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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

In expecting Clarks to have a pair of shoes in my daughter's size?

57 replies

Littlemissbusy · 09/05/2007 20:13

Went to Clarks after school to buy a new pair of shoes for DD2. We waited for 20 minutes (staff say "yes - we do get quite busy after school - I nearly yelled - well, perhaps if you regularly get busy after school you should consider having more than one trained member of staff available!) She's size 9.5G - fairly normal I would say. Then I find out there's no black shoes in the store in that size.
Is this Communist Russia or something? How can there be no shoes in stock, in a shoe shop????? Also, in this town, there is no where else to go to buy Clarks shoes, or any other measured / width fitting shoes etc. I do like Clarks shoes - they clearly have some great designers, and obviously the marketing has worked on me, as I think children should have properly fitted, width shoes etc - but today was outrageous!!! And I can't boycott the store, so I just needed to rant a bit!

OP posts:

mrsmalumbas · 09/05/2007 20:17

I had that problem with mine a couple of weeks ago, nothing at all in her size, not even the cheapy sandals. Funnily enough they said the same thing but this time the excuse was it had been busy over half term.

squidette · 09/05/2007 20:18

yep, unreasonable. expecting usually is. Stock errors happen, such is life

Apatosaurus · 09/05/2007 20:21

I wanted to buy dd2 sensible winter shoes in january and oooooooooooooooh, much sucking of teeth and 'oh you'll be lucky wanting that type of shoe now...most of our winter shoes sell out in november and the sales'

but she's like 18 months old and her feet get bigger quite quicky you know. so sorry I didn't come shoe shopping with her for the next size up 3 months ago. how very lax of me.

fools

Elasticwoman · 09/05/2007 20:22

I went to Clarks on Saturday and they only had one assistant on in the whole teeming shop, so I walked out again.

There are other shoe shops - honestly.

scatterbrain · 09/05/2007 20:25

Oh you want to try having an "H" fitting child - the smaller Clarks shops don't stock them at all - the bigger ones get maybe 1 pair in every other size and they cannot/will not order them in for you anymore !

I had to defect to an independent shop miles and miles away to get Start-Rites at £38 - and they had to order them in too !!!

Tsk - I dream of a "G" fitting - I really do !

contentiouscat · 09/05/2007 20:26

I had the same thing on the weekend - in the end I said OK 1 pair of trainers bring me anything in his size (not white) they had nothing so instead of an E it was OK for him to have an F

School shoes again "anything in his size without moccasin stitching" again no Es he had Fs

I tried to buy sandals at the beginning of July and they said "oh youll be lucky the winter stock is coming in" WTF the kids are just breaking up from school for the SUMMER!!

tortoiseSHELL · 09/05/2007 20:27

Oh shoes are a nightmare. Dd has a very high instep and trying to find a shoe that fits is almost impossible. I really need an intelligent assistant when we go, otherwise we're stuffed!

misdee · 09/05/2007 20:27

littlemissbusy, go to the clarks site and then see how many styles they actually have in G fittings. then also check for D fittings.

dd2 is a G, dd3 was a D, but is now thankfully an E fitting.

contentiouscat · 09/05/2007 20:28

Littlemiss - great rant by the way, made me chuckle, I know exactly how you feel

marthamoo · 09/05/2007 20:29

June: "Oh we've only got winter stock in now - would you like some boots?"

November: "We're getting the sandals in for summer now."

Want black school shoes? "We've got this style in navy...or this trainer, it looks a bit like a school shoe."

Want some funky shoes for a three year old? "Oh we've got one black pair in his size."

Thank goodness for independent shoe shops

misdee · 09/05/2007 20:30

btw Littlemiss, i do understand honestly.

i tend to go to JL in town as they stock startrite as well. one bloke, bless him, spent ages trying different shoes on dd3 untill he found some that fitted. other people were getting tecthy wasiting.

RosaLuxembourg · 09/05/2007 20:44

I know how you feel - we too have only Clarks in our town that do fitted shoes - otherwise it's an hour and a half down the motorway to the nearest big shopping mall. I swear, an independent children's shoe shop would clean up in our town.

And another thing - DD1 is 9 and takes 3.5D - try getting suitable flat school shoes in that size - they all have clumpy heels. Like once they hit size 2 they are not children anymore and need to have 'fashion' shoes fgs.

maycontainstress · 10/05/2007 12:40

Totally agree, littlemiss. Our Clarks in town are unbelievably pathetic.

Whenever I go in, with my DTS (well, the shoes are for THEIR feet), I am told there is an HOUR wait to see an assistant, 'it gets very busy after school'. 'No shit, that's when the children can come to the shop, unless you'd like me to get special permission from our Headmaster so that we can pop in at a time more convenient to YOU?' . They had jack shite in anything less than a size 1 and the sales assistants were pish. We drove 40 minutes to a 'proper Clarks' breathes out.

ChocolateFace · 10/05/2007 12:51

That's Calrks for you. The Clarks shop in our town don't even fit properly; they're well known for selling shoes too big. Luckily we have another shopwhich sells Clarks in our town, but they're not much better for having stock in. We also have a childrens' shoe shop which sells start-right and continental shoes (Ricosta, Geox etc) at twice the price, They're are constantly busy, and always get in extra staff for after school and holidays. With 3 DC's I sometimes feel I'm personally paying the owners morgage, though!

LazyLine · 10/05/2007 15:10

I'm with scatterbrain. I just have to ask for whatever they have in his size. And then, due to the style of the shoe, most of those (there are at most 3 ever) still don't fit. The remaining shoe looks like an orthopaedic dog cage.

I am of your G fitting.

Marne · 10/05/2007 15:15

I took dd2 for her first pair of shoes a few weeks ago and was told she was a 4H, but they dont stock girls shoes in a H (only boys) so they put her in a G which they said was ok, im a bit worried because if she is a H sould'nt she be wearing a H?

JoPG · 10/05/2007 15:16

Took DD2 is the other day. She measured a 6H (fat little feet) They didn't have any H or indeed G fittings in any sandals, so they offered me a 6F for her instead. WTF? I'm paying £25 for fitted shoes, if I wanted shoes that didn't fit her properly I could go to just about any high street shop and get them. What is the point of measuring the width, and then offering her shoes that are not the correct width for her? Aagh.
so, you are not being unreasonable.

chocolattegirl · 10/05/2007 15:18

Clarks are pants - I use the shop two doors down which stocks Startrites instead. I'm actually dreading my dd's next winter shoes as they don't stock any more of the mary jane design after her current size. It was so easy to get the next size up with no arguing over styles but now we're going to get the shoe-shop stand-offs .

scatterbrain · 10/05/2007 15:20

H's are a total nightmare !!!

Have you heard the latest though - Clarks are emant to be the Experts right - so they ahve withdrawn their ordering service to luanch a website ordering service (not live yet !) so you can go to a shop and get measured - when they don't have your size you can oirder them onmline - then you go back to the shop to make sure they fit properly !!

Yeah right - like you're going to bother !!!

Sometines Gs are Ok on my dd and she is a big H - and sometimes she can't get into an H - it all depends on the style and fit - that's why their assistants are sposed to FIT them - I am so fed up with Clarks !!

LazyLine · 10/05/2007 15:20

Marne, generally yes, but I have learnt that it can depend on the style of the shoe. Some styles fit wider and narrower than others. My DS is an H fitting and has been able occasionally to fit inside a G fitting, but it would have to be a wide style. Conversely, he often cannot fit into H fittings as they are too narrowly styled. Also depends on the instep of the shoe, how high or low it is.

The best thing to do is learn how to check if they fit and check yourself.

LazyLine · 10/05/2007 15:22

x-posted with scatterbrain.

I have been told that my DS is a wide H, the last time I had him "done" they said that he was just about too wide for an H, and he seems to be getting wider!

He is now in a G fitting shoe though.

Clarks are pap. I had 3 different measurements within a few weeks from there and then sold me a pair that I had to get refunded as they did not fit properly.

I have found John Lewis to be the best at fitting him. I like the fact that they regularly turn me away as he does not need new shoes.

Marne · 10/05/2007 15:24

They did check her with sevral pairs and yes only one style fit her and then 2 people checked them for me, i think i was in the shop for over an hour, dd2 thought it was great fun. We do have a shop that stocks start-rite but they only have a few styles so clarks is my only option, i wish there were more shoe shops/suppliers that did with fittings

gigglinggoblin · 10/05/2007 15:28

i dont trust clarks. evil xmil bought ds some shoes before he was walking so i wouldnt let him wear them. a couple of months later i took him in to be measured and he was half a size smaller than when they measured him with xmil. i told them and they remeasured and he was magically bigger

bozza · 10/05/2007 15:32

It is a nightmare with a child who has feet that are non-standard, so basically not an F although DD is an F and still sometimes struggles.

DS is an 11H and we struggle and usually end up in Gs in sandals and trainers and in Startrite in school shoes which although more expensive I don't mind because they wear well. Another issue with DS is a high instep. DD has also got the high instep but narrower feet so we generally fair better with her.

Original poster

Littlemissbusy · 10/05/2007 17:06

I'm tempted to email Clarks and show them this discussion!
I think there's a parallel to be drawn with bras really - everyone's different - but you'd never expect to have only 1 bra in M&S to choose from now would you!
However - bra fitting is my other gripe. They say that 90% of women or something wear the wrong size bra. After 3 children, I thought it was about time to get properly measured again. So I did - and was told my size - then tried on some bras in that size. They didn't fit properly - so assistant helpfully told me that in different syyles, you often need a slightly different size!!! Well then, I replied - are you surprised that so many women wear the wrong size! Why on earth don't they adjust the style / size accordingly, so you know you can always pick up the correct size!!!!
Sorry - I know that's not the posting, but needed to let of steam on that one too!

OP posts:

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