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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Clarks toddler shoes?

46 replies

clare8allthepies · 01/09/2011 15:19

Hi, please be gentle with me it's my first AIBU Smile

We bought DD her first pair of 'proper' shoes on Friday, she's only small (size 3) so they had a limited choice in her size. They brought out all 3 styles which were all very similar. The ones we picked had a strong rubbery sole and were made of deep pink (raspberry I think it was called) leather, the top bit is a suede-y material.

Anyway, apart from wearing them home from the shop she's only worn them 3 times, once indoors here only and twice to nursery (admittedly I don't know exactly what she did all day there but her clothes all came back OK!)

The shoes are already a bit scuffed but the suede-y bit is completely marked and looks terrible. I went into the shop today as I was in town and the assistant got a special rubber type thing to use on them and now they look even worse, where she used it the colour has really faded.

I said that I wasn't happy and they said that if I come back tomorrow with the receipt they will exchange them but it would be as a 'goodwill gesture' as there was no fault and she seemed very adamant that 'this is what happens with kids shoes'.

At the time I was adamant that this wasn't acceptable as we can't afford to buy her loads of pairs of shoes (not at £32 each!) so we're going to want her to wear them fairly frequently and if they look that bad after 6 days what state would they be in after 2 months?

However on the way home I thought maybe she was right and I should just accept that little ones shoes aren't going to look any good after the firsy couple of wears.

So genuinely, AIBU or are they?

OP posts:
Gonzo33 · 01/09/2011 19:04

I buy from "Happy Little Soles". They are roughly the same price, maybe slightly cheaper than Clarks but I have not had any bother with the shoes from there at all.

ticklebumpkin · 01/09/2011 19:07

Sorry for the hijack but does anyone know what buckle my shoe shoes are like?

elphabadefiesgravity · 01/09/2011 21:49

Dd had Buckle My Shoe once. She has a very high instep so we struggle sometimes They are even more expensive with Start Rite but were good quality. Her feet grow very slowly, generally only half a size per year so it is worth it for us to pay for shoes that last.

milkysmum · 01/09/2011 21:54

Brantano is fantastic for kids shoes!

whoneedssleepanyway · 01/09/2011 22:04

eyebrows got them in red for DD2 plain but looked v sweet in small size and stayed smart for ages have sweet ones with flower on front now again startrite.

WhoseGotMyEyebrows · 02/09/2011 11:26

whoneedssleepanyway They probably just seem plain to me because my DD likes the fussiest, fanciest, craziest one's she can find!

ticklebumpkin · 02/09/2011 12:18

thanks elpha

choceyes · 02/09/2011 12:24

My DD has the same shoes (Raspberry Nubuck?), she is a size 3.5. She's had them for over a month now, and she walks a lot and crawls in them and they are fine still. A little bit scuffed, but that's to be expected.

choceyes · 02/09/2011 12:30

They are a bit marked too where she's got food on them, but hey ho that's what happens, but they look fine to me.

I have a nearly 3yr old boy too who has always had Clark shoes and never a problem, they've always lasted well (although his feet have been growing at a rate and he is only in one pair for 3 months max)

mumofbumblebea · 02/09/2011 13:05

i've always bought clarks shoes for my daughter (20 months) and have been impressed but the last pair i got her were awful! (hot pink leather with lights in the sole). she tried a pair on it the shop which were lovely, however i let them take them to be boxed up and didn't check when they were in the box (stupid or what) and when i got them home and opened them i found that they had given me a completely different pair that obviously were not meant to be a pair because they were completely different colours (i mean really obvious, one was nealry purple). also one shoe had a big pen mark down the back. took them back and they insisted they were the only pair they had in her size (complete rubbish as she tried on a different pair to begin with that they had obviously switched). i had to go to a different store to get them changed that were appalled i'd being sold them. anyway after getting them swapped her current pair look lovely but the mark really easily and i find myself having to polish them every week. they have bad reviews on the website as well which i didn't think to check first. anyway in future i will try clarks again but check reviews on the website first (and avoid the shop in loughborough like the plague!).

Original poster
clare8allthepies · 02/09/2011 18:39

Well I took them back and saw a different assistant who straight away said that the shoes looked terrible. She brought out the ones that they had in her size and I ended up getting the same ones again (but in a darker purple colour) Blush the assistant also sold me some protector spray which I'm going to use tonight so hopefully that will help. Also got her a black patent pair off eBay last night Smile

OP posts:
Allegrogirl · 02/09/2011 19:05

YANBU. I have had loads of problems with Clarks but DD has wide feet, G or H fitting, so needs properly fitted shoes. I've tried cheaper brands but she can barely get them on. We have a very small start rite in Jones here which is also crap and no Brantano.

Drives me nuts but that's the price I pay for living in Devon and being miles from any sort of shopping choice.

TheLadyEvenstar · 02/09/2011 20:41

I took DC to clarks today. Now I wanted to check DS2's size, I had had his feet measured in start rite today ad they said he is a 12g so there I was in clarks ad they measured his feet......in the space of an hour he lost 2 sizes and was a 10g yet they couldn't get the 10's or 11's on him odd that eh?

WhoseGotMyEyebrows · 03/09/2011 08:31

clare8allthepies I think you should complain about the original shop to the head office.

TheLadyEvenstar I've heard that Startrite sizes come up differently, although that doesn't explain why Clarks couldn't get the size they measured him at to fit in their shop! Did they measure again? We've always had really accurate measuring in there.

whoneedssleepanyway · 03/09/2011 08:44

TLE Startrite measure half a size smaller (so a Startrite 10 is a Clarks 10.5) so that makes no sense....crazy. I have had problems with people measuring incorrectly. Took DD1 to get her school shoes and the measured her a Startrite 10F, I said we had a pair of Startrite 10F at home that she complained were too tight and anyway she had had these for 8 months so didn't believe her feet hadn't grown at all, the woman insisted and made DD try some on, I said we would think about it. Went back the next week a different woman measured here 10.5G....the pair she tried on fitted fine with a bit of room for growth, I am so glad I didn't let the other woman bulldoze guide me into buying the smaller ones.

RitaMorgan · 03/09/2011 08:50

I only ever buy Clarks and Startrite shoes for ds from shops on ebay - I don't mind him wearing last season's toddler shoes Grin Brand new and never pay more than £15 a pair.

WhoseGotMyEyebrows · 03/09/2011 09:21

Ooh I should do that Rita

MissBetsyTrotwood · 03/09/2011 09:50

Get her measured in Clarks/Start Rite then go on ebay and buy exactly the same size.

What is Brantano?

MissBetsyTrotwood · 03/09/2011 09:52

Ha ha RitaMorgan I didn't read to the end of the thread. Ebay all the way.

TheLadyEvenstar · 03/09/2011 10:02

I ended up in sports direct where DS1 and DS2 got their shoes and trainers £49 Grin and they fit them lovely. (even if DS2 did insist on pink trainers)

TheLadyEvenstar · 03/09/2011 10:07

DS2's trainers Hmm

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