Are children's shoes a rip off? Do you buy clarks or cheaper?

helliecopter_2

I've two children 3yrs and 20months and have always bought their shoes from Clarks. I think this is mainly because as I child, my mum always bought mine from there and the loyalty has stuck.

I've just been today and bought 2 pairs of winter boots with the polish. They came to the grand sum of £80-50!:eek: Why are children's shoes are so expensive? I could understand if there was a half cow's worth of leather in them!

In my own mind, I justify them because i think their feet are important. I don't mind them wearing second clothes as long as they've got good shoes. I had a bumper month on quidco so that's more than paid for them, but it's still a lot of money. I try to go to the outlet centres, but they're so far away and don't always have the sizes for my eldest and she has huge feet.

Does anyone else feel like they're being ripped off for children's shoes?

amandada

You could be me talking! I only wish Clark's shoes would fit my children's feet, as they would be cheaper than what I end up paying(narrow feet) I usually average £40 for shoes and £45+ for boots, and the children are only 5 and 10!

alwaysonthego_2

I always buy Clarks shoes for my little ones but i try and stagger buying their shoes. I never buy the polish, just an extra expense

sooz

Keep an eye out for when Quackers posts that a sale is starting at Clarks, and then drop everything and get to your nearest shop!

I only buy Clarks for my two, but never ever full price.

And no polish, as they will have outgrown them before they get polished. That's what baby wipes are for anyway

ailuro2

always Clarks- the other width fitted brand available round here for my DD's feet are even more expensive- I never got Clarks when I was young, and have awful feet now- so although my DD has very similar feet to me , her's aren't mis-shapen.

I'm hoping DM's will be back in fashion for her teenage years:D

miserly_mum

I honestly think Clarkes is a complete rip off.

When my 3 oldest kids (now 18,17 and 16) I felt terribly guilty because I couldn't afford to buy Clarkes shoes.

My parents always bought them for me aswell but that was 30 odd years ago when there wasn't a great deal of choice in kids shoes.

I bought the best I could afford at the time and always made sure they were a good fit.

None of them have had any problems with their feet

With my younger 3 boys I can afford to buy them but choose not to.

Mainly because I think the prices are way too expensive for something they will grow out of in a few weeks/months anyway. Or scuff the toes on 2 days after you buy them.

Also because I don't like the styles and think they look a bit old fashioned, especially the boys ones.

Bexstars

I sort of cheat with clarkes shoes. I get my daughters feet measured at our local clarkes then buy the correct size on ebay. I only buy them if their in really good condition and so far I have paid less than £6 each time. I cant afford to be spending £25 on shoes for her and dont see why I should when I dont even pay that for mine

Elliesmum

I always buy Clarkes for my daughter and will for DS when he is born! However I only buy in the outlets and I pay on average £17 a pair.

When she was little they would often have sales on the smaller sizes and I have been known to have got her a pair for as little as £7.

Clarks are expensive and I understand the OP's comments about the price of kids shoes. May be they are cashing in on the fact that parents will pay more to protect their kids feet, but I believe that the health of kids feet is very important and like the OP will put them in 2nd hand clothes.

EM xx

hobo28

This is a sore point for me & my OH.

Her view is that children's feet are very important and only Clarks/Startrite will do and only from a "proper shoe shop" where the kids feet get measured.

My counter-argument is that when was the last time you heard a child had not been able to walk or had developed "feet" issues because their parents put them in Asda shoes? I never had width fittings when I were a kid and i can still walk!

(Can you guess yet who pays for said shoes!!!??!!)

For me the MSE way is to get their feet measured at a "proper shoe shop" then go get a cheaper but still decent quality pair from M&S or BHS or Next. Oh and get the polish from a supermarket rather than Clarks!!

Becles

Be very careful putting children in second hand shoes. It's common for children to walk unevenly and the shoe moulds to their foot. As childrens foot bones are really soft, putting them in shoes that are not perfect can cause foot problems. I would never put mine in second hand shoes.

If you look on the net and learn how to fit shoes and you are confident fitting them, then it's fine to buy cheap shoes. However you must check they fit and not rely on the child telling you they are ok, as they might lie and say they are fine just because they want the shoes!

You don't want shoes that slip on their heels or will rub any parts of their feet. Don't rely on the Clarks measurement for being "the gospel" as to what size they are. As with any other clothing, it's just a guide for the shoe fitter, and your child might be slightly bigger or smaller depending on the brand, style and fabric of the shoe.

Their feet have to last a lifetime and they'll be used a lot, so it's important to make sure they have well fitting shoes IMO.

filigree_2

I've always bought my son's shoes and trainers from Clarks, but now he's too big for them and he has to have adult shoes - and they really are expensive! I've got awkward feet - size 3 1/2 and really wide so I buy shoes from Clarks too

A couple of times I tried to buy something else and it didn't work out. Marks and Spencer shoes were really shoddy and fell apart. It wasn't such a problem because he grew out of them so quickly, but the pair I bought for myself were rubbish quality. The Nike trainers were also poor quality, and they weren't even cheap.

I keep an eye out for the sales and stock up when shoes are cheap. My leather trainers were only £5 and they've lasted for ages and ages. Some plastic tat from Woolworths wouldn't last nearly as long.