I don't think enough people (myself included!) are patient or organised enough to break shoes in as much as they need. It's naive to expect new leather sandals NOT to give you cuts and blisters, unless you give them time to warm up and stretch to the shape of your feet. I know this, but every time, I go out and buy shiny lovely new shoes then try to wear them all day, only to cry and never wear them again. :-P
I usually find that covering my feet with blister plasters before I put new shoes on helps best, if I need them right away. Or I wear them for an evening in my room and look at which parts of my feet go red, then cover those.
http://www.wikihow.com/Break-in-a-New-Pair-of-Shoes