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Everyone's feet are different. You need to go to a store that has trained sales people such as The Walking Company. Try on various styles and makes. If it feels great buy it. If it doesn't keep looking. You should never buy a shoe to break it in. The shoe should feel great as soon as you put it on. What you need is a walking shoe or one for standing non impact. Athletic shoes are made for impact and not for long periods of standing.
Google proper shoes or how to get the proper shoe. Here is a site with some good info
http://www.pennlive.com/bodyandmind/index.ssf/2009/02/getting_the_right_fit_gets_hig.html
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I agree with your post, ENTIRELY, except you shouldn't necessarily stop at buying shoes from a local store.
There are no local stores in my area that carry Mephistos shoes and so I had to order from the Internet.