To think that Clarks/ starite shoes are rip off

[ReallyTired]

The shoes cost a bomb and my son's shoes fell apart after four months. Yet I feel guilt tripped into not buying fitted shoes, (even though half the assistants have no clue about fitting shoes)

Am I really going to do untold damage to my son's feet getting him school shoes from sports direct?

www.sportsdirect.com/propeller-bart-back-to-school-junior-shoes-093009

Ds tells me that these shoes are more comfortable than the clarks shoes. At £6.50 I am in profit if these shoes last a month and I buy four pairs.

And the shoes you have linked to are plastic, will be uncomfortable and sweaty, and do not mention foot support at all. Can understand if you really cannot afford more, but if you can, please do upgrade.

It is perfectly simple to check the fit yourself though without needing to pay triple the price for someone else to get it wrong!

Everything that Catsize said. The children's shoe shop we go to is grea and has Startrite, Geox, Ricosta etc.

*great

Timberland leather boots are amazing they are the only shoes my boys have not destoyed and polish up great too

Did had clarkes shoe last year and they fell apart after 8 weeks, they looked horrendous.
This year we are trying kickers, they look much more substantial than the Clarke's and around the same price. m.wynsors.com/?mob_redirect_from=/childrens-shoes-c-3.html%3fmain_page=index&cPath=3&#!/product/0527009

I don't rate Clark's at all, and have always bought start rite for dd and ds. They've always lasted really well and have been outgrown before they've been worn out. A good polish and they come up like new every time.

I'd never stint on school shoes, they both walk to and from school every day in all weathers, and non leather shoes are rotten for their feet

I love clarks and think they're worth every penny!

I'd rather spend more on a quality pair of shoes that last and look good than cheap supermarket ones.

Mine usually last the whole year and still look like new as I polish them regularly.

Tried cheap school shoes once from Asda and they were awful!

Clarks are rubbish. My son's shoes lasted a week.

Startrite however last for MONTHS.

There's a big difference. I hate Clarks so much.

I always get my DD's shoes and sandals from Clarke's never had an issue and they are fine, she just outgrows them, and we have Clarke's in an outlet village, so they are always on offer.

My kids have wide feet with a high instep, Clark's and startrite don't fit.

I go to a lovely I dependent shoe shop and Gert geox, ricosts,ecco, peppino etc. Expensive but they last and the staff are lovely an the customer service is brilliant, the one time I and a pair we had a problem with they simply swapped them no quibbles at all.

I wouldn't put my DC in synthetic shoes unless I was really desperate financially.

I don't think Clarks are brilliant quality. My DC seem to get through a pair each term. And Clarks fitters are not exactly brilliant - and I'm being polite here.

Ricosta on the other hand last an entire school year (they seem to grow with my DC ) Not cheap initially, though.

I refused to buy a pair of Ricosta school shoes for DD last week priced at £60 . I went for startrite D fitting. It's hard to find shoes that fit her, but startrite actually make school shoes that fit, so she may as well have at least one pair of shoes that fit properly.

And the thing with synthetic is you can't polish the scuffs out, so you will end up buying a new pair by Christmas because they will be falling apart.

M&S school shoes look good, but I've never bought any.

I have just got M and S school shoes for DS who is starting pre-school in septmember - I will report back at christmas how well they are lasting!

Kickers were recommended by dd orthotic surgeon, I got dd measured at John Lewis and bought te correct size, the sizes seems to have a little more give than the others, £50 well spent, and they are still good a year on. Tk max and amazon also do quality shoes, you can get a measuring thingy from e bay and measure yourself

Catsize I work for clarks - we don't work on commission.

We hardly ever get children's shoes back tbh. There are obviously always a few that are faulty etc but considering how many we sell the % we get back is tiny.

The whole fitting thing is a bit hard to judge, some fitters are better than others - experience is a big thing. A new staff member is not going to be as good at fitting as someone who has been there for a few years. There are also some fitters who just can't be arsed to do their job properly

I like my job there and I'm good at it. I've never had a pair back because of poor fitting

The thing is, different shoes suit different people. I love clarks and hush puppies for myself but can't wear shoes from next or new look or similar because they just don't suit my feet and either hurt or end up falling apart after 10 seconds of wear.

I had an amazing pair of kickers when I was in secondary school and loved them. Do they make adult shoes?

some fitters are better than others

They shouldn't be though. If their job is to fit shoes then they should get the right fit for people not be sending children off in shoes which are too big for them. Clarks charge a lot of money for their shoes and one of the reason people pay is because they have been led to believe they will be well fitted. Too often thats not that case.

I found Clarks to be ok quality wise but expensive, I buy them from an outlet store for half price.
Just bought ds his first pair of school shoes from Geox as they do really narrow fittings. Cost £44 ouch! Hopes it lasts a while.

I find independent shoe shops the best as they stock a range of brands which cater for all types of feet.

Yabu I buy my dc a pair of Clarkes every summer and they always last the full year - never in 8 years had a problem. £36 for a years use is good value imho.

Clarks even!

We have StrideRite over here. The going rate is about £40 for a pair of toddler shoes. We're heading back to the UK for vacation shortly and I can't wait to get DS properly measured. They couldn't give a over here :(

With that in mind, can anyone recommend a good shoe store in Nottingham or Gloucester/Bristol area please?

Sirzy - I agree, fitters should be uniform in how they work - we all get the same (ongoing) training and help each other out if we're fitting a child with particularly wide/slim feet. I think it's just a case of some people finding it easy to understand what to check, how to check for it and why we check for it. Some people just don't get it.

We have a new(ish) member of staff in our store and they seem to find it so difficult. He's had all of the official training and we're double checking every pair he fits and he just doesn't seem to understand how it works. He's really frustrated by it, too.

It's human nature I suppose - some people are better at things than others.

YABU as far as my experience goes. DS was measured, fitted and out in 6 minutes at Clarks outlet last week. The shoes are the same as those he has had the last 2 years which lasted the entire school year. They cost £19.99.

I wear Clarks softwear for work. First pair were a bit uncomfortable, second and third pair are like slippers.

I have never bought Clarks, Start Rite or similar shoes for my DS (now 12), I think the British are obsessed with 'childrens' shoes'. It's a fantastic marketing ploy just like all the other stuff that is aimed at babies and children. You hardly see this at all in other countries (although the US is now jumping on the band wagon) and I don't believe that every other child in the world has deformed feet . Do you think Usain Bolt's mother bought him Clarks or Start-Rite shoes?

My DS wears supermarket shoes/trainers etc and is a county level sports player so clearly his feet aren't giving him any problems.

I usually buy startrite as they're better quality leather than clarks, and dd has narrow feet, however the clarks I bought for DS lasted him the whole school year! so I may buy him clarks again!