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AIBU?

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Original poster

To take nearly 16yo DS to Clarks Kids?

227 replies

SmashedCucumber · 22/08/2020 11:01

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?

OP posts:
midnightstar66 · 22/08/2020 15:15

. 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

Exactly this. It only took. E a few times when dc were small to work out which shoes run big and which small. Nike and vans come up small. Kickers too narrow to ever fit either dc despite looking wide. Converse true to size of standard measuring gauges. Clark's a whole other size of their own and no relation to what size dc will be anywhere else lol. Easiest thing is if your DC's size 1's are feeling tight then try a 2. Learn the fit points to check (maybe not at Clark's. Most of the temp staff in August have had little more than an hits training)

MrsAvocet · 22/08/2020 15:17

@gerbo

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 was thinking similar gerbo. My children have all had every single pair of school shoes from reception onwards from the same independent kids shoe shop and none of them has ever complained. I have never heard them, or their friends discuss brands. School shoe shopping is a complete non event for us. The shop owner says "Hi, are you still at X school?" They say yes, she measures their feet then comes back with 3 or 4 pairs of shoes that she knows meet the school's requirements - basically plain black lace ups - they try some on, I ask if they are comfortable, they grunt, I pay and we all go home. Usually takes about 10 minutes. They are not shoes they'd choose to wear outside of school but then they wouldn't pick blazers and stripey maroon ties either if they got the choice. But they don't. Wearing black lace ups from a kids shop or Clarks, is no different from wearing black lace ups from any other shop surely? It might be "social suicide" if they wore them to a party or to hang out with their mates in the park, but for school its no different to wearing the rest of the uniform. I am surprised that so many people think it is a big deal. I don't think my boys could even tell you what brand their school shoes are, it matters so little to them, and my younger son is very fashion conscious outside of school.
Oblomov20 · 22/08/2020 15:19

I too don't see what the problem is. Neither of my ds's mind. We go to a huge one, miles away, and it's not embarrassing. Or then buy at the cheaper Clarke's outlet in Swindon. No problem at all.

Pringlemonster · 22/08/2020 15:22

My friend still takes her 12 year old ,poor girl

nannymags · 22/08/2020 15:23

clarks do brilliant school shoes, just get them to measure his feet with the grownup thing. His feet may still be growing so its in his interest to wear proper fitting and well made shoes for as long as possible

katy1213 · 22/08/2020 15:26

He's 16! And you shouldn't be sewing his mittens to his coat either.

LizB62A · 22/08/2020 15:30

I'm going to go against the flow here - if he is still growing, it's really important that he gets his feet measured and gets shoes that fit properly

Plus, men's shoes are generally much more expensive than the children's range so YANBU to want to shop from the children's range if you can ! (spoken as the mother of a son who was 6'2 and size 13 feet by the time he was 16 !)

Kettledodger · 22/08/2020 15:33

Nope my 16yo would not be happy, not that I would do it anyway. DS is going into 6th form where they wear a suit so we got some nice smart mens shoes, because even though not fully adult yet neither is he what I would consider a child. The 16-18 time is a rather difficult one to navigate I have found and we are only 2 months into it Grin

JellyBabiesSaveLives · 22/08/2020 15:45

I’ve been reading all the “just go to a normal shop and buy shoes” comments - Clarks is a normal shoe shop, surely? I buy shoes there, I’ve also had my feet measured there, when I changed size after surgery.

The shoe measuring section is in the middle of the shop in between the adults and kids sections. You sit on a normal bench with a Perspex screen in front and they use a foot gauge. Well, they did for 15yo ds last week. He wasn’t bothered, no toddlers around ... and if he changes size before February they’ll exchange the shoes for free.

What is a “normal shoe shop” then? Thinking about it, I could have gone to M&S, Sports Direct (although not for black leather lace ups I guess), or supermarkets. The only actual shoe shop we have is Clarks.

MrsAvocet · 22/08/2020 15:48

So what kind of thing do the sons of all those who are horrified by the idea of a pair of Clarks school shoes wear to school then? What is a socially acceptable school shoe?

RedHelenB · 22/08/2020 15:51

My 13 year old had his feet measured with an ipad type thing. His last pair of Ckarks lasted ages so I'm sticking with them.

wifflewafflebiscuit · 22/08/2020 15:55

Yeah, no. Poor lad. He'll be mortified.

NoToMisogyny · 22/08/2020 15:58

I’m also really curious where teenage boys usually get their school shoes from, and how they find out what size they are when they grow so fast! My 13 year old has severe ASD and I still take him to Clarks every half term to be measured as he can’t tell us whether shoes fit him or not - and he can often end up with blisters because he’s outgrown shoes and not been able to say.

But I’m aware (having a teenage girl - although she stopped growing at 11 so measuring has never been an issue throughout secondary!) that teen boys are absent whenever we go, and that it would be very embarrassing for a teenager to be there.

Do boys usually just get plain black men’s shoes? From?

BikeRunSki · 22/08/2020 16:01

@nannymags

clarks do brilliant school shoes, just get them to measure his feet with the grownup thing. His feet may still be growing so its in his interest to wear proper fitting and well made shoes for as long as possible
Clark’s shoes have never lasted more than a term for either of my children. They are neither cheap n cheerful, or expensive, decent quality.
irregularegular · 22/08/2020 16:05

Hmmm. My 16 year old son got is last pair of shoes from Clarks kids!! He went with his dad. His feet are growing fast so it seems like a good idea to have them measured. I don't have the same problem! It was a non-issue and it hadn't occurred to me they shouldn't got. Got to get him to check the shoes fit. If they don't I'll probably send him to Clarks by himself this time.

Zoflorabore · 22/08/2020 16:06

Who on earth would take a 16yr old to get their feet measured at Clarks?!

My ds was in adult size shoes in about year 3 and started year 7 in an 11. I can’t believe anyone would “begrudge” paying adults prices for a 16yr old. At 16, most people’s feet have stopped growing surely?

At 14 my ds was a size 13/14 shoe and then thankfully his feet stopped growing. He’s now 17 and chooses his own footwear. I just provide the money. Even my 9yr old dd hates Clarks shoes, they’re way overrated.

I’m glad op saw sense though. 16 is a tricky age and everything is embarrassing.

maddiemookins16mum · 22/08/2020 16:07

Please don’t, he’s nearly old enough to join the army. Have you any idea how ridiculous this is?

Catawaul · 22/08/2020 16:16

I've never had my DC's feet measured. I do it at home, stand on a piece of paper, back to the wall. Clarks have really done a number on parents!

cptartapp · 22/08/2020 16:20

I went with DS 15 into Clark's the other day as we were passing. A huge outlet store. He tried on a couple from the men's section (size 10)
no measuring, chose the pair that fit best and we were paid and out in ten minutes.
Did the same last time and almost half the boys in his year had the same shoes.
After fifteen years of school shoe shopping though that's my lot.

premiumshoes · 22/08/2020 16:36

@maddiemookins16mum

Please don’t, he’s nearly old enough to join the army. Have you any idea how ridiculous this is?

It's not ridiculous. Adults buy shoes in Clark's. Some of them may even be in the army.

Infullbloom · 22/08/2020 16:37

You know you can just use a tape measure and online conversion chart.

premiumshoes · 22/08/2020 16:40

I’ve been reading all the “just go to a normal shop and buy shoes” comments - Clarks is a normal shoe shop, surely?

It is. I'm a bit confused by it all. It's a shoe shop that caters for all ages, just like other shoe shops.

Skyla2005 · 22/08/2020 16:46

I think you take them for feet measuring when they are too young to let you know what fits best. She. They get older they can decide for themselves what’s the right size

AlphaJura · 22/08/2020 16:49

I remember I stopped having Clark's shoes at secondary school. I had some from a bog standard shoe shop, then I had some dr martens shoes which were brilliant. My feet stopped growing about age 15, and they lasted about 3 yrs being worn every day. My ds is 14 and prefers trainers but he has to have black shoes for school, we just go or I order from somewhere like sports direct. He usually has kangol slip ons because he's lazy! He'd die if I took him
To Clark's Confused. My dd probably wouldn't mind (a couple of her friends still go there) but I'm not sure they're worth the money, when she's had them before, they haven't lasted longer than cheaper versions. I get them for the toddler, age 2, because they're not as expensive in diddy sizes and the styles are cuter. I have measured their feet with a tape measure at home and looked up what size they are on the net though.

Tumbleton · 22/08/2020 16:50

You can get your feet measured in the men's department at Clarks. Just did this for DS (16, going into Y12). I stayed very much in the background until it was time to pay. We were the only ones in there, and DS was impressed by the personal service he received - he said it reminded him of the scene in Kingsman.