To take nearly 16yo DS to Clarks Kids?

[SmashedCucumber]

DS is 16 in a few months, and today we have an appointment for a shoe fitting at Clarks kids. He hasn’t been measured for ages, I want to make sure we know his true size to then replace his battered school shoes and trainers. Clarks kids go up to an adult size 10 in some styles and his feet are still smaller than that.
DS is moaning saying he doesn’t want to have to go on the foot measuring device which is very much geared around little ones, (getting them to choose their favourite colour etc before the machine starts measuring), which I understand totally, will they be able to measure his feet in some other non-cringey way? I resent paying adult price shoes when the kids section can still cater for him.
Or should I cancel the appointment, get his feet measured some other way and then buy shoes from the (adult range) elsewhere?

My 16 yo DD has just had her feet measured in the adults section of Clarke's. The child and adult sizes are different so you will need to decide on where you are headed.

She hadn't been measured for a year, and is still growing and we didn't have a clue. It was useful as we now have an idea of what size to start trying on. The fitter also mentioned that she is heading towards a wide fitting, so if that option is available it is useful to know we could try it.

You're surely on a wind up! If not please do not embarrass the poor guy, one of his friends may see him getting measured up and he'll be the target of much mirth at school for weeks on end and will be bullied mercilessly

Measure the length of his feet with a tape measure to tell you where to start. A proper foot measure is preferable, but tape measure with heel against the wall is a decent start.

I would imagine that any normal shoe shop would have a bog-standard measuring gauge he could use himself if he said “could I just check what size I am now?”. No need for him to stand and be fitted for them!

On a side note, I bought my own shoe size gauge for about £7. It’s invaluable!

How strange. DS (also nearly 16) still comes along to Clarks and gets his feet measured for new shoes with his younger sister. He's not bothered in the least and it's never crossed my mind it might be embarrassing in any way. He's still growing, needs shoes that fit properly, so gets measured properly.

I can't fathom why that's not just the normal thing to do, but there we are.

I would go with what your DS is saying to be fair, if your DS doesn't want to do this I certainly wouldn't make him. Imagine if he is seen by someone he knows , they will totally take the piss out of him at school. He will probably get teased for wearing Clark's shoes full stop at that age.

What are the rules at your DS school?

For us it was just plain black shoes , no logo. We used to get them from Sports Direct, either try a few on in store or order and return (if you have a Next account that's brilliant for ordering a choice and returning and you don't pay til the bill comes in)

@FreezerBird - same here - have always used Clarke’s and had their feet measured. No one has ever said I shouldn’t,

My nearly 11 year old now cringes at anything Clarks. I've wasted so much money on buying 'decent' shoes for them in the past few years and after a few days they decide they don't like them. I can imagine at 16, I'd have no chance of getting them inside the shop.

Just dine the Clarks thing this week and due to COVID they’re using the traditional shoe-sizing measuring boards because the iPads and machines have touch screens. So the old-fashioned board is better at the moment.

But still - I wouldn’t think a 16-year-old would even be compliant enough to walk in the store and head for the kids section!

I remember when I brought my then 15 year old to be measured and the girl quite loudly said adults don't need their feet measuring, you try them on and see. I was because one he wasn't an adult and 2, his feet are always growing. I'd understand this if feet have stopped growing. So we started with a size 9 standard which had been his last shoe size and worked our way up till we got the size that fit, then we tried on standard fitting and wide and it turned out he was extra wide.

The girl kept asking did he never wear shoes and how come we didn't know his size, but tbh ds lived in trainers and for shoes we just bought once a year.

He was now 11.5 extra wide. The girl didn't seem to mind having to keep going in the back to get different sizes. Although it would have saved us about 30 minutes if she had just measured him. So my point is while it's really handy to have them measured as their feet are still growing its not favourable for older kids to be measured by them, shop staff and other people, it's accepted more to just try on till you get there.

I stopped taking them to Clark’s at around age 15. Up to then they’d been ok with it, and I was happy to get them VAT free comfy shoes. It’s a pain in the arse now, because they just say the first pair they try on is ‘fine’ and I have no idea if they are too big/small/narrow or whatever. They also can’t be bothered to tie laces so just slip them on and off, ruining the backs. But I can’t baby them forever, it’s their lookout.

Well done OP.

How embarrassing.

Pretty sure if you measure the length and width of his foot, there will be an online calculator that will tell you his shoe size

[quote Coffeeandbeans]@FreezerBird - same here - have always used Clarke’s and had their feet measured. No one has ever said I shouldn’t,[/quote]
Why would anyone need to tell you? You're expected to use your instinct surely, based on having actually been a teenager yourself once and knowingly how cringy it would have been

As a PP said, the adult section at Clarks (and any good shoe shop) will measure his feet. Even once you have stopped growing, your feet can still change shape. Clarks also have virtual fittings at the moment by Zoom where they talk you through how to measure at home, @SmashedCucumber

The VAT exemption for children's shoes stops at size 6.5 for boys and 5.5 for girls. For comparison, if you look at the men's range at Clarks, you can get similar style shoes to the school range for the same price.

I never go to Clarks because I think they're rubbish but I still take both my teenage boys to the local independent kids shoe shop for their school shoes. They've never complained, and loads of the local teens, both boys and girls, get their shoes from the same place, so it has never occurred to me that it would be an issue. That said, we live in the back end of nowhere and our nearest small towns don't have a big choice of shoe shops, so my noys have probably never thought to complain!
Regarding VAT, I was under the impression that shoes attract VAT after a certain size ( 6.5 for males if my memory serves me right) regardless of whether they are sold as children or adults shoes. The same goes for clothes. I was shocked at the price hike in our school blazers last year as both my boys went from the largest children's size to the smallest adult, and the woman in the shop told me that it was VAT, which seems ridiculous to me. I think that all school uniform should be VAT free. My children are all small so only just going into adult sizes, but they have a few friends who are well over 6ft now and have been wearing adult size clothes and shoes since they were 11 or 12. I think it is really unfair that their parents are penalised for having tall children. An extra 20% on everything through their whole school career is going to add up to a lot!

rottiemum88

Why would anyone need to tell you? You're expected to use your instinct surely, based on having actually been a teenager yourself once and knowingly how cringy it would have been

In our case, because DS doesn't appear to find it cringey in the least, and I don't think I would have at that age particularly either.

This thread has made me laugh 🤣.

Just have a vision of a gangly 16yo sitting amongst a load of toddlers, getting his feet measured with his mummy.

PMSL at a 16yo choosing their favourite colour on the Clarks iPad. Good call OP.

@Feckmesideways

OP please no, Clark’s is a no go for kids once they reach secondary school.

Is it really? I sometimes work with secondary-age kids and see loads of them wearing Clarks shoes. Or do you mean shoes specifically from the children's range?

I believe Clarks shoes are a rip off. The quality has really gone down and the selection is a bit rubbish too. I don't pay nearly £40 for my own shoes and they're much bigger than the three inch long canvas daps my daughter wears!
You can find better priced, men's leather shoes all over the high street.

Wow a 16 year old at Clarks that's social suicide 🤣

Our Clarke’s is full of teenagers with their parents buying school shoes. We have six secondary schools and most kids get their shoes from there - leave it too late and they sell out of the larger sizes.

Oh gosh my 7 and 10 year old no longer gets their feet measured. We go to the likes of schuh and she tries shoes on based on how her current size fits and she tells me how they feel, I check where the toe sits etc. They both have well fitting dr martens for school. We do the same for trainers/converse etc for out of school.