I replaced a great pair of shoes that I had previously got a Sears, a number of years ago. I knew the current pair would wear out, so I bought a replacement pair ahead of time.
So FFwd 4 months, and I put the new shoes on, AND THEY DO NOT FIT RIGHT!! Now, I'm an adult (or person of adult age) and my growing spurts ended a long time ago. So I know my feet didn't change.
So here's what happened. After careful inspection, I discovered that the "new" pair of shoes were made in a different country than the original pair.
So, even with the same brand, in today's global mfg world, you never know where you stuff will be coming from.
And that's the rub. Exact same product, but the mfg setup in another country is just slightly enough different, that you can tell when wearing the product.
Moral of the story: Even if you are replacing shoes, with the same style and brand, try them on, because you never know. That little bit of discomfort in a different fitting shoe can make all of the difference!!!