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?

@MrsAvocet

Sorry, missed your second post clarifying that Noneformethanks but the issue of whether DMs are better isn't the point. I don't particularly rate Clarks either and don't buy them for my own children- I prefer what I see as better brands too. But that's not what people are saying. The majority of posters have not said "YABU to buy your son Clarks shoes because they are not good value" they have said that they are laughable, social suicide, that their child wouldn't be seen dead in them, its cruel etc etc - its all about image, nothing to do with how well they will last. And to be fair, whilst I don't like them myself, plenty of people seem to get on perfectly well with Clarks.

I didn’t say any of that.

Well done OP I cringed so hard when I read your first post. I would have been mortified if at 16, whilst doing my exams, working in a shop and having a boyfriend, my mum would have pushed the toddlers out of the way to make room for my shoe fitting 😅 She just gave me money and said "get black shoes. Nothing stupid". Massive rubber kickers did the trick

That said in the village I grew up in there was the famous incident of a teen being given the money to buy himself his new school shoes and he came home with a python 😀

Also - the issue isn't with Clark's. It's with Clark's Kids section and getting feet measured. Some PP seem to have missed that.

Go to Clark's, or Next, or top man etc. Try on the next size up and see how they fit?

My feet stopped am growing at 11, surely hes feet haven't changed size for a while? At 16 he really doesnt need a foot measure device, just get a couple sizes and try them on to see if they fit

I didn't say any of that
No, you didn't, and I didn't say you did. I said "people" and "the majority of posters". I am interested in the wider opinion as to why one pair of black brogues is cool and another isn't. I only quoted you, because you said "they're just black brogues" in response to another poster saying DMs were not suitable school shoes. A fair point. But according to many on this thread (not you..) "they're just black brogues" isn't a valid argument if they are just Clarks black brogues, or if they were bought from the children's shelves rather than the adult shelves, despite being virtually the same shoes.
I was hoping someone might be able to give an explanation but as yet, none has been forthcoming.

Also - the issue isn't with Clark's. It's with Clark's Kids section and getting feet measured. Some PP seem to have missed that.

I didn't miss it. It's just bollocks. They would used the adult gauge.

DMs are just black Brogues.

I’m surprised you quoted me when I didn’t say anything to do with any of your issues.

I suggest you ask someone else, I was just answering the point that DMs couldn’t be school shoes.

Dd went at 16, she was offered to state her size or use a manual measure but demanded to use the machine. At 20 she still buys Clark's kids shoes for cadets

He's 15. Take him to the adult section of whatever shoe shop he wants to go to, within reason. But it's well worth getting his feet measured - any decent shoe shop will do that with a normal measure (not a "kiddy" thing).

I had Clarks shoes all through school and it was no big deal. School shoes aren't supposed to be branded trainers anyway. I think there's more good alternatives nowadays though, but I wouldn't be keen on cheap ill-fitting junk.

@MrsAvocet

That's why I'm thankful that we (myself and DD's) all can buy kids shoes as adults!

www.clarks.co.uk/c/Asher-Grove-Youth/p/26134894

www.schuh.co.uk/kids/youth-dr-martens-3989-black-shoes/2401277020/

So can someone tell me why the first is school appropriate and the second isn’t?

8elate8 presumably you're female? Surely everyone who is over 11 themselves knows boys feet (and entire selves) grow later than girls? Girls often stop growing completely by 13 or 14 where boys often have their main massive growth spurt, growing 20cm and going up 2, 3 or 4 shoe sizes at 15 or 16.

Doesn't mean he shouldn't do his own shoe shopping, doesn't mean he should shop in the childrens section (or even could) does mean his feet are highly likely to have changed size.

Surely everyone who is over 11 themselves knows boys feet (and entire selves) grow later than girls?

DD and her BF were here for a couple of months at the start of summer, lots of hill walking planned. Slight snag... during his time at uni he'd outgrown his walking boots. Much deliberation with ruler and tape measure ensued before an online order for 2 sizes to decide between was placed.

Re taking kids shopping, esp 'back to school' shoes which they need but don't want and which may need to conform to (sometimes daft) rules ... the parents function is car (if public transport unviable) , credit card, coffee and carrying. kids buying stuff they want themselves with their own money is one thing but school kit is surely still the parents' responsibility. And whereas it doesn't matter if they misjudge a T shirt, badly fitting shoes are a pain, can cause damage, and aren't cheap.

When children are still growing, they need a bit of room for that to happen. I really am useless at judging how much is enough. If it was left to me, my kids would be wandering around school in clowns' shoes, scratching their heads about why they keep tripping over.

DS1 has very narrow feet so width is a massive consideration because if there's too much leather, the shoes form a crease across the top which then digs into the top of the foot. He wears a E, but even this can be a bit on the wide side, depending on the style of shoe. He takes after his dad, who has struggled to find shoes to fit his whole life. It's great being able to walk into any old shop with DS2 and buy shoes for average width feet.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme Very true. My 14 yo ds has gone up nearly 3 foot sizes since school 'closed' in March, which was a bit of a shock

Yikes, I took my three secondary age children to get their feet fitted last week. The eldest (17) has particularly awkward feet and getting someone to advise speeds the process up no end. When I said I'd booked Clark’s appointments for the youngest and eldest, the 15 year old got upset and insisted on having one too!

As it was, the 17 year old had to try 12 pairs of schools shoes (at John Lewis) before she could even get her feet in some. We'd already tried the adults department and nothing worked for her.

'I didn't miss it. It's just bollocks. They would used the adult gauge.'

Omg why though. What 17 yr old isn't very capable of knowing what shoe size they are. How on earth will they manage in every clothes shop, will they look around helplessly in TopShop or New Look looking helplessly for The Foot Measurer?

Omg why though. What 17 yr old isn't very capable of knowing what shoe size they are.

He is 15, not 17, not that it's relevant. You do know adults often use the gauge to measure their feet? And that teenage boys feet may have grown, so it makes sense to. It's not as if there is anything wrong with it. You say 'omg why' but there would be be adult measuring gauges in the first place if people did not call for them.

My dad had a shoe shop so it was fitted shoes for me till 6th form. It seemed pretty normal at the time though.

What 17 yr old isn't very capable of knowing what shoe size they are.

One whose feet may have grown since last year who wants shoes good for more than an odd night out? Sure, they could work it out themselves at home with a tape measure and internet guide but - having watched a competent, intelligent 22yo doing this when going to a shop wasn't an option - it's a heck of a lot easier to just get it done at Clarke's.

As it was, the 17 year old had to try 12 pairs of schools shoes (at John Lewis) before she could even get her feet in some. We'd already tried the adults department and nothing worked for her.*

Surely this just confirms that that gauge is pretty much useless at this age/stage and only trying on will get a proper fit

@midnightstar66

* As it was, the 17 year old had to try 12 pairs of schools shoes (at John Lewis) before she could even get her feet in some. We'd already tried the adults department and nothing worked for her.*

Surely this just confirms that that gauge is pretty much useless at this age/stage and only trying on will get a proper fit

Not so much about the measuring, more about the range of fittings in the children's dept and the staff knowledge on styles that work better for different foot shapes.

In the past she has been around many many adult or fashion shops etc that sell shoes. Each one might have one or two styles suitable for school, she tries them on but usually can't even get her feet into them, often even when she goes up a size or two, going up sizes however means they are way too long. Going to the children's section normally means they can try many more combinations of style and fitting.

God hope dd2 feet don’t grow anymore she’s size 8 already and only 11 I have bred a giant. The children’s section a far off memory for those clodhoppers