Best For My Feet: November 2021

Tuesday 30 November 2021

Amazon’s Try Before You Buy Program (How It Works & Is It Worth It?)

So you’ve seen the Try Before You Buy icon on Amazon and you’re wondering what does “try before you buy means”? Well, in this short article, I’ll talk exactly about that.

3 pair of boots I bought on Amazon using their Prime Wardrobe Try Before You Buy program

I’ll review this program based on what’s my experience with it.

Also, we’ll talk about what this service is and how it works in case you haven’t had the time to learn more about it.

Let’s get into it. First…

What is Amazon’s Prime Try Before You Buy?

This program used to be called Amazon Wardrobe Try Before You Buy and recently has changed to Prime Try Before You Buy.

Simply put, Try Before You Buy is an Amazon program that allows you to try a few items before you actually buy them.

We all know that the biggest downside of buying footwear and clothing online is the fact that we can’t touch these products and we cannot wear them to see how they fit us.

Having the ability to try a few different pairs of shoes or work boots before we actually buy them is simply amazing for us as customers.

Many times you’ll read 1-3 star reviews saying the footwear’s size was wrong, they were too narrow, it wasn’t what they were expecting, etc…

…so in my opinion, the Try Before You Buy program will solve a lot of those problems.

How?

Well, let’s say you want to buy a new pair of boots but you’re not sure about the size and width of the boot and how they’ll fit you. In this case, what you can do for example is order 3-4 pairs of the same boot:

Order one pair with your exact size (let’s say size 10)
Order one size down (size 9)
Oder one size up (size 11)
Order the wide version as well just in case

With so many options you’re almost sure one of these pairs of boots will fit you properly.

How does it work?

I gave you a brief view of how the Try Before You Buy program works in the example above but let’s dive in a bit more to make sure you have all the information you need.

Is this a free service?

Try Before You Buy is a free program for Prime members. So in a way yes, it’s free, but if you’re not a member you have to pay the monthly Prime membership in order to use this service

If you’re already a Prime member you can start using this straight away, you don’t have to do any additional steps.

If you’re not a Prime user yet, you can start a Prime 30 days trial membership. This will enable you to try the Try Before You Buy program as well. You can cancel at anytime if you’re not happy with it.

What products can you buy using the Try Before You Buy?

At the time I’m doing this review you can’t just buy any product on Amazon using the Try Before You Buy Program. Only some products and categories are eligible for this program, such as:

Men and women clothing
Kids and baby clothing
Shoes and boots
Accessories

How many items can you try?

There is a maximum of 6 items at the moment. If that changes I’ll update the post as soon as possible.

How long is the try-on period?

You have 7 days to try your items. The try-on period starts when the parcel gets to your home not when you bought it. If the items don’t come together on the same day, then the try-on period starts when the last item arrives at your home.

Methods of payment

You have to use your credit card for this program. Debit cards, prepaid cards, and gift cards are not accepted.

Does Amazon Wardrobe charge your card?

Yes, Amazon does charge your card as soon as you placed the order. Not to worry though. This is kinda like renting a car or going to a hotel (at least in my head that’s how I think about it).

These companies will charge you a specific amount (for their safety) but you’ll receive your money back as soon as Amazon receives back the items you didn’t want to keep.

Editor Note

Keep in mind that Amazon might change their T&Cs or anything else related to this program at their own discretion, at any time. Even though the content on this site is updated frequently I’ll leave you some very important links at the bottom of this page. These will take you to Amazon’s Help Center where you can read the most updated info on this topic.

How to place your Try Before you Buy order?

If you’re not sure how it works, here’s how I use Amazon’s Prime Try Before You Buy program to buy footwear and other eligible products.

Step 1: Find eligeble products

When looking at the products you want to buy, look for the Prime Try Before You Buy sign/icon. This can be found underneath the product description.

As you can see from the image above two products in this example are eligible for this program whilst the other two are not.

Step 2: add items to your cart

As you browse looking for products you’d like to try, add them to your Prime Try Before You Buy cart.

Be aware that there are two carts and checkouts available:

there’s your normal Amazon checkout and
your Try Before You Buy checkout.

Make sure you add the products you want to try to the right cart!

To do that you have to click on the product you liked and once you are on the product’s page toggle on the Prime Try Before You Buy little button as you see in the pic below. This will activate the Add To Cart And Try For Free button as well.

Step 3: checkout (and maybe authorize your card)

Now you just have to check out and I don’t know if this is going to be the case for everybody but in my case, I had to authorize my card.

This is time-sensitive so make sure you look out for an email from Amazon in the next few minutes after you placed your order. If don’t do this step they will cancel your order.

Step 4: wait for your order

Now all you have to do is wait for your parcel to arrive. It should be at your door in the next 4 to 6 business days. Once you have all your items try them on to see how they feel and how they fit you for a period of 7 days since the last item came through.

opening my prime try before you buy parcel from Amazon.

Step 5: keep or return

You probably already know what you’re going to keep after a few days of trying your items. To return what you don’t want to go to Your Orders and mark the products you’re sending back.

myself trying a few different pairs of work boots that I bought on Amazon using their Prime Wardrobe Try Before You Buy program.

Remember, you have to do this within the 7 days timeframe!

Use the re-sealable Prime Try Before You Buy box and the enclosed prepaid return label to send back the items you don’t want to keep. You can select a different method of returning the items if that’s what you want. You can find more return options in Your Orders.

All done: you’ve made your first Prime Try Before You Buy purchase

You’re all done now. You’ll receive a return confirmation from Amazon via email and now all you have to do is enjoy your new purchase. The money will be refunded to you once Amazon has received the products you didn’t want.

Amazon’s Try Before You Buy program: Is it worth it?

All the benefits go to the existing members I’d say. I am a Prime member and I use Amazon quite a lot, not just for shopping.

So the fact that this is a FREE service for its members, makes Amazon even a better online store.

I think the best part of this program is that you’ll save money in return fees. How?

If you have a credit card you can buy a few products that you like, and when you receive them just keep what you want and send back what you don’t want.

I’ve done this a lot! You don’t need to have to use the Try Before You Buy program.

The downside is that sending back the items you don’t want to keep might cost you money. With Try Before you Buy it’s FREE!

I don’t see any other benefits other than the one mentioned above. In my honest opinion, Amazon Try Before You Buy is worth it IF you’re planning to buy a lot of clothing and footwear online. If not, it’s not worth it to pay a monthly subscription for the Prime membership if you buy one pair or two of shoes per year.

Links you might find helpful:

Team Members Working On This Page

Victor Adrian – Editor And Webmaster

Construction Professional, driver, crane operator, cleaner, head chef … these are just some of the jobs I did in the past. Working in all these different environments taught me that having good footwear to protect your feet from different dangers at work IS PARAMOUNT for any worker! On this website, I aim to share all my knowledge and personal experience in dealing with different footwear and foot care issues, and hopefully, you can get something out of it. Enjoy!

Jessica Flynn – Writer And Researcher

Love technology, going to the beach, taking care of my body, and writing (amongst other things). You’ll see my face around here a little bit since I’m responsible for part of the research and writing of some of the articles you’re reading on BestForMyFeet.com. I hope you’ll find our content helpful and enjoyable! See you around, thanks for reading!

source https://bestformyfeet.com/amazon-try-before-you-buy-review/

Tuesday 23 November 2021

Are Work Boots Bad For Your Feet? (Explained For New Users)

Experts have estimated that 77% of American adults in general experience some form of foot pain sometime in their life.

Workers on construction sites are also very likely to develop foot pain alongside other ailments, and improper footwear can be among the causes.

One study from Australia found that 91 percent of construction workers suffered from foot pain, and improper work boots were a frequently cited cause.

a professional massagist doing a message on someones feet after wearing work boots for too many hours

Lots of other studies have verified this to be true! This article will look at some of the pains and problems caused by wearing work boots all day at work.

Can work boots cause foot pain?

Yes! Work boots are very heavy, the Timberland 6” Pit Boss for example weighs a combined 2 pounds and 10 ounces. If you must walk across a site a lot or do a lot of maneuvering with these boots on, then of course your feet are going to tire from the additional weight.

As well as weight, work boots, unlike regular trainers or smart shoes will not adapt to the contours of your feet over time. Remember the odd-stiff feeling from a new pair of boots before you ‘break them in?

With a new pair of work boots that feeling will last longer as the thick rubber will be less flexible to the shape of your feet.

This will restrain your feet from their natural movements and cause you to develop mild or even severe pains.

Work boots can also encourage unhealthy proprioception.

Proprioception is the ability of the brain to sense the relative movements and positions of the different parts of your body.

Owing to the distance between your brain and your feet this is most difficult with your feet, and it is even harder with boots as they can disorient you and make your mind-body awareness worse.

Confused proprioception causes pain by allowing you to place excess strain on your feet without you realizing it.

The risks of wearing cheap work boots

The cheaper the work boots (or the lower quality sometimes) the greater the problems of weight, inflexibility, and poor proprioception can become.

Cheaper work boots are less likely to be customized to the contours of your feet, and the tough material they are made from this can cause short-term discomfort and longer-term health issues.

But as well as being harder on your feet and causing long-term ailments, going for cheaper boots is also a massive risk to your own safety!

Cheap boots will often sacrifice the important steel toe cap for a composite one, this will make the boot much lighter, but these caps may not protect your toes in all instances.

And, as with buying regular shoes, buying cheap can often mean buying twice. Cheap work boots are cheap for a reason; if they are made from inferior materials then wear and tear over time will cause them to be less protective of your feet and over time this will become very dangerous.

What kind of problems work boots could cause to your feet?

Footwear that is too heavy, too tight, too hot, or, conversely, not insulative enough can all cause problems to your feet.

1. Athlete’s Foot

Contrary to the name, you do not have to be an athlete to get this condition. Wearing ill-fitting work boots, and pushing your feet against them frequently, can cause this condition also.

The fungi that cause this condition thrive in close, warm, and damp conditions, so after a long period on your feet in tight boots, your toes pressed together, this is a common condition among workers in construction.

The consequences of Athlete’s foot are skin flaking and very intense itching. That’s why it’s important to clean your work boots not only outside but inside too!

2. Nail Problems

If footwear does not fit properly and consequently presses against the side of your feet while you are working, then this can send your skin into your nail plate, causing ingrown toenails and fungal toenail infections

3. Frostbite

While athlete’s feet can develop on warm worksites, with poorly ventilated boots trapping in heat and moisture in which certain fungi thrive, the opposite can equally apply. This is a list of great work boots for summer and warm weather in general.

If you are working on a cold worksite during winter and your boots are not fur-lined or insulative then you can develop numbness or even frostbite on your toes.

Frostbite is where blood flow to extremities (usually your fingers or toes) reduces as the vital organs are prioritized, with the result that your toes become numb, and as an extreme consequence can become more vulnerable to infection. Check out our page about winter work boots to keep your feet warm and help you reduce the risk of frostbite.

4. Collapsed Arches

A more long-term effect of wearing ill-supporting footwear is collapsed or fallen arches.

If your boot does not properly support the back of your leg muscles then they can tighten from overuse, straining the ligaments that support your arch, causing the arch to lower which will be very painful in your arch and in your muscle tendons.

What can you do about it?

I’ve asked Dr. Anne to share with us a few tips related to what you can do when you’re buying work boots for the first time in order to avoid pain and discomfort…

Podiatrist Note

doctor anne sharkey,a podaitrist in Texas contributing to best for my feet dot come website

Shop for boots at the end of the day when your feet are most swollen to ensure a good fit.

Dr. Anne Sharkey – Podiatrist D.P.M

This one was a very good one and I personally haven’t thought about it before. It makes a lot of sense since your feet will be swollen during the day and that can have a big influence on how the boots will fit.

Another good tip was to try the boots you’re buying wearing the socks you plan to wear with the boots. This will ensure that the work boots will fit with socks you will use at your work.

One last tip is choosing boots with a toe box that will accommodate toes and leave room for breathing will decrease the risk of ingrown toenails, athlete’s foot, and blisters.

Are slip on ‘rigger’ work boots bad for your feet?

Slip-on boots or ‘rigger boots’ are named for the professionals who use them most often, workers on oil rigs. These kinds of boots slip on and off very easily because if workers on an oil rig fall into the ocean, they need to be able to slip these boots off quickly to stay afloat and swim to safety.

But, unless you work on an oil rig, rigger boots are often an inappropriate choice for your feet. They offer no support for your ankles unlike more conventional designs, and so rolls, slips and more serious injuries for workers who wear rigger boots are very common.

Rigger boots also offer no midsole protection, so they are unsafe on worksites with nails or glass on the floor. You are inadequately protecting the soles of your feet if you go onto a worksite with nails and glass with these kinds of boots, and if something goes wrong you will be in for a world of pain.

For these exact reasons, some medium to large-sized construction firms has banned rigger boots on their construction sites as they are unsafe for their working environment.

Conclusion: Can work boots be bad for your feet? What can be done?

Most definitely! Make sure the boots you are buying fit you properly.

Consider buying special soles and socks that reduce the amount of strain your feet are under, and with any moves, you make to maximize comfort, do not sacrifice safety!

And, if you are experiencing any form of foot pains, from athlete’s foot to collapsed arches, seek expert medical advice.