Children's Shoes Cost A Fortune! Where Do You Buy Yours?

jellyhead

carolinosourus wrote: »

I find it really interesting that you say that, not doubting you at all, but when I was little I always had to have Start-rite because my feet were so wide and couldn't fit into Clarks!

Maybe the sizings have changed a bit? Our independent shoe shop which sells startrite actually told me to go to clarks because their widest startrite was not as wide as clarks, unless perhaps it was the width AND high instep she meant?

Somebody mentioned hush puppies - my son is wearing them at the moment and they have rubber toes! He uses them instead of brakes on his balance bike, so I'm glad of the rubber at the moment, he's had the bike 4 weeks and would have worn through the toes of clarks shoes lol!

carolinosourus

jellyhead wrote: »

Maybe the sizings have changed a bit? Our independent shoe shop which sells startrite actually told me to go to clarks because their widest startrite was not as wide as clarks, unless perhaps it was the width AND high instep she meant?

Quite possibly, I had very flat, wide feet when I was little, I only developed an instep when I injured my knee, had to have physio and was told I had to wear special insoles that pushed my arches up. I think the flat instep actually made my feet seem wider than they were as they're not very wide any more. Also maybe they don't do wider sizes in girls in Clarks?

demonicangel

Janepig wrote: »

Unfortunately they start at 10 and my dd is size 9.5. Her feet don't seem too abnormally narrow to me, but any "open-top" styles are a dead loss for her as they gape at the sides. She seems to spend most of her life in crocs or trainers now.

Jxx

I have just noticed that they have a new style in a D width, a Molly the Magical Cat shoe which starts at a size 7 to 9.5.

berniesmaster

we go to clarks, but not over the moon with the shoes.
my dd aged 6 has a choice of maybe 4 styles when we go, and that includes 3 styles being the "daisy" with the toy inside.
well, every few weeks or so, were back returning the shoes, because the soles have slipped making them very uncomfy. we want to buy properly fitted shoes, have no problem with spending £30-£35 per pair, as long as they last, unfortunatly they dont seam to.
time for a change.....

Quackers

berniesmaster wrote: »

we go to clarks, but not over the moon with the shoes.
my dd aged 6 has a choice of maybe 4 styles when we go, and that includes 3 styles being the "daisy" with the toy inside.
well, every few weeks or so, were back returning the shoes, because the soles have slipped making them very uncomfy. we want to buy properly fitted shoes, have no problem with spending £30-£35 per pair, as long as they last, unfortunatly they dont seam to.
time for a change.....

Have you complained?

If the soles have slipped forward as you described & the shoes still fit your daughter & it has only been weeks and not months then they should be exchanged for you.

karren

there used to be a site on the web that sold clarkes and although i never bought they had a huge selection of last seasons styles but ive searched and searched and cant find them now!
my mother used to make me wear awful boys shoes or "pasties" which were truly awful!

pigpen

berniesmaster wrote: »

we go to clarks, but not over the moon with the shoes.
my dd aged 6 has a choice of maybe 4 styles when we go, and that includes 3 styles being the "daisy" with the toy inside.
well, every few weeks or so, were back returning the shoes, because the soles have slipped making them very uncomfy. we want to buy properly fitted shoes, have no problem with spending £30-£35 per pair, as long as they last, unfortunatly they dont seam to.
time for a change.....

I refused to buy the daisy ones after a few cases of this happening.. only with DD3's though the other children were fine!! Must be the way she walks.. The Clarks air are fantastic and so much better support for the soles of the feet.

DS2 has the widest feet you can imagine.. we find hush puppies great for him.. trainers are impossible to find.

I have 9 children.. 6 of them have had clarks from being in their first shoes.. 2 had to have boots which clarks don't do so ended up with other brands which were twice as expensive.. (DD4's last pair were £65 and DD5's were reduced to £45) they now have piedro boots on prescription.. £120 a pair!!!!!!

I am buying grandsons shoes, also from clarks.. seems fair enough as I don't have to buy the 2 girls shoes..

I wouldn't have anything other than clarks, startrite or hush puppies.. and they have to be properly fitted as my children have high instep, low ankle bones and various other problems with their feet...

IMO they spend a lifetime on their feet.. it doesn't matter if they haave second hand clothes but their feet have to support them for their entire life and I wouldn't want to be ruining their development by putting them in crappy shoes.

webitha

my mum gave me any old cheapy pair of plastic shoes, once a year and if i grew out of them it was tough, which is why at the grand age of 37 years old i have deformed feet and bunions

because of this i will only use clarks and get them measured every quarter, so mine dont have the pain of walking that i have
and i use the outlet in blackpool as they are cheaper than the clarks shops

Emmala

All 3 of mine wear start-rite as they have high insteps and narrow heels. Clarks just don't fit their fit properly. I would never skimp on the quality of shoes for my kids, we go to john lewis as they do the best fitting IMO.

But, when we go to the in laws in Norfolk, we always drop in at the Start rite HQ in Norwich as they have a factory shop - in the summer we got doodles, two pairs of trainers for the eldest 2 and a pair of sandals for less than £30! Last summer, I got school shoes for £10 and long boots for DD for £16.

Funnily enough, we're stopping there again next Friday!

gunsandbanjos

DD has very difficult feet and has always worn Start Rite as they give much more support than other brands.

John Lewis or Russell and Bromley every time, cost is not an issue when it comes to her feet.