Boxes.

Whoever said "it's the little things that make life so good" is spot on. A big part of running a retail business is making sure we always have what our customers need, when they need it. Roughly translated, we're always ordering and reordering products from our vendors. When the UPS/FedEx man drops off our orders, they come in a wide variety of different boxes. As with everything else, all boxes are NOT created equally. Some companies have really crummy boxes that look like they've been passed around for decades, while still others have really nice and solid ones. Some are big, some are small, and others are just plain ridiculous.

Since I've been doing this for a while now, I feel pretty confident that I know a good box when I see one. Since boxes don't have an annual awards ceremony, I thought these boxes needed a little recognition (after all, if I don't, who will?) As for the rating criteria, these are my own opinions and not a while lot of thought has gone into them...this is just my gut reaction after being knee deep in box. It's like "man, that's a good smelling box" or "man, that box looks beat". Without further ado, this is what I've concluded:

Worst Box: Cramer
Honorable Mention: Ossur's crutches box

Prettiest Box: Ossur
Honorable Mention: Mueller

Sturdiest box: Med Spec
Honorable Mention: Superfeet

Best Smelling Box: SOLE
Honorable Mention: BioFreeze

Well there you have it: The best (and worst) boxes.
It's important to note, however, that box quality is not indicative to product quality.

Coming soon...

(Click the picture to actually read the darn thing)


So after meeting with the Super Feet rep last week, she informed us of a new product, the Super Feet Black DMP. This puppy is based on the ever popular "BLACK" insole, but with 3 layers of foam on top, as opposed to the original 1 layer. While I have yet to try this product (samples are coming any day, now)I can only imagine how incredible it must be. The BLACK was a great product but with the addition of a memory foam on the top, this will address the biggest complaint I've seen with customers in the store- the Super Feet are uncomfortable/hurt. While it's true, your arches might not be used to the support, or you have a severe/acute foot problem (Plantar Fasciitis comes to mind...) unloading the arch with a support is the way to go. Unfortunately, this can mean a little pain, before gain. With this new product, this might no longer be the case. The only drawback that I can imagine, is that it will not be suitable for all types of footwear, as the top surface would make sliding your feet (not the actual insole) into a Ski/Snowboard boot nearly impossible.

Other important nuggets of information: It's available to select medical and specialty retailers and it will be a bit pricier, coming in at the $50 mark. I'll be sure to update once I give these bad boys a go.

In other Super Feet news, the Orange and Berry models will be receiving a tweak in the early summer months- both will have their forefoot pads increased to the whole forefoot area (bye-bye kidney-shaped pads) and the metatarsal dome will also be excised. I'm on the fence about whether or not either one of these are actual improvements. The increase in padding comes at the expense of weight, and some people like the feel/ need the support of the met-dome. These improvements make it a bit harder to distinguish between the tried and true GREEN model.

Edit:
I've edited the post and have specified the "getting your feet, not the insole into the boot". The reason is that the top layer is a memory foam, which is soft and "grabby". I feel like this would prohibit you from doing the "point and twist" maneuver to get your feet into the boot. With that said, I'm sure if you were able to get the feet in, then you would have a very nice "lock-in" fit...I'll experiment with a few different shoes once the samples come in...

Also, since the BLACK DMP is based on the BLACK, it's one of the more narrow models in the Super Feet line, which might not make it a good choice for ski/snowboard boots, anyway (as they tend to be a bit on the wide-side). I still think the Wintergreen will be the best option for most people when it comes to the winter sports application.

Side note with the Wintergreens, though- they are WIDE in the forefoot. My Burton snowboard boots are wide, and I struggled fitting them in there. My boots are an 11.5 and I bought the "E" size (which go up to 11) and they fit perfectly.

Back to the BLACK DMP, though, I believe the people that will benefit most from this model (which again, will only be available in store and not the website) will be for the narrow-styled shoes with medium volume. This would be your dress shoes, boat shoes, golf spikes, and driving shoes.