To buy a foot measurer from Clark's and DIY?

[DrSeuss]

Just bought a gauge from Clark's website to measure shoe size and width. It measures in millimetres which you feed into their website to get a number and letter fitting. Cost £8 including postage but shoes on eBay are at least £10 less than in the shop.

Why on earth would that BU?

I have never had my children's feet professionally measured, I tend to use the measure in the back of a Verbaudet catalogue......

My mother was a legendary skinflint but still bought our shoes from Clark's to get them fitted.v. She is no longer here but I still feel torn between economy and Mummydom!

You wouldn't be unreasonable but you aren't considering their daft "sizing" ie When the fitter measures your child as a 1.5 H, puts the shoes onto the childs feet and then says - they don't fit well - lets try a 2 H - Clarks are a bit random! Or brings out a size from the back and says "We'll just try these as this style comes up small/ narrow"

I think shoes are a bit like bras. Your size and the shoe size are just guidelines and you need a good fitter (which could be you) to be sure they actually are a good fit.

There is nothing magical about seeing if a shoe fits. Past generations were conned into thinking Clarks had some mystical persona. There is nothing special about their shoes though they are reasonably priced at their outlets

I got my son's feet measured in one shop 2 weeks ago. He measured a 3.5 H.

In Clarks yesterday he measured a 5 H.

Dodgy measuring or major growth?!

I've got the measurer which I use at home just to check the size. When I think they've grown I go to the shop to get fitted. It saves wasted trips to town and the disappointment of not buying new shoes if their feet haven't grown.

Hmm, I have to say that I think the fitting can completely depend on the shoe itself, rather than the size? I know that my DD's have had their feet measured in Clarks, and not all of the shoes in that size actually fit - in fact, it's often the case that out of 4 or 5 pairs, only 1 pair fits properly without slipping, or having baggy bits around the front?

I think shoes fit differently depending on style and shape. You can't necessarily buy a size and know they're going to fit just because they're the size you measure. Having said that if you know what to feel for I think it's perfectly possible to fit them at home yourself (I do sometimes).

However, I'm always surprised by the amount of flack clarks gets on these sorts of threads. I have two dc 11 years apart and love clarks and never had a problem with their fitting or shoes - both in several London stores and several norfolk stores. I don't mind paying extra as I do feel they wear well and are very flexible and lightweight. I love the way the baby shoes really bend and move with their feet.

I've never had them try to sell me shoes when the dc don't need them and have stayed the same size. I've always found them really helpful .

I do buy shoes both new and very good second hand condition on ebay when I have been really broke before but I enjoy taking them to be fitted when I have the money to do so.

I used to work for Clarks and actually attended a course to learn how to fit the shoes for children. I don't know whether their assistants still have that training.

My DCs have had to leave Clark's and similar shops without any shoes to replace their falling-apart school shoes because the fitter wasn't happy to let us buy any of the ones we'd tried. Even though the size on the box was 'correct' the depth of their feet, placement of their ankle bones etc meant that the shoes all rubbed/slipped etc.

YANBU to buy a measurer, but you could just go into somewhere like shoe zone or John Lewis or even a Clark's and do it yourself anyway.

YABU to buy children's shoes over the Internet when you can't try them on. Sizes are only a guide, they are not exact, and there are places that are cheaper and have all their stock out for you to try on anyway.