Shopping Tips

• Buy used. Thrift stores and vintage clothing shops often carry a wide selection of shoes for a small fraction of the price of a new pair.

• Repair, don't replace. Most shoes simply need a new heel or reinforced sole to last another season, and cobblers are easy to find in your local yellow pages.

• Try finding shoes made in the U.S. to reduce your chances of supporting sweatshop labor. Take it a step further and buy "Union Made" (find retailers at UnionLabel.org).

• Avoid shoes labeled "Made in the Mariana Islands, USA." Although U.S. commonwealth, the Northern Mariana Islands aren't required to pay the U.S. minimum wage, and nearly 90 percent of the garment workers there were lured from developing countries by false promises of well-paid work. Many have to pay high recruiting fees then work for years to pay them back on meager earnings—a form of indentured servitude.