Clarks..

kbh4031

I take my children to Clarks every couple of months and get them measured and if need be buy them new shoes.
On the last 2 occasions, after asking a member of staff to measure them, they have then asked "what size are they now"
Isnt this a bit odd, it feels like they want to say they are bigger so I buy more shoes :mad:

On our last visit my answer to thier question was... you tell me... and I moved my kids shoes so they couldnt see the sizes. My youngest was supposedly a whole size bigger, but my Eldest was measured the same size as before.

My faith in Clarks is starting to fizz out, they never have much variety in anyway and the girls in my daughters nursery all have the same shoes lol

Anyone have any experience with anywhere else that offer width fitting shoes?

Thanks x

Poppy9

I always used Startrite for my DD till she was about 4 as she had very narrow feet (C fitting). They are more expensive than Clarks and lacked choice of styles, colours etc in narrow fitting.

I found Clarks offered a better selection and they used to order in shoes for DD to try with no obligation to buy. Not sure if they still do this. I never found they tried to make me buy new shoes if DD still fitted. They always checked the shoes she was wearing with her feet in them to see how much room was/wasn't there. Also when a pair of shoes broke they gave me a brand new pair with no fuss and even in 1/2 size bigger as DD feet had grown in the 4 weeks since I had bought the shoes.

ailuro2

I asked the woman in Clarks this question - she said it was so they could decide whether they got measured on the machine or with the hand held foot measure..

RiaMac_2

I noticed that too when I took my kids for new shoes, gym shoes, trainers etc. I said I couldn't remember even although I could! My DD measured half a size bigger than her old shoes but when we tried that size on they were too small, had to go up another full size (one and a half sizes bigger than her old shoes). Felt like a terrible mother who had neglected her child but it had only been 6 weeks since she had been measured and got the "old" shoes. When we tried another pair on we had to go down half a size. So the long and short of it was she went in wearing a size 1, bought school shoes (2 and a half), boots (size 2), gym shoes, (1 and a half) and trainers (size 3). When I asked what was going on with their sizing the assistant said different styles are made to different sizes. Why? :mad:

jog

Like you I have always tended to use Clarks in the past, however the last time I tried to get shoes for my youngest son I was not impressed. I think the quality and service has gradually got worse in recent years.

On the last occassion the woman in the shop measured my son came back with a pair of shoes which she proceeded to try and force his foot into, when he said it was hurting, she said ' that's the only size I've got' turned out she was trying to put a shoe on that was 1/2 a size smaller than he had been measured at and told me it would be O.K. as these shoes were normally big. When I pointed out my son was complaining it was hurting his foot ( she hadn't even manged to get the shoe on his foot) she said that's all I've got it will have to do!
I was really angry. Needless to say we went elsewhere.

I've now found a good independant childrens shoe shop in a nearby town, who really took time to measure and fit him and make sure they were right. This shop has only recently opened and is run by two former Clarks employees who told me they weren't happy working for Clarks because of the increased pressure to get a sale at all costs and therefore decided to set up their own shop.

Jog

cobbingstones

I too feel annoyed with the lack of choice with Clarks. My daughter went to get measured for school shoes and because she has such a wide foot I had to go there. Same thing again, one pair of ugly shoes in H and this time even they didn't fit her. Went to another shop, they couldn't find any to fit either. So off to the City and I so hope we can find some!

It annoys me that Clarks is the biggest shoe chain in the UK yet they do not provide for those who have very wide feet? Are they saying that my dd is the only child to have this problem?

MM

Kimitatsu

Have to say I have become very disillusioned with Clarks over the last 18 months or so. DS1 has very narrow feet and we struggled to find shoes, when it got to the point that the staff were putting in two insoles and telling him that the leather on the back of the shoe would soften up with time and not rub - we left.

We have an independant shoe shop that only does Start rite and geox shoes and although they are a bit more expensive I have to say they fit miles better. They check their feet in the shoes as they go in, and they tell you whether your child needs new shoes, regardless of size. For all of those who feel guilty about sizes - dont! My DS went up 2 sizes in four weeks but actually his shoes were not too tight, the shop explained that many times the leather will stretch to accomodate the foot and because the foot changes shape as it grows the the shoe still accomodates it until the toes hit the end!

DS1 is now 11 and has size 6 feet :eek: which unfortunately means we now pay VAT on his shoes :mad:

sammyjig

I went to Clarks to get DS (10) and DD (7) new school shoes. They measured them on the machine and DD got her shoes no problem. However, when it came to DS, none of the shoes fit properly. They tried to get me to buy insoles to put in but I said I would leave it. I was recomended by a friend a small local shop which does Clarks and Startrite but is not tied to anyone. Went there and it turns out Clarks had measured DS completely the wrong size! Apparently, the machine doesn't always measure correctly :eek:

I will definately not be using Clarks again!

Becles

The measuring machine is not 100% gospel. It's used to give the fitter an idea of where to start with the shoes, along with the size of the old shoes. Hiding your childs old shoes just makes the fitters job harder and may increase the time you have to spend trying shoes on.

As with adult shoes, different styles have a different fit, even though they may be the same size. The child may need to try on a few pairs and find they have to buy shoes in a different size to what has been measured. Just the same as I'm usually a size 5 but occasionally I've had to buy a 4 or a 6 depending on the style of the shoe.

Just bought school shoes for my middle son and my daughters first shoes. She brought out two styles of shoe in the same size for my son and one pair was tight, but the other fit perfectly. The style I liked best for my daughter just didn't fit right at all, so we ended up trying on others till we found a one that did fit nice.

Fidget21

I used to work for Clarks. Now it was a very long time ago and I can't comment now on stores policy and styles etc, but with regard to the original post...

On the last 2 occasions, after asking a member of staff to measure them, they have then asked "what size are they now"

There could be two reasons for asking this question, the first is that when measuring said child they might measure as a 12F but currently be wearing a 12G or measure at just over a 12 when they are wearing a 12 shoe already. It kind of gives you a starting point. In both those examples I have given you could go to the stock room and fit them with a new pair of expensive shoes, but if I knew from mum that they were already wearing a size close to what they were measuring I would ask if she wanted me to check the fit of the existing pair to see if there was still life in them, thus saving her some money. The theory behind this from Clarks point of view was that if you kept a customer happy by them not having to spend money, hopefully next time you would be the first place they would think of next time they needed shoes.

The second reason for asking this question may purely be to make conversation. Clarks used to encourage us to talk to our customers, it was considered bad practice just to grab the kid, sling them on the machine and let it do it's work without offering so much as a grunt towards mum/dad, so you were encouraged to ask questions...'what size is he currently in?', 'did you buy them from here?', 'how long have you had them?', I could go on... It could be purely coincidence that you've been asked the same question twice, or that the staff in your branch are not particularly imaginative!

different styles are made to different sizes. Why?

With regard to this comment, Clarks cater for a lot of customers, which means a lot of different shaped feet. So styles are created wider, deeper, shallower, etc, etc. The measure is just a guide to start from and then size may need to be adjusted according to the style of the shoe chosen, for example, if a child has a high instep but chooses a shallow style you will have to up at least one width size, if not 1/2 a length. What is important is that the fit is right regardless of the size on the box.

two former Clarks employees who told me they weren't happy working for Clarks because of the increased pressure to get a sale at all costs

Having said all of the above this was how things were when I worked for Clarks, however I have a very close friend who worked for Clarks for 20yrs who recently left for the very reason quoted above, so things have definately changed, but hopefully my comments have given you some insight for when/if you next choose to shop at Clarks.

Carmina_Piranha_3

I've been told that the machine doesn't measure below a size 9, so that's why they would ask a parent of a child of nursery age I suppose.

The machine measures my children at F fittings but they are always a G or H so there's no point the assistant bringing out F shoes.

The assistants are rushed off their feet at this time of year and can be quite snappy, especially with kids who have worn comfortable trainers all summer and complain that anything more rigid is hurting their feet.