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?

They aren't using the machines at the min. Just the normal gauges

I can remember a stand up row and walking out on my mum in Clark’s aged about 14 - left her there. She then let me wear any old crappy shoes. I’m now 47 so Clark’s were never cool for secondary kids. She also sent me in on my induction (ie non uniform) day at high school. That was bad.

I worked in Clark’s fitting children’s shoes - go5 about ten mins training on the machine so suggest trying things on is the fine tuning...

Sent me in a school skirt (a line) that should read

Shoe price depends on size not on whether it's categorised as adults or children's. Vat applies over a certain size.

Clarks have standard foot sizing devices as well as the useless iPad. Just pop in and ask if someone can measure him using one, as that way you’ll know what width he is too.

Treads in-line do great school shoes. They will also send a measuring gadget out to you.

I'm glad you cancelled it lol. All the shoe shops have measuring gauges in them, even Asda have them near the shoes so just get him to use one of those

@SnackSizeRaisin

Shoe price depends on size not on whether it's categorised as adults or children's. Vat applies over a certain size.

Unfortunately not true.... I'm a 3.5, and I can buy shoes in the kids range.... adult ranges typically start at a 3 for women and size 3 is not cheaper than size 7 unfortunately. :-( ..... some styles may have certain smaller sizes designated kids and for vat purposes there may well be an official maximum...

Places like shoe zone usually have a manual foot measure lurking, but he must know his size, surely? Has he been going barefoot all his life?

Yeah even back in the 90’s Clark’s shoes were a no go for secondary 😂😂
Glad you cancelled OP.. my boys like Schuh or Office for shoes if that helps. I’ve been paying adult prices for ds2’s shoes since he was 10 as the kids sizes in most places go up to a 5, and he went into a 6 at that age. (Ironically I’m still a 5 and occasionally buy trainers from the kids range myself!)

Glad that most don't get 16yr old's feet measured. Tbh at that age they really shouldn't need a parents accompanying them at all to buy school shoes. Top their card up and send them off.

If I had worn Clark's shoes to school at secondary I would have been taken the piss out of for ages! When I read these threads I am so glad for my parents, they were strict I some ways but never let me look like a twat.

First off I'd print off the Startrite foot measure thingy from the net and measure them at home yourself, quicker and easier.

Secondly though my dd, 13 has just had feet measured in Clark's and new brogue shoes from them which are completely non descript and adequate. All her friends wear similar, Clark's, shoes.

She goes to the local comp, as did I 30 years ago, and neither of us have ever been ridiculed for wearing a bog standard, plain, Clark's school shoe. What a weird thing to give a teen a complex about - 'oh no- you can't possibly wear those or they'll all shriek with laughter at you and your social standing will be scuppered forever!!' - weird and a non issue, I think.

I find myself at the age of 53, not knowing what size shoe I am. I have been a 6 since my teen years, and now I find that a 6 doesn't fit me, but a 7 does.

Except Primark flat lace up shoes. a 6 still fits me in there.

All other size 6 shoes really hurt my feet, so when I can, I intend to go to one of the expensive shoe shops in town to have my feet properly measured again

Well done on cancelling OP. Definitely time to just find a style they like, then ask for a couple of sizes to try. You could possibly do the foot squeeze thing to feel if they are tight, providing nobody is watching!

@zukiecat no make/style of shoe comes up exactly the same size anyway. The gauge is just a rough guide. Even within brands i'm a 3 in some styles and a 4.5 in another. In all the years of going to Clark's dd has never come away with a shoe that was the size measured. As I say it's just a guide then you try them on and manually check the fit.

DS is only 11 and he’d die inside if I took him to Clark’s to get his feet measured! He used to wear leather Vans in primary school which met the criteria but he won’t get away with it at his very traditional grammar school so we got his shoes from Next.

Nip into Asda, they have foot gauges you use yourself to check a size in the shoe section

My almost 17 year old wears Clarks Hamble Oaks for school every year but she just tries them on and decides if they fit, just like I would do.

I’m in my 30s and definitely wore Clark’s/start rite style shoes until the end of y11...i was easily embarrassed but I just don’t remember this being a ‘thing’ to get worked up over? To be fair I don’t recall getting my feet measured after about 14, but I’ve been wearing the same size shoes from about 13/14 as I do now so that might be why. I don’t remember the specific shoes I had when I was 16 but my mum was fussy about shoes and there’s no chance she gave me money and sent me off to buy some flimsy shoes in a clothes shop. I’m sure all my friends must have been similar as otherwise I’d remember being embarrassed (I remember plenty of other ways my mum embarrassed me at that age!!)

I can see a 16 year old in the kids section on the iPad thing might be a bit cringe. However, I see no issue with Clarke’s shoes, nor with asking the assistant to measure him if he’s unsure what size he needs. Perhaps this is a regional thing as lots of posters seem to think this is a massive social faux pas?!

I’m truly baffled by people who say they don’t know what size they or their children are so must be measured.

Surely you all have one pair of shoes that fits? That you wear to the shoe shop? You’re not going out shoe shopping barefoot are you? Trainers and shoes are all sized same. So if you’re a 5 in a trainer you be somewhere in that vicinity in a shoe (Brands vary e.g. Nike seen to run small on DD). If your current footwear is tight, go up a size! Try on any shoes you want to buy and if they feel good you’re good to go!

It’s not that difficult really and this thread has made me scratch my head in wonder

Missing the point entirely but I'll have to tell my size 7 cheapskate DDad that he can get smart shoes from the kids section at Clarks.

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),

Surely they would just use the adult gauge

You can get his feet measured in most shoe shops! I had my feet measured a few years ago as I suspected that pg had made my feet bigger. I was right.

It’s worth bearing in mind that shoe sizes are not completely standard. I can be anything from a 7.5 to a 9.

I think you are over thinking this - he’ll walk in and they’ll get the measure out and measure him and he will choose some adult shoes!