Clarks Issue

[stardust22]

Purchased school shoes for my 12 year old about 2 hours ago.

In store appointment booked, feet measured, sales assistant took us over to see shoes for his size. We said we wanted lace ups as in Yr 8 now.

Picked out 2 pairs, sales assistant showed us a different pair of slip on shoes with faux laces/elasticated laces. She explained other people cut the original elasticated laces, take them out and put new normal laces in meaning you can tighten them up more.

She came back with the shoes to try on including the slip on elasticated laced ones. (We had issues with the 2 we chose, so no good.) We then tried the slip on ones, after trying them on and having them fitted the sales assistant noticed when putting back in box one shoe was a 3 ½ and one was a 4. She rectified this then my son tried them on again, had them fitted, walk about etc. He then said I have got 2 right shoes on. The sales assistant went off to rectify this, came back made sure both same size and a left and right shoe.
The shoes were quite loose but she explained once the elastic laces cut and taken out we could replace with normal laces so would be tighter.
We buy new laces at the till at the same time as buying the shoes.

We get home, I sit down, cut the elasticated lace in the one shoe and try to take it out but the laces are attached at the top of the shoe inside the leather and the lining! My husband tried pulling the lace out but it won't budge. Even if we manage to get the elasticated lace out there isn't a hole at the top for a new lace to go through so we'd have to make a hole.

I don't know what to do now. I have tried phoning the store for advice but no answer as they are very busy.

The shoes were £48 and we can't afford to buy a new pair.

I should have looked properly but going on the advice given I just snipped the lace, pulled it and then saw the issue.

Is there any point in trying to speak to the store for advice?

I'll try to attach a photo.

My DSs (one an 11 to 12 depending on style/make and the other 10.5/11) are now adults and their feet stopped growing at about age 14/15. I guess it depends on puberty, but they did grow in height a fair bit after their feet stopped. I think the feet grow first and then the rest catches up!

@PuppyMonkey

Clarks and their “expert fitting” which takes so many years of top training and is not at all just “trying shoes on and seeing if they’re okay” like us mere mortals.

Lol, I was a kids floor supervisor and it's a bit more complicated than that . To be fair she sounds like an awful fitter and I would have asked the manager for someone else to work with me and told them why.

Re an H fitting. It’s this situation where I’d definitely recommend finding an independent shoe shop. Quite often going up a half size or more will give them the width they need without the shoes being like flippers that they’ll trip over. Start Rite and Geox are great for wide feet and high insteps. I’ve gone up a size and a half before now to get the all over fit required.

Again, it’s a process and that’s where a shop that sells multiple brands will be beneficial.

Geox do large size velcro shoes for those with children with big feet. My 7 year old son has size 4! I'm going to have to get him clown shoes when he's a teenager. The poor 10 year old is 3 cm shorter than him and has size 2 1/2 feet.

I go to a Clark's outlet and they are great. £25 roughly and the shoes last a year. During covid I bought a gauge from start right so I can measure at home and Clark's do agree with the gauge.

Asda kid shoes are also very good