FAQs

We recommend a process of about a week or more, especially when running in a model you haven't had before or are new to running or walking. Even if you buy the exact same model as your last pair, any new shoe needs to be softened up by gradual wear in order to mould to your foot.

1. Start by wearing the shoes around the house for a couple of hours at a time for the first 2 or 3 days. If at this stage the size doesn't feel right then bring them back to get them checked by our staff.
2. For your first run or walk, only go for about twenty minutes. Running too much too soon may lead to blisters or pains that are more due to the shoe being new and you not being used to it yet, rather than the shoe being incorrect.
3. After a few days of repeating the process in step 2, you should be able to run comfortably.

The type of socks you wear can play a big part. Drymax are a good place to start. The synthetic fibres in Drymax socks are designed not to soak up moisture but to transport or wick the moisture away from your foot. When your skin is damp it softens making it more prone to blistering; by keeping your skin drier, Drymax socks help to avoid blisters. They are also padded around the foot where the main pressure points occur which helps to cushion the foot and protect it from the frictional forces inherent in running and walking.

If you are someone who is prone to blisters no matter what, especially on longer runs/walks, there are other things you can do. Try rubbing a little Vaseline over the area you usually get them or applying a protective tape such as Sleek or Leukosilk.

Shoe fit is also important; the right size shoe should allow a little space especially in the toe but not be so big that your foot moves around in the shoe.

Plantar fasciitis is commonly brought on by overuse and a person's feet not being adequately supported while walking or running. The best way a shoe can help is to offer stability to prevent excessive foot rolling or pronation. There are many different levels of support that different shoes offer; the ideal way to select the best shoe for a person is for them to come into one of our stores and go through our fitting process. This involves analysing the feet and running/walking style then trying shoes on the treadmill to see which model will work best for them. The benefit of doing this means they get a shoe that suits their foot and allows us to give them a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee with the recommended shoes.

Plantar fasciitis can often require the assistance of a podiatrist, especially if the correct shoes don't completely fix the problem. All Shoe Clinic stores have podiatrists in store on a regular basis — call your nearest store to make a time.

When you do netball-specific drills there is a lot of pressure that goes through your lower body and ankles. When changing direction at speed you need a stable platform. When jumping and landing, a rounded outer sole minimises the stress on your ankles. When accelerating, a supportive upper allows you to gain quick control of your movement.

In a running shoe you don't have a stable platform when changing direction, so you increase the stress on your ankles when jumping and landing, and you'll have less control of your movement — which could put you at risk of injury.

When walking your foot is in contact with the ground up to 50% more than when running, so there are a number of subtle differences between the two shoe types. A walking shoe will often have a bevelled or angled heel due to the angle of foot strike when walking, and is designed to be especially flexible through the forefoot to enhance propulsion during toe-off.

Running shoes will generally be lighter in weight than a walking shoe, and because they're designed for higher impact, will have more cushioning. It's not uncommon for people to use a running shoe for walking, or a combination of the two. It's not recommended to use a walking shoe for running, since pronation is usually more excessive when running and a walking shoe often isn't supportive enough.

Generally, each brand recommends approx 800–1000 kms for each pair of shoes. Distance is used as the measure, as everyone uses their shoes differently — if you and I had the same model and I run 20 kms a week while you run 40 kms a week, the life of your shoes would be half of mine.

To help you work this out for your shoes, try our Running Calculator.

We don't recommend using a washing machine to clean your shoes — machine washing is very hard on the glues and materials and can damage or shrink your shoes. You can remove the laces and insoles and machine wash these separately if you wish. The best method of cleaning is to give the shoes a scrub with some soapy water, rinse them well, stuff them with newspaper and let them dry naturally (you may need to change the newspaper a couple of times). Don't use a drier or force dry them for the same reasons as above.

There are specially designed 'shoe shampoo' products available and these are good for a quick clean of the outside of the shoes. The soapy water method is better for a thorough clean, particularly if they've developed an odour.

Generally, the signs to look for are the outer sole beginning to show a lot of wear, the upper coming apart, and most importantly if the shoes are not feeling as good as they used to. Another sign is if you're starting to feel niggles that have only started since your shoes have gotten old.

Check out our Running Calculator to see how much life you have left in your shoes, or bring them into Shoe Clinic for us to check and offer advice.

Generally, the lining wearing away happens because of the way your heel rubs during exercise. This isn't usually a fault of the shoe — it's more just the way your foot "works" in the shoe. Some people experience this in all their sports shoes, while others only get it in some.

To stop this happening you can get a leather lining put in the back of the heel of your shoes by a shoe repairer, which normally costs approx $20–$30. You can get this done when you purchase your shoes, or once you've started to wear through the linings.

You're never constrained by store opening hours — you can shop in our online store any time of the day or night, every single day of the year. Save on travel time, traffic jams, and the hassle of finding a car park. All you have to do is log on to the Internet and start shopping!

If you have a good idea of exactly what you're after, try typing keywords into our 'Search' field to locate the product, e.g. type in 'running shoes' to find all the many different options we have. Some shoppers prefer to 'browse the shelves' and you can also do this online by selecting from the menu of categories or brands on either the top or the left-hand side of the page.

We feature a wide range of information about our products, including size guides where relevant. Click on any item to bring up a page giving further details that will help you decide if it's right for you. If you still have further questions, email us at webstore@shoeclinic.co.nz and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you're still unsure of what shoes will be right for you, we recommend getting fitted for a pair by one of our highly trained technicians located at any of our 17 stores nationwide.

Think of it as the online version of a shopping basket — it's where you put your items until you're ready to make your purchase. At any stage in your visit to this site click on 'View Cart' to see its current contents. You can remove items or change the quantities.

Every time you find something you want to purchase, click on the 'ADD TO CART' button to place the item in your shopping cart. You can keep adding or removing items until you're ready to make your purchase.

The Wishlist lets you record an item you're interested in without placing it into your shopping cart — useful for easy reference to go back to an item, or for gift ideas. Log in to the website with your email and click 'View Wishlist' to see what you've previously placed there.

Use the 'Search' box to quickly narrow down your search. Also, create an account with us for your first order and your billing and delivery address details won't have to be repeated for subsequent orders. You can still change these details or add further delivery addresses at any time — this information remains confidential to Shoe Clinic.

Checkout is an easy and straightforward process:

1. Enter your details in the Account Profile screen if you haven't shopped with us before. Next time, use your email address and password to log in without re-entering your details.
2. Enter your Billing Address — this is where your invoice will be sent.
3. Enter your Delivery Address, if different from the Billing Address.
4. Enter your Freight Options.
5. Click 'Continue' to enter your credit card details securely.
6. Choose 'Submit Order' to complete. You'll be emailed a confirmation of your order with an option to print a copy of your receipt.

When you place an order, we need to be able to email you to confirm we've received your order and to keep you informed on its progress. Even if you haven't yet shopped with us, joining our email list will also let us tell you about special offers and promotions.

In order to make a purchase online, you'll need to supply the following personal details:

1. Your surname and first name.
2. Your email address.
3. Delivery address and billing address (these may be the same).
4. Contact phone number/s.
5. Your payment option — we accept payment from all major credit cards.

Once you've completed all required details and clicked 'Submit Order', you should see a confirmation message on screen — this tells you your order has been successfully processed. There may be a short delay before the confirmation appears. If there's a problem processing your order you'll be notified straight away, and you'll also receive an automated email confirming your purchase was successful.

Yes, but only if the delivery address is within New Zealand. At this stage we do not deliver outside of New Zealand.

No problem. Click on Login at the top of the page — this takes you to the Account Login page where you can click the Forgotten Password? link to request your password. This is an automated service so you'll get a prompt reply any time of the day or night.

All prices listed on our website are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD) and are inclusive of GST. The total cost of your order is the price of the goods at the time the order is placed — sorry, no rainchecks. Product prices are regularly updated when price changes are received from our suppliers. We do not price match with competitors.

For online shopping with Shoe Clinic Webstore, we accept payments through our secure server from the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Laybuy. We do not accept any other forms of payment, including Gift Vouchers, Eftpos, cheques, direct credit or cash on delivery.

Completely secure. We use advanced encryption technology that makes personal information such as credit card details unreadable as it travels over the Internet. Your credit card number and expiry date become virtually indecipherable while in transit. We take every precaution to ensure your details are transmitted securely and comply with industry regulation.

There are two ways of verifying the privacy of your transactions — when you're on a page that asks for your credit card details, check for these signs: a security icon (a key or padlock) on your screen, and the address of the page beginning with https:// (secure hypertext transfer protocol).

The merchant name that will appear on your statement is 'Shoe Clinic Webstore'.

You can easily check on the progress of your order by logging into our courier's website (www.pbt.co.nz) and using their Track'n'Trace facility. We'll notify you by email when your order is dispatched and include your unique Track'n'Trace number. You can also contact our Customer Services team on 0800 254 642.

We currently offer a $10 delivery charge for all online orders under $100. Orders over $100 will be completely free!

All orders are expected to be dispatched within 24 hours. In the unlikely event that an item you ordered is unavailable, Shoe Clinic will endeavour to notify you of any delay within 24 hours. All dispatch times exclude weekends — Shoe Clinic Webstore operates Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Orders are delivered by PBT Couriers. Couriers do not deliver to P.O. boxes so we'll require a physical address to process your order. To guarantee safe arrival, please specify a delivery address that will be manned during business hours, as delivery requires a signature upon arrival.

We're committed to making sure each delivery reaches the right person in a timely fashion. We need to deliver to a home or work address where someone can sign for the delivery, so P.O. Boxes are not an option.

Unfortunately, we do not have the facilities to hold items in any of our stores.

Shoe Clinic will only deliver to addresses within New Zealand. We do NOT undertake international deliveries.

You may cancel your order any time before it's left our warehouse by contacting our Customer Services team on 0800 254 642. Once it's left us, it will need to be treated as a return — please see our Returns page for further details.

Yes we do, however returns are made at your own cost and are subject to being in a re-sellable condition, so please choose wisely.

Our return address is:
Shoe Clinic Webstore
58b Willis St
Wellington Central
6011

All items returned for exchange or a refund must be done so within 60 days of dispatch. All unwanted product must be unworn, in its original condition, and in its original packaging.

Prior to sending your products back, contact our customer services team on 0800 254 642 or email webstore@shoeclinic.co.nz for further clarification.

Unfortunately, you cannot return items purchased online at any of our stores nationwide. They must be returned to our online warehouse.

If you wish to exchange an item for a different size or style you may do so, subject to availability. Simply return your unwanted product to us unworn, in its original condition including original packaging, within 14 working days from the date of dispatch.

Contact us directly on 0800 254 642 (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm) or email webstore@shoeclinic.co.nz prior to returning your goods for exchange. Exchange requests will only be dispatched once the goods have been returned in good order to our warehouse.

If for any reason you're unhappy with your purchase, we'll happily provide a refund. Simply return your unwanted shoes to us unworn, in their original condition including original shoe box, within 60 working days from the date of dispatch.

Contact us directly on 0800 254 642 (Mon-Fri 9am to 5pm) or email webstore@shoeclinic.co.nz prior to returning your goods for a refund. A refund will not be processed if the goods returned do not comply with our returns policy.

Refunds are always processed using the original method of payment (Credit Card or Laybuy) within 1-2 working days of receiving the goods at our warehouse.

You can return any product you buy from us for a full refund or exchange within 60 days of purchase, no matter the reason. The product must be returned in its original condition with supporting paperwork and appropriate packaging.

Get in contact with us prior to sending — call our customer services team on 0800 254 642 or email webstore@shoeclinic.co.nz.

All returns should be sent to:
Shoe Clinic Webstore
58b Willis Street
Wellington, 6011

Unfortunately, we do NOT, as our 30 Day Money Back Guarantee is on all prescribed/fitted shoes only. If you're unsure whether the shoes you'll be purchasing are correct for you, we recommend getting fitted by one of our highly trained staff at any of our 17 stores nationwide — this ensures the absolute correct fit and is backed by our famous 30 Day Money Back Guarantee.

Unfortunately we do not cover the courier costs of your returns.

Our Gift Vouchers have a 5 year expiry.

Yes, but please note these are a physical voucher that is couriered to you and are not an electronic voucher.

You can use these in any of our 17 stores nationwide. Please note: gift vouchers cannot be redeemed online.

The Advantage Club is Shoe Clinic's loyalty rewards scheme. For every dollar you spend you receive 1 point. When you reach 500 points we give you a $50 voucher — so $500 spent = a $50 voucher to be used on your next purchase.

These points never expire, so it doesn't matter how long you take to reach the 500 point mark. Multiple people (i.e. the whole family) can be used under the one account.

All records of the Advantage Club are stored securely online — no need to remember to bring in a card for every purchase. Simply enter your registered name/email either online or in-store to receive the benefits. We record what shoes you purchase, so you don't have to remember the name of them every time they need replacing.

By signing up to the Advantage Club you consent to receiving our promotional emails/offers from time to time.