Shoes for son (clarkes?)

specsappeal

Hello everyone hope you are all well!! My son (11) needs new school shoes. his current pair i bought in november from co op for £18. they are in a terrible state now but will have to last til the school breaks up in Feb. I was wondering whether to go for a more expensive shoe (Clarks) hoping that they will last longer but am not sure if this is such a great idea or whether they are really as good as everyone says. He only wears shoes for school as at all other times he lives in trainers. He is starting to hit puberty aswell so i have to take into consideration the fact that his feet are going to grow faster than normal iyswim. could you good people give me some ideas on an average price for a pair of clarkes shoes (DS is a size 4 or 5 depending on the shop) and whether they really do last longer. Any input would be appreciated. I am willing to pay more for better quality shoes but obvisously want them to last longer too.
thanks guys!!

morganb

Have you got a Clarks outlet village near you? I only ever buy Clarks for my two, but that's got more to do with the fact that their feet are so broad that Clarks shoes are the only ones that fit!
I got shoes for DS1 in September for school and they are still fine ... largely thanks to Shumagic which I bought from Clarks, superb at covering up scuffs, etc.

lil_me

I always buy Clarkes or Start Rite shoes. If you're lucky you can find same size afterwards occasionally on eBay that you buy and get identical set much cheaper. Think I paid around £30 for the Clarkes ones in the shop and £9 for brand new identical pair off eBay.

Lasting longer depends on the child, I find the stitching doesn't just come away, or the velcro, which has happened on shoes and trainers we bought elsewhere and they seem to fit them for much longer.

Always helps to have playing out/scruffing about shoes IMO.

boysmum3

Agree with everything morganb has just said: shumagic is worth every penny (it covers up all scuffs) if your child doesn't grow excessivly, I usually get almost the full school year out of Clarks (DS2 is 9)

specsappeal

thanks for the replies so far. will check Ebay in the morning and will defineately invest in shumagic although i have not heard of this before. my other son (13) went from a size 5 to a size 8 in 14 weeks during a growth spurt which threw me so am keeping this in mind for younger son.

boysmum3

OMG!!!!!!!!!....Thats a growth spurt and a half!!!
good luck

lil_me

:rotfl: my 6 year old has similar ones, he's in an adults size 4, he was only 6 last weekend!

Little_Miss_Winner

OMG!!!

My daughter 7 (8 in August) and very tall for her age is in a 13, though may need a 1 soon.

An Adult 4 !!

lil_me

He's a giant, but a gentle one most of the time, he wears 10-11 years clothes mostly, well for now anyway! Last time we were in Clarkes he was 5 and she couldn't believe she was selling an adults size 4 for a 5 year old. She even went to tell her manager! I think he's about 4ft 6, my Mam is 4ft 10 and he's nearly as big as her.

His MotoX boots are a size 5 :rotfl: you have to get a size bigger, clothes for that are small adults.

Only downside being I'm going to have to pay VAT on his clothes much earlier, sickner that it's done on size and not age.

Fivenations

The only time I did not buy Clarkes or Startrite I had to buy again after just a few weeks as the shoes hurt. That could because one had very wide feet and the other very narrow. Never had any problem otherwise - I found the boys outgrew the shoes before they fell apart. My parents also bought me Clarkes throughout my childhood (almost 50!) and I have never had any foot problem, other than when I broke one so look upon it as a long term investment!

livinginhope

I would never recommend Clarks shoes,very poor quality,I have bought numerous pairs for my 2 children and every pair has fallen apart,Clarks are very good when you take them back,but at £35/pair I should think so too! I now buy trainers (black for school) and they last much better,the kids also find them more comfortable.The last pair of Clarks shoes I bought,were a size too big and went all 'baggy' and creased,I was so fed up with them,they refunded me the money.
I have found Start rite shoes good quality,but very hard to find.