after spending a miserable day with wet, cold feet after having to walk through the snow and rain at work, i realized it's probably past time for me to get some new work shoes.  in fact, i need new shoes altogether.  the only pair i have aside from my work shoes is a pair of lowtop chucks my grandma handed over.  before that, i was wearing a pair of ratty skate shoes passed down from my little brother, but the insides of those have been destroyed so badly that they're unwearable now.  i like the chucks, but i find them a little uncomfortable after a long day of wear.  and i definitely can't wear them to work; i need actual work shoes for that--and mine are falling apart!

so the question is, where on earth do i find shoes that fit my unfortunately-sized feet?  the local walmart only carries as low as a men's 7, and as far as i know (based on the size of my brother's shoes and the chucks), my foot is more of a 6.  i don't think i've ever seen a men's 6 in a store around here, but maybe i just don't know where to look.

i don't have a lot of money to spend, and i'm really wary of buying shoes online since i can't try them on (and shipping gets pretty expensive).  my feet are difficult to shop for, as they're not only short but very... thick.  finding women's shoes used to be a chore because of this; i'd need to flatten my feet out with a rolling pin cartoon-style to wear half of 'em.  men's shoes at least seem to be made a little better, but they're also made bigger all over, hence my problem.  and i don't think i'm gonna find decent quality work shoes in the kids' section.

so if anyone has had a positive experience with any particular shoe stores/good places to find smaller shoes that aren't built for children, or even online stores with good return shipping deals/policies, it'd be really helpful. (recommendations of stores you haven't personally shopped at are also welcome, but you know, seeing is believing...)

I personally don't have this problem as my shoe size is a US 10 and my feet are also of the bony and long kind. And the average store and online store here starts at men's 7 too so I can't suggest a concrete one here.

But even though I personally have never been there I know from older relatives that at least where I live there are businesses that make orthopaedic shoes, also orthopaedic work shoes and they even offer to take a print of their client's feet and then built the shoe especially for that individual's feet in some cases.
This way the size doesn't matter as the shoe is made especially for your feet anyway and it will definitely fit you and be comfortable and healthy then. 
Maybe even a normal shop that offers orthopaedic shoes that aren't individually adjusted would have a shoe that fits you in either the women's or the men's section as well; I don't know how differently your feet are actually shaped.

I suppose that shops and businesses like this are something that exists in every reasonably sized city in every industry nation and it's unfortunately the only idea that I spontaneously have. 
So it might actually be worth a try to search for such businesses in your specific area.

Here is a webpage for "Shoes for Crews" all work related shoes at a fair price.   https://www.shoesforcrews.com/sfc3/index.cfm?changeWebsite=US_en&route=c_store.browseProductsByProductGroup&productGroupId=pg108

I used work boots when I was younger and I always was happy with Red Wing Shoes. They make both mens's and women's boots however it appears that the lower end on men's is size 7. As they have store fronts, you could ask them to measure your feet and see what they have available in your size.

I have small feet. Every shoe is different so really you just have to try them on and get a feel for them. I have had success in the kids section of the kohls clearance (for fashionable boots). I got steel toed at walmart (some brands do go down to 6, and different walmarts sometimes have a wider range of sizes), regular work boots at shoe carnival, formal shoes in the kids section at payless shoes, tennis shoes either at walmart, target, kmart (do check the women's section because not all of them look girly) and I wear crocs. The trick is to watch for sales and take your time when looking. You can also get lucky in finding some when the seasons change since uncommon sizes are less likely to sell fast and thus go on a good discount. I haven't spent more than 25$ for any of these shoes if I remember correctly.