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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to not shell out £65 for kids trainers?

85 replies

Tonka76 · 04/12/2016 11:53

He's twelve and his feet are still growing... I've said if he wants expensive trainers then he needs to ask for them for Christmas. Is this miserly? He needs to be shod I know that... and if I'm honest it's a lot to do with his choice of haurrache Nike which I think are the ugliest shoe if ever seen and just can't face seeing them on a daily basis.

What do you pay for shoes for kids? Am I being a Scrooge?

OP posts:

BubbleGumBubble · 04/12/2016 11:56

Aywhere between £50 & £75.

I spend what I can afford and I let my children choose what they wear on their feet as long as they are fit for purpose.

I do find the branded trainers last longer than cheap ones.

ClassmateHB · 04/12/2016 11:57

Sports direct do Nike trainers from £25. If he wants a label, they have many different pairs between £25 and £40. YANBU.

VeryBitchyRestingFace · 04/12/2016 12:27

Never having heard of the haurache nike I had to go and google them.

I don't really know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't what I saw.

Are those truly the ugliest shoes you've ever seen, OP?

newbiz · 04/12/2016 12:33

This is such a hard one. I totally agree with you but trainers are a massive thing in my DS life, he's obsessed with them and buys and sells them at a profit. You wouldn't believe the market for second hand trainers. He keeps them all immaculate, in their box with shoe horns in them. We paid £75 for a pair last year and since then I pay that once a year and he makes up the difference by buying and selling and using his allowance. Personally I think that £50 is beyond ample but I had no idea what a big thing trainers are with some teen boys

BratFarrarsPony · 04/12/2016 12:35

I would refuse to buy the Huarache Nike on the grounds of aesthetics.
Although to be honest these days it is going to be £40 minimum anyway.
Do you have a Sports Direct near you?

PacificDogwod · 04/12/2016 12:37

Ha!
DS2(12) wanted £125 Nikes recently - I had to disabuse him of that notion swiftly!
His feet outgrow shoes in about 3 months these days....

Anyway, SportsDirect. TKMaxx, NikeOutlet are all options that we use.

SillySongsWithLarry · 04/12/2016 12:38

I spend almost £40 on trainers for my six year old so can imagine spending a lot more when they are 12. Everyone is different though. I could get cheaper trainers but I get the ones I like and will get a lot of wear.

EdithWeston · 04/12/2016 12:41

Are you sure you want to shop at Sports Direct? Or has the company cleaned up its employment practices now?

I'd only pay that price routinely was if a fairly specialist shoe was needed for a DC showing promise in the relevant sport.

If it's for fashion, then getting it for Xmas/birthday seems reasonable. And it's not as if it's long to wait now

WeAllHaveWings · 04/12/2016 12:41

Huaraches are very popular with boys and girls in our area. They are surprising comfortable and ds says warm. He wears them to school too. Like most fabric type trainers they need water proofing. The heel part isn't the most attractive (to me, ds likes it), but I rarely notice now when they are on.

Ds(12) has two pairs since early summer and they have been in the river, muddy football pitches and through the washing machine a few times and still look good when they come out (had to replace laces in one pair).

Ds is an adult size 8.5 so his were >£90 a pair when he got them in sale reduced from £110

RhiWrites · 04/12/2016 12:42

I went to look it up too. For a fashion trainer it looks so boring. I bet it'll last though. It looks built like a tank.

Aeroflotgirl · 04/12/2016 12:43

Those Nike huarache are really expensive and if his feet keep growing, noway. Newbie thought you pay that much to enjoy your trainers, not sorry about getting g scuffed and dirty because they are going to be resold. What's the point in that!

Scooby20 · 04/12/2016 12:43

Expensive trainers are a Christmas present in our house. If they are needed through the year we usually go to sports direct and let them pick a pair there. You can usually get Nike or whatever cheap.

Dd wanted some character converse. I have already bought them and put them away for Christmas.

Notso · 04/12/2016 12:46

I agree Huaraches are awful. Especially if worn with those equally awful sport legging things. It's not a look I'd love on my kids.
How much do you pay for school shoes? My 12 year old is a size 9.5 now he was a 7 in September. Most of the decent school shoes for him were at least £50 I tend to spend the same on out of school shoes.
When DD wanted Doc Martens I gave her what I wanted to spend towards them and she added the rest.

boobybum · 04/12/2016 12:48

What size is he? They are currently £40 at JD Sports.

MazDazzle · 04/12/2016 12:50

Don't make the mistake of thinking that any pair of Nikes will do.

My mum used to buy me hideous cheap trainers - branded, but the absolute cheapest ones that no one wanted!
They were an endless source of shame and teasing.

Finally, when I was 15 she realised she was being a scrooge and bought me decent ones - average price of a decent pair in the 90s was £60-70 (Nike Air Max, Acupuncture etc).

They were expected to last a year (my feet had stopped growing).

I must have the same taste as your son. Those Nikes are COOOOL!

Perfectly acceptable for you to give them to him for his Christmas.

How much would you usually spend on trainers?

BratFarrarsPony · 04/12/2016 12:53

" Are you sure you want to shop at Sports Direct? Or has the company cleaned up its employment practices now? "

oh for goodness sake if that is your stance then I suggest you do not shop anywhere...dont use Amazon, dont buy clothes made in Bangladesh or China, dont shop anywhere that uses zero hours contracts...etc etc. You could just sit in your straw built eco house being right on.

SheepyFun · 04/12/2016 12:53

I would say either a Christmas present, or you set a budget, and say that if they cost more, he has to pay the extra (I'm assuming he gets pocket money/an allowance). The latter would help him think about just how much he wants them.

SheSparkles · 04/12/2016 12:57

My ds 14 LOVES his Huaraches.

He has a real "thing" about his trainers-I think he has 9or 10 pairs just now. But they're all immaculately looked after and kept in their boxes. He buys most of them himself, and like a pp said, he also sells them on when he's grown out of them or he fancies a change.
I don't think £75 is actually that bad (relatively). Remember about £13 of that is VAT as they'll be classified as men's

19lottie82 · 04/12/2016 13:00

The cold hard fact is, and it has been since I was at school....... if you have crap trainers, you're going to get laughed at. Sorry, but that's the truth!

As long as you can afford it.....Buy the lad his trainers, he will love you and he will feel ten feet tall!

A tip I can recommend is look on eBay!!!!!! You will get them for about 60% of the RRP.

Please don't buy him a cheaper alternative. They're just not the same

PS can you tell I'm a total sneaker head myself?

TheLobsterRollPlease · 04/12/2016 13:02

£65 is standard price for a pair of trainers, therefore I think YABU it's Christmas buy them for him.

I won't mention how much I spend on my childrens footwear, you'd only call me crazy.

fuzzywuzzy · 04/12/2016 13:03

I go to sportsdiect and pick out the cheapest ones that fit, both DC have currently got branded trainers because of this, I don't think I spent more than £35 per DC tho.

I would not spend £65 on a pair of trainers for DC or for me even. DC's feet are still growing and they'll need a new pair by next year.

19lottie82 · 04/12/2016 13:09

Also check out @sneakerdealsgb on twitter (you don't need to sign up for a twitter account). They have tons of amazing bargains and discount codes.

19lottie82 · 04/12/2016 13:11

OP I have a 20% off code for the Nike website that will work on any purchase on the Nike website, if you'd like it let me know.

JustanotherMortificado · 04/12/2016 13:13

Yep my son wants harache s and he is getting the for Christmas. He goes through trainers like nobody's business as he scooters so I don't spend loads on everyday trainers. And no way is he taking the huaraches to the skate park.

nokidshere · 04/12/2016 13:13

I don't mind branded trainers but always find them somewhere at a knockdown price - I don't pay over £40 for them.

When they stop growing it's fine! My 15 yr old has grown 4.5inches since August - there is a absolutely no point in buying expensive clothes and shoes at this point.

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