great deals on Danskos, Sanitas, Clarks, and other shoes this way.

Speaking of Sanitas: do you know about them? They used to make the soles for Danko, and the companies parted ways. They make great shoes. In fact, I find them a tad more comfy than my Danskos if you can imagine such a thing.

The Original Clog Outlet is a great place to get Sanitas on sale.

Many of these outlet spots (6pm, Sierra Trading Post) have similar styles and such--again, these are typically last year's colors. But you can get great deals, especially once you know your size.

I also recently saw some cute Danskos and Sanitas on sale for a great price at my local Marshall's.
posted by bluedaisy at 8:47 PM on September 29, 2010

Oh! If you feel like splurging, or don't mind waiting around for sales, Fluevogs are pretty awesome. They're incredibly well made, cute, and comfortable (the lower-heeled varieties, anyway).

Here's a pair for $189 that's awfully cute, and here's another darling pair for $89.
posted by bluedaisy at 8:58 PM on September 29, 2010

Gah, I have more to tell you! I suspect you will really like the blog Barking Dog Shoes. She's got tons of ideas for comfy, mostly cute shoes.
posted by bluedaisy at 9:00 PM on September 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

Somehow I received a dead-tree catalog for Footsmart.com. When I got over feeling like my AARP card must be just around the corner, I found they actually have some pretty nice shoes. They also have a big selection of other helpful foot-care items, like orthotics and attractive support hose.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:30 AM on September 30, 2010

I try on Dansko shoes at REI to make sure which size I need and what model I like and then buy them on eBay. Sometimes they're lightly used, but they're Dansko's so they hold up really well. I usually pay around 50% of MSRP on eBay. The downside, of course, being that sometimes you have to wait awhile to get what you want.
posted by shornco at 7:56 AM on September 30, 2010

I almost exclusively wear Clarks and Bass shoes for professional purposes. And those I almost always buy at outlet malls. Clarks is part of the Bostonian stores when it comes to outlets, and based on your CA location in your profile, you've got these in state:

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
DESERT HILLS PREMIUM OUTLET
48400 SEMINOLE DRIVE
CABAZON, CA 92230
951-849-6660

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
CAMARILLO PREMIUM OUTLETS
950 CAMARILLO CENTER DRIVE
CAMARILLO, CA 93010
805-445-2942

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
CARLSBAD COMPANY STORES
5630 PASEO DEL NORTE
CARLSBAD, CA 92008
760-603-8252

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
CITADEL OUTLETS
100 CITADEL DRIVE
COMMERCE, CA 90040
323-887-1181

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
GILROY PREMIUM OUTLETS
8325 ARROYO CIRCLE
GILROY, CA 95020
408-848-4518

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
NAPA PREMIUM OUTLETS
629 FACTORY STORES DRIVE
NAPA, CA 94558
707-226-1546

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
ONTARIO MILLS
ONE MILLS CIRCLE
ONTARIO, CA 91764
909-980-7701

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
PETALUMA VILLAGE PREMIUM OUTLETS
2200 PETALUMA BOULEVARD NORTH
PETALUMA, CA 94952
707-781-3476

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
THE SHOPS AT LAS AMERICAS
4155 CAMINO DE LA PLAZA
SAN DIEGO, CA 92173
619-428-3589

CLARKS BOSTONIAN OUTLET
VACAVILLE PREMIUM OUTLETS
301 F NUT TREE ROAD
VACAVILLE, CA 95687
707-446-7188

If you could double up a trip with one of the malls that also have Bass, you'd be set (and often our outlets have coupons in the local papers for 20% off any purchase). Recently our Bass outlet had a sale that was buy 1 pair retail price, get two pairs free.
posted by librarianamy at 5:47 AM on October 1, 2010