Adrian Loafer Sizing - Advice from Dr. Martens' Sales Clerks or from Online?

TLDR; Should you go smaller in Adrians, hoping that they stretch out, or have some room in the shoe before breaking in?

So I'm pretty sure that this has been asked about a thousand times, but:

I'm trying to buy a pair of Adrians - I am normally a women's size US 9-9.5 and my Docs have all been size 9's so far. Went into the Dr. Martens store recently and tried on the Adrian in US 9 and US 8.

The 9 definitely feels bigger than my other Docs -- the heels slip a bit when I walk, and it feels like there's at least .5 to 1 inch of space between my toes and the end of the shoe. The 8 fit as well: no heel slipping, but I had some pressure width-wise around the tongue/strap area.

The sales clerks in the store said that they recommend going with your normal Docs size, even if there's some space in them -- one person even said that you should be able to fit your finger between your heel and the back of the shoe, and that as you wear them more the shoe will 'learn to follow your foot' so that your heel doesn't slip as much. Not entirely sure what that exactly means.

Still, based on everyone online saying to size down, I'm wondering if this is the best advice? If I go the size down, will the leather eventually loosen up so that there isn't that tightness around the width of the shoe?

Anyways, I would love to hear about anyone's experience with these shoes if they didn't fit perfectly when you got them. Thanks! :)

UPDATE 1.2025—-

Ended up trying again with the size 8 women’s/ 39 EU. For some reason this pair felt bigger than the other 8 I’d tried on in the store (I guess there’s a level of sizing inconsistency), so they weren’t as uncomfortable width-wise. I kept them and have had them for years now. They’ve broken in very nicely around the toe and width. They’re my go-to for work and anytime I want to elevate a casual outfit. The heel still slips if I’m wearing really thin socks, but I don’t often do that because I will still sometimes end up with a blister. Medium to thick socks are a perfect fit though.