I've just posted this as a new thread in Deal Discussion, but thought it might be useful to some folks who are reading this thread about this Hot Deal: ============================================================================================================================
New Balance has a reputation for making comfortable shoes that are supportive to the feet. I had never tried New Balance shoes before, but I developed plantar fasciitis and was trying to find shoes that would lessen my heel pain, or at least not increase it (which most of my shoes were doing). As well as trying other brands of "supportive" shoes, I decided to get a pair of New Balances for casual and athletic situations. Obviously, in this situation it would be best to get fitted by a trained salesperson in a store that offers a range of brands and styles. However, the nearest shoe store to me that provides trained New Balance salespeople (you can look this up on their website by inputting your zip code) is over 60 miles away, so I thought I'd see what I could get online. The first two pairs of New Balance shoes I bought online ended up not fitting at all. I had chosen them on the basis of customer reviews and the shoes' appearance, and I did not understand at the time that New Balance uses several different kinds of shoe lasts (forms/bases/models) to accomodate differently-shaped feet. The shoes I had ordered were designed to fit a foot that has a different shape to mine. I went to the New Balance website to learn more about the sizing options. I had to dig around quite a bit on their site before I understood the intricacies of their lasts and their shoe styles. (They really should not make this so difficult to learn about, since it's a major differentiator of their brand offering.) Below are the links I gathered which clearly explain the New Balance shoe range. I hope this is helpful to someone! ----
New Balance size and width comparison chart (women's sizing) http://newbalance.custhelp.com/ci/fattach/get/287021/0/session/L... ----
Chart of the New Balance shoe lasts -women's lasts are listed below the men's lasts - scroll down -click on the name of each last to find a link that will take you to the current shoe styles that are based on that last http://www.newbalance.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-newbalance_u... ---
Fit and technology
http://www.brownscatalog.com/footcare/foottypes.aspx ---
Printable sizing chart
http://www.brownscatalog.com/images/document/FootSizingChart_1.p... ---
Fitting advice
http://www.brownscatalog.com/general/fittingadvice.aspx | 
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