To ask for honest view of Clark's kids shoes

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DS new school shoes from Clark's £55. Goretex, look sturdy but already wearing smooth on the sole. Doesn't walk a lot as straight onto school bus and back every day. Experiences please

I tend to only buy Clark's shoes in the sale/outlet. Have had success so far with sandals and winter boots. However my DDs are now bigger (eldest is 8) and I find the styles clumpy. We have bought Hush Puppies shoes the last couple of winters which are great - around 30£ a pair which is similar to Clark's and they come with three interchangeable soles so that the shoes 'grow' with the child.

I get my DDs measured at Clarke's and then buy the shoes somewhere I can afford them

My eldest (yr 5 at school) has been on clarks since he was a toddler, we had startright in the beginning because they had a slightly wider fit, he still has wide feet but now fits in clarks. We tend to go to JL to buy as there service is awesome and they are always quick, our choice of shoes is restricted by very wide feet which run in the family.
He has have never worn out a pair of clarks, they tend to last 9mths to a year depending on growth. He is a typical boy and plays football etc in them but he does tend to look after his things so we lose very few clothes/ toys etc through breakage this has been an attitude we've encouraged since he was little and I think for us it's paid off. He does only wear them for school & formal occasions, he has trainers for weekends/cubs etc.

His cousins who trash everything manage to keep shoes (mainly clarks) for only a few months at a time, I suspect they could have titanium shoes and they would still destroy them.

Sometimes I think it's the kids not the shoes (although I do accept sometimes it's the shoes not the kids)

I can't stand Clarks shoes, I always get my DD's shoes from M&S, I've found them to be really good quality and last well, the last ones they had lasted them the school year.
And the ones I got in the summer hols are still going strong and still look new, despite all the wear.

Boys shoes ok, girls shoes just awful. We are really limited with their range as my dd has very very slim feet. The only ones that fit are the impractical ones. Just cos she has dainty feet doesn't mean she acts daintily. Completely impractical. Startrite are better but my god they are so expensive.
I'm going to start a new shop. Narrow fitting shoes for girls who climb trees. According to Clarks assistants we are a niche market.

I think they are definitely overpriced, and over rated. And since they have gone to iPad measuring definitely not as accurate always comes up with a width to big for my kids. My dd miss 11 and for the last 2 years has had Dm's that have lasted a whole school year.

There are 2 questions to ask about buying shoes.

1. How important is having properly fitted shoes?
2. How important is quality and value for money (value being price in relation to quality, not cheapest)

The thing is you can do better on both counts than Clarks. As other posters have said Clarks pedals with idea that unless your shoes are fitted by their shop assistants, your kids may wear poorly fitting shoes and have problems. Well, shoe fitting isn't rocket science and most people can learn to do it - how long do you think a Clarks shop assistant is trained in it for before being let loose? So, having shoes which fit well is important, but they don't have to be Clarks and you can learn to fit shoes yourself and may well find there are many styles which will fit as well or better...and be cheaper. It is the fit that counts, not whether they are described at being 10E rather than just 10. Because each shoes style comes up differently, receiving a measurement size and width can only be a starting point and any shoe needs individual fitting, based on it on the child's foot. The measuring gauge isn't some kind of magic. It may say one thing and an individual shoe may still be too wide or narrow or not the right shape. Look on the Start Rite website for a decent guide on how to fit shoes. Parents just need to have confidence that they are perfectly capable of doing it themselves. believe you can do it.

Then there is the quality and value. Clarks are pretty expensive for what they are. There are numerous other shoes available for less - look at M and S, or the better ranges in the supermarkets. You can get leather shoes for £20 not £38. If they fit your child (and you can only tell by fitting them and seeing, in the same way that you can only tell with Clarks by fitting too) then they will be as good as the Clarks one twice the price. It won't matter that say say 10 and not 10G.
Of course if you are a parent who needs to be able to say you bought width fitting shoes in order to hold your head up in the playground, this might be an issue.....but it really won't mean the shoes fit better.

And in terms of wanting the absolute top quality, Clarks are just not it. Other brands which may cost just three or four pounds more lies StartRite are usually better - leather linings for example, not some fabric thing which gives smelly feet. And there are also the European brands available in independent shoe shops. The staff there will fit you well and hopefully have a good range, but again, you could do the fitting yourself.

Online and outlet is a great source of shoes. You can often buy lots of pairs at pretty cheap prices and do the fitting in the comfort of your home and return the unwanted ones - often more choice than in a shop and much cheaper an no time pressure.

My top tip - learn how to fit shoes. Learn what to look for and how to feel them on the foot. Then you are freed to go wherever you like and to choose based on the quality and price you feel it is reasonable to pay.

I love putting chocolate chips in my kids porrige

Clarks is the only shoe store near us that actually measures children's feet and then tries a couple of different styles of shoe on to get the best fit. Until DD is able to tell me how the shoes feel on her feet, I'll continue to get Clarks. She's quite hard on her shoes and they never stay pristine for long, but they last until she's ready to go up a size or two. Thankfully, I don't need to get particular shoes for school so she tends to wear bright pink shoes or some kind of sparkly runners.

my DC are bloody tough on shoes, school shoes especially.
We've gone for Kickers this year - only a few weeks in but the DC love wearing them and they are holding up well.

I'l never buy Clarkes again - they are rubbish. M&S School shoes are pretty bad too.

Adult DM's certainly aren't what they used to be quality wise, but I would consider the school shoes - you pay a bit more up front for Kickers or DM's but they will last all year.

Yep, gave up a while ago for DS, and also for DH too. Not just kids' shoes that have gone down in quality. My DH doesn't do much walking but his shoes were constantly getting torn, scuffed, and the soles would go smooth in just a few weeks. As for trying to buy shoes from them, all our local stores barely have any stock, so you have to order online to get them delivered into store, and then when you find they don't fit or you don't like the style, you have to order something else online for store delivery a few days later. I don't think Clarks will last much longer. Always used to be huge queues for kids, especially near the start of term, but now the shops seem empty most of the time.

I've given up on them too. I wasn't getting half a term out of both my sons shoes. I've found m&s half the price and better quality.

" Startrite are better but my god they are so expensive."

You can get start-rite shoes in TK Maxx fuckoffee if that's any help?

You have to wade through several tons of shite- as always with TK Maxx- but I've had some good finds in there recently.

Many Clarks shoes are fine. However, the key question if you find them fine, is if you could get the same quality and fit for substantially less?

Often other shoes will be the same quality and fit equally well best be half the price. Clarks are often not value for money. If you learn the fit a shoe on your child's foot you can easily find just as good quality and just as good a fit elsewhere for less.

The reason paents pay over the odds for Clarks is that they don't have the confidence themselves to fit shoes and make a judgment about if they fit. Because of this lack of confidence, they pay double the price for being told they are getting a properly fitted shoe. In reality, lots of other shoes might fit just as well too, but you would have to judge this yourself. Look at the StartRite website in how to measure feet. You will be liberated from any individual shoe shop or the tyranny of the shoe fitter and be able to go absolutely anywhere to try shoes with confidence.

We love clarks (well tbh it's just me) dw doesn't like the designs but we both agree the quality and the ergonomics is spot on. Dw is a shopaholic and dd has about 30 shoes all different brands going from size 3 to size 7 and hides the fucking receipts so I can't return them.

Dd had a calcium deficiency due to low bf supply & rejecting formula and she walked very early (7m). We weaned early (4m) and give her calcium & vit D rich foods but this didn't prevent her getting a slight bowing of her legs. She walked across a room at 8m but was still falling over and crawling at 10m

Atm dd's wearing a 4f, they fit perfectly and they have little cuts in the sole so that they flex at the right points. It makes a massive difference in dd's gait and the shoe flexes with her feet so her feet don't fall out of it. She actually walks better in the shoes than barefoot.

Our GP & physio recommended clarks for her to improve her gait and stability. We had to wait for a podopaediatric appointment and dd's gait improved so we haven't yet had a proper proper expert opinion or any prescription orthotics.

Also, I can't comment on the durability because dd has only had 2 so far and is growing out of them too fast to get any decent wear out of them. Also unless they stop being so ugly I don't think dd will have more than 1 more pair of them. But for ergonomics, for first walkers no other regular brand that I know of comes close.

I've never bought Clarks due to reading so many negative reviews on MN! I've been putting DS in Geox for a couple of years and they are virtually indestructible

DD has wide feet and I find clarks shoes good but would only ever buy them in the half price sale. The stiching went on one pair after a few weeks but they replaced them with no quibbles.

Our GP & physio recommended clarks

really? Can't imagine any decent physio doing that! Insoles, yes.

Ds wears Clarks boots because of them doing half sizes and a wide fit. He is supposed to wear orthopaedic boots but has refused to walk in them for the last few years and has also refused to do so with kickers.
We never pay full price because we have a family member with a discount card. They last 6-9 months and don't wear out.

I personally feel that the current quality of Clark's shoes are not worth the tag. Much prefer Geox or Hush Puppies.

@Hayesking lol they seemed to know what they were talking about. The GP didn't really have much knowledge in the area but that's to be expected. The physio was very good, she sat us down and was more concerned with teaching us what to look for in a good orthotic shoe rather than which brand to choose. Dd's treatment is ongoing and we have to do another bone profile before it warrants referral to a consultant so I think if dd's mobility issues were more serious we would have had more in depth/better recommendations.

No complaints with the kids shoes, and we walk a mile to school. They are more foot- friendly than cheaper shoes, but then I've only got two kids to buy for. They've always lasted the full school year.
My partner bought himself a pair, and they fell apart really quickly. So now he has two praised of life time guaranteed doc martens.

DD has had a couple or pairs of winter boots from Clarkes. I find them great. Very good quality. She wore one pair nearly every day for 2 winters and they were still water tight. Sadly she grew out of them. The zip is starting to go on last years pair so I'll probably have to get another pair soon.
They are expensive but I think they're worth it.

Don't know if they are worth the full price but if you can find a Clarks factory outlet they are worth it. In the one near here you can get a pair of school shoes fitted for around 20 quid. They last longer because they are leather. The cheap Matalan ones are a good fit but scuff after a few weeks.

We bought DS's first walker type shoes from Clarks for a couple of years but we are fortunate to have an independent children's shoe shop locally that sells brands like Bobux, Froddo etc. and we always shop there now. The shoes aren't cheap but are so hard-wearing. I got sick of going into Clarks and getting DS measured only for them to have nothing in his size in stock and also started hearing negatuve stuff about their quality.