Buying school shoes......

aliasojo

We spent the afternoon looking for school shoes. It wasn't fun.

I'm an ogre of a parent who wont allow heels. The shoes don't have to be flat but they do have to be very, very low. I figure 5 days a week x however many weeks they are at school for, is more than enough time to wreck their feet if they wear heels, even small ones. (This is just my own personal opinion and one which I feel strongly about for my daughter - I wouldn't judge anyone else for allowing heels.) She's allowed to choose what she wants as long as they are leather and are low heeled.

Anyway, after looking for hours and struggling to find something that fitted properly (daughter has wide feet and many styles simply don't suit her foot shape much to her disgust) we finally settled on a pair in Clarks with a strap across the front as she can't seem to keep moccasin or slip on types on.

She wasn't overly impressed but even she was getting fed up as nothing fitted particularly well so she ended up with these. She reckoned they were the least of the evils.

We got home and lo and behold, they are the identical shoe to the one she has been wearing for the last year.......and they are a half size smaller!

Once I buy them I don't pay attention to them again and she clearly didn't either.

We'll be taking them back I think. :rotfl:

I hope you're all having better luck.

building_with_lego

:rotfl: :rotfl:

I won't allow heels either, or ballet- style slip ons, and for the same reasons as you. (My children are younger than yours though, so it's easier at the moment!) I'm very happy with Hush Puppies for both girls and boys, although she has Clarks and he has M&S at the moment. As soon as I spot HPs in the right sizes I'll be snapping them up.

rachbc

Its the finally year of this ordeal with DS - I insist on leather, he insists on a certain style, school insist on all black including the sole. Finding some under £80 that tick all 3 boxes is minor miracle!

Spendless

Feel your pain! My 2 both have wide feet, son also has flat feet. Shoe shopping with them is on my least liked list- would far rather clean the oven! And that's without daughter starting at Secondary school with all the 'must have' items.

What shoe shops are you able to get to? You can book an appt in advance at Clarks I was told recently.

peachyprice

I solved the problem by convincing her to have a nice sturdy pair of black patent Kickers boots, both pretty and practical and fit her extremely high instep, unlike most of Clarks shoes. I don't like the black leather though, they look like boys shoes.

easy

I hate it too, and DS (nearly 14) can't stand being in shoe shoe shops with soppy assistants (he has wide, mis-shapen feet and gets quite embarrassed).

So I now short-circuit the process. Look at what seems suitable on-line (clarks & startrite both do online). Of those that look suitable, order the widest fitting in a size & a half-size above what he has been wearing - if there are 3 styles available, this may involve ordering up to 6 pairs of shoes :eek: .

He has no input up to this point, but when they are delivered he has a trying on session here at home, and can choose which he prefers. It also helps because he can keep the shoes on for 1/2 an hour or so at home, which gets round the old problem of "They felt alright in the shop, but now they REALLY HURRRRT!".
Then I send back whatever doesn't fit
Yes it costs me a bit in postage (altho clarks will take them back in-store), but that's generally less than the pub-lunch I have to buy to bribe DS into a shoe-shop, and is far less stressful than doing the whole thing in town.

Give it a try.

aliasojo

Spendless wrote: »

Feel your pain! My 2 both have wide feet, son also has flat feet. Shoe shopping with them is on my least liked list- would far rather clean the oven! And that's without daughter starting at Secondary school with all the 'must have' items.

What shoe shops are you able to get to? You can book an appt in advance at Clarks I was told recently.

Clarks is the only place I know of that has wide fittings. There is the usual Barrett et al High St shops, but I don't know of any other that does a choice of width. I'm sure there are places, I'll just need to do some digging.

Online is no use, she needs to try things on.

lego....do HP have width choices? Or are there wide styles anyway? Or just standard fit?

peachy I tried her in Kickers previously (I still get upset even now cos my Mum wouldn't buy me red kickers when I was a kid so I wanted to make sure mine got them....but they were all too wide footed...:rotfl:)

aliasojo

Actually...after reading easy's post....I might order online after all. :rotfl:

easy

aliasojo wrote: »

Actually...after reading easy's post....I might order online after all. :rotfl:

Seriously, this is the second year I've done it this way, it's by far the easiest way, cos your little darling doesn't get to see all the unsuitable cr*p that the shoe-shops have to offer, she's only getting to try-on what you already approve of.

I also found that the shops don't always hold stock in the widest fittings, so we would end-up having to ask them to order them in, and go back anyway.

Clarks do only allow you to order 3 pairs of shoes in a single order, but I just place more than one order if necessary. Look on voucher-codes & here for free postage codes, and don't forget TCB/Quidco or Nectar points.

peachyprice

aliasojo wrote: »

peachy I tried her in Kickers previously (I still get upset even now cos my Mum wouldn't buy me red kickers when I was a kid so I wanted to make sure mine got them....but they were all too wide footed...:rotfl:)

Aww, that's a shame. I've been trying to convince her for years and years, when she was little I wanted her to have to lovely coloured ones but she never would.

I have a lovely pink pair cos I never got them when I was a kid

easy

Look, these are OK http://www.startriteshoes.com/girls-shoes/dawn-black-leather?
and available in wide fitting.

Now can anyone tell me why Trainers don't come in the full range of width fittings? We have to ask school to be patient with us, and allow skate shoes (as plain as I can get) for P E.