Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is dam cheeky of Clark’s shoes

155 replies

Lilylay · 24/08/2019 08:39

We there yesterday to get Ds measures for school shoes and buy some. We have not got a lot of money but I have e put some aside to get DS these shoes as we have found Clark’s last longer so are better value in the long run.
When we got there the women came over the measure Ds feet and also asked him to tap his favourite colour on the screen. He got measure and we picked out some shoes
When the women came back with the right size she had three other boxes with her and took out the school shoes and put them on Ds. We were happy and said we were having them.
She then turned to Ds and says look at these wonderful green trainers and if your mummy and daddy get you these as well as your new school shoes they will get 20% off the trainers.

Now lucky for us we had just been in sports direct and get DS some trainers from there so Ds just say “I have got some new ones thank”
I am not at all happy with the selling technique and say to the women that I know she will a been asked to do this by her boss but could she feed back Clark’s have now lost a sale due to this tactic. We walked out and I have ordered some shoes online that have good reviews and are guaranteed for a year.
Incidentally there was a child having meltdown but his mum was saying she could not afford the trainers. The mum looked so upset.
AIBU to think this is not one at all

OP posts:
RunawayLove · 24/08/2019 09:23

Can't they just put a simply sign up stating the offer in the kid shoe section?

OhHimAgain · 24/08/2019 09:23

Clark’s have been doing this for the last 20 years though (and they wonder why people shop online)

I agree. Not with Clarks specifically but one of the reasons I shop online is because I don't want to be followed around a store or 'sold' to. I'm an adult, I know what I'm looking for and I get irritated by a stranger trying to get involved! Plus it makes me uncomfortable.

It also annoys me because I have a couple of friends with SN who are particularly susceptible to being 'upsold' - they get flustered and buy stuff they neither need nor want because they either feel railroaded or just "want to be nice".

Best regular shop experience I had was in a clothes shop when I was trying some things on. It was very quiet in there and the shop assistant gave my 9 year old daughter a lanyard and let her 'help' tidy the rails and price stock all whilst saying, "do you want to help me while your mum tries stuff on. It's a bit boring waiting isn't it?" and they chatted about the clothes but no there was no pressure on my daughter to "ask your mum to buy it for you". Someone was nice to my child, she was happy and I was able to try things on in peace.

Now that is the way to get people to buy your stock!

zen1 · 24/08/2019 09:23

At £50 for a pair of school shoes, many people can’t afford the prices anyway, especially if buying for multiple DC.

Kazzyhoward · 24/08/2019 09:24

This is one of the reasons retail is now a nightmare to work in. People like you make the assistants spend their time helping you when you have no intention of buying anything and they then get yelled at for not making enough sales.

Chicken and egg. People do that because of poor service or the shop not having enough stock. If the service was better and shops like Clarks had more stock in the shops, people wouldn't need to go online.

haveuheard · 24/08/2019 09:24

I stopped buying Clarkes after my sons school shoes kept falling apart at the seams. No point paying premium prices for crap shoes.

Get a particular kind of M&S ones now.

Lucked · 24/08/2019 09:25

Happened to us too, kids were opening l the boxes so found the trainers before she had mentioned them - I thought we had been given someone else’s shoes. To be fair she addressed me and not the children so it wasn’t an awkward situation but they are definitely up selling.

GabsAlot · 24/08/2019 09:27

Not nationwide i was with my niece and newphew couple of weeks ago getting shoes didnt even mention it just brought out the ones we had asked for

definitely email the manager of that store

Land0r · 24/08/2019 09:33

Not the same thing, but we popped into Clarks the other day to have feet measured as the shop was empty. DD2 (10) was a 13.5 E this time last year and was measured as one foot 13.5 E and one foot 1.5 E this time. That may well be correct but I was expecting both feet to have grown since last summer.

DD1 (13) was a 4.5 F last year and her feet have definitely grown as her new (non Clarks) trainers are a size 6. She was measured as a 4 H+ so according to them, her feet have suddenly become 'extra wide' and gone down half a size.

I queried the extra wide fitting as it's obvious just looking at her feet that they aren't wide! The man said it was correct.

We're going to an independent shoe shop next week and will hopefully find out their correct sizes!

hopeishere · 24/08/2019 09:37

We were told about the offer but not worded that way and told to me not the children.

Having said that I think their whole fitting thing is a load of crap as we ended up with shoes that were not what their gadget suggested.

NewStarterPack · 24/08/2019 09:51

Unfortunately I have to use Clarks as my DC are H fittings. I only ever go in there when I am in a very assertive mood.

I go in, get them measured and then note down the measurement. Then I ask the salesperson for a show a whole size up and then feel around for how they fit and what room they have. If you take Clarks spiel your shoes only last 3 months and I want 6 out of them. They then note down that I have not taken their recommendation for the shoes on their system and say I can't bring them back. I'm sure that doesn't apply to if they break, but if Ive got an issue with the size.

Seeline · 24/08/2019 09:51

The assistant measured my DDS feet and then sent her off to pick something she liked from the display. She then asked me whether I needed trainers/plimsolls as well, and I said no. That was the last I heard of it. She didn't even mention the special offer (which is on every year!)

loutypips · 24/08/2019 09:55

Clarks fitting is crap too. Apparently my daughters feet are so wide they don't make girls shoes in her size. Yet we never have problems anywhere else.
My dd would probably laugh at the suggestion of buying Clarks trainers as they aren't "fashionable" enough for her. But I think it's really underhanded to target children! I'm quite capable of saying no, but plenty of people aren't, and they are preying on people trying to please their children.

bigKiteFlying · 24/08/2019 09:59

I gave up on Clark years ago when they changed their experienced staff to ones who couldn't measure the kids feet correctly.

Then we went to a local independent for years till they tried selling directly to my DD some really flimsy shoes that came with some toy.

After that we bought a foot gauge and bought on line

www.shoesforkids.co.uk These sell Clarks shoes not a huge range but enough for some choice and not bad prices.

We then as I often had to buy trainers as well did
www.wynsors.com/

But we had real trouble with all the shoes we bought last year and DC have trainers that fit so gone back to shoes for kids and got some nice Clark school shoes.

I have been tempted to look in Clarks clearance warehouse store in nearby city but the queue are horrific this time of year.

Maryscary008 · 24/08/2019 10:02

Chicken and egg. People do that because of poor service or the shop not having enough stock. If the service was better and shops like Clarks had more stock in the shops, people wouldn't need to go online.

They would because it's cheaper to buy online. It's not as if it is just Clarkes who are loosing business to online retailers who can sell more cheaply is it?

cheeserolls · 24/08/2019 10:05

Hi, how do DMs size up?

I know Clarks seem to be smaller per size than perhaps a supermarket shoe of the same size....

pooopypants · 24/08/2019 10:05

We've just bought some school shoes in Clarks too, we were offered a discount a pumps, not trainers. The girl brought them out with her when she brought the shoes but didn't make a song and dance about it and directed the question at me and not DC

Definitely sounds more like an issue with the sales person than Clarks themselves but definitely complain

BogglesGoggles · 24/08/2019 10:06

At my local Clark’s they usually ask whether you want trainers/other shoes as well before going to get school shoes but wouldn’t bring out shoes and try to sell them to a child. Vair middle class area so it’s not like they would pressure people into buying shoes they can’t afford, they know the mothers would just get uppity and go to the other shoe shop.

MrsSiriusBlack1 · 24/08/2019 10:08

We had this with my toddler getting her first shoes lol, it’s a sales technique and not the poor assistants fault, in today’s climate are you surprised they don’t try everything to make money?

icanthelpyou · 24/08/2019 10:11

Yes we've had this a couple of times now. Last winter she brought out cute bunny slippers as well as the boots I was after. We got the slippers too. I remember feeling she seemed embarrassed like it was a thing they had to do.

sounfairso · 24/08/2019 10:12

Totally out of order! Definite feedback needed!

EL8888 · 24/08/2019 10:12

That’s cheeky and out of order!!!

MonChatEstMagnifique · 24/08/2019 10:12

I can't imagine her sales technique would be very successful. I don't know any young children that would get excited about new shoes/trainers and having to be in a shop like Clarks trying on yet more. My kids would have looked at the sales assistant like they were mad if this had been done to them, it would have been their worst nightmare to have to spend even longer in that shop.

kalinkafoxtrot45 · 24/08/2019 10:13

That’s absolutely shocking and would make me shop elsewhere. If it’s a policy either inflicted on the staff by the store manager or from head office, they need to be informed in no uncertain terms how inappropriate it is. It’s the retail equivalent of chugging.

Darkbloom · 24/08/2019 10:17

That is awful - they shouldn't ask children to make decisions like that. I would write a formal complaint to Clark's.

JinglingHellsBells · 24/08/2019 10:20

Clarks is operated as a franchise.

That means each branch is run entirely by the manage r so I assume they have authority to do what they want with selling techniques within reason.

I think it's bad but at the same time wonder if it's that different to

1 Adverts on telly where kids are targeted
2 Sweets at the check out.

I understand the asst went one step further and approached the child directly and that is wrong.

However, I think cutting your nose off to spite you face @lilylay was rather silly.

You were the loser and all you had to do was ask to speak to the manager and say you were unhappy with the pressurised sales pitch.