To think shoe-fitting isn't rocket science and to ask if anyone could give me some pointers so I could do it myself...

[lecce]

and therefore save a fortune by buying Clarkes/Startrite etc shoes in outlet stores where there are no fitters? It surely isn't that hard and everytime I have 'tested' the dc's shoes to see if they need new ones I have been right. I would love some insider knowledge on what they are told to look for though .

Everytime it comes to shoe-buying time dh tells me what a mug I am blah blah, so I have said I will put it to the mumsnet jury.

As a side comment, do you all see it as crucial that open-toed sandals are fitted in the same way as winter shoes given that a lot of the foot is not enclosed - the cost of these from Clarkes et al seems ridiculous given that they get so little wear out of them, depending on the weather.

We are in the position where we can afford these prices but it would be lovely, and would free-up the money for other fun stuff, to think we didn't need to!

It is a bloody racket

Do you know the start-rite website will take a 3D picture of your DC's feet with a webcam and tell you the size. Personally I have given up on using the so called trained fitters as they keep getting it wrong and I can generally tell just by looking at my DC's feet whether the shoes fit or not.
Also if you buy online you can get better access to the sale stock and a bigger range of styles which with my DC (now 10 and 8) meant I could buy shoes from prior knowledge of what styles fit. I got them for £17 a pair which I think you would be hard pressed to beat in a non-specialist shop. I never buy casual sandals / trainers from Clarks et al.

When I worked for Clarks I was trained intensively in shoe fitting. Anyone without that training wasn't allowed to work with children's shoe sales - I don't know if things have changed as it was many years ago. In any case I honestly think children's feet are too precious and easily damaged to cut corners. I suppose with open toed shoes it depends how often the child is going to wear them and for how long at a time.

Have a look on the Start Rite website. You can buy the measuring guages to use at home and there are fitting videos and a fitting calculator.

And Clarks fitters always ask you what size they are currently in before the measure them.

Why? Surely the size they were isn't really relevant, I want to know the size they are!

I always know what size my children were, but deny it and say the size has worn off. It's amazing, when the fitter knows the size they were they have always grown and need new shoes.

Sometimes when the fitter doesn't know the previous size, they haven't .

The obsession with trained shoe fitters is very much a UK thing, possibly created by Clarks. The rest of Europe that I've been to have shoes out on sale, parent tries various sizes on child, shoes get bought. I very much doubt the UK has a lower incidence of foot problems in later life.

Do you have any statistics notcitrus? I would guess that properly fitted shoes do reduce the incidence of foot problems, but I'd like to hear facts one way or the other.

I lost all faith in clarks when they fitted him as a size 5.5, apparently jumping up from size 4. They kept falling off so i took him back twice (to different shops) who insisted it was right.

Took him to asda, found a pair i liked in size 4 tried them on and they fitted perfectly!

I go with the try shoes on, see what one fits approach.

Shops don't have measuring devices here as they say each brand has a different sizing system anyway. My problem is I keep forgetting to take socks with us, so I get paranoid the shoes won't fit, but then don't want to buy ones too big.