to have bought my sons cheap school shoes in Deichmann (light hearted)

[StillWantingADog]

Yes a very first world problem.

Long story short my kindly dm gave me £100 for school shoes as she does every year - last year I lied when she asked if it was enough, I think 2 pairs cost me about £130. And one pair had to be glued back together at Christmas, another story

Being an old fashioned sort I know she expects me to go to Clarks so off we went today.

Nobody else in the shop. Served by teenager who was beyond useless. Brought out various shoes and couldn't give an opinion as to whether they fitted or not. DS2 wanted a particular pair and she brought out the same wrong pair THREE Times and didn't believe me when I said she was bringing out quite a different design to what he wanted. Didn't have anything that DS1 wanted at all. DS2 tried about 10 pairs of shoes too big or too small (according to him) so in the end we gave up and left.

We headed to another stockist other side of town which sells Clarks and other brands. But passed Deichmann - brightly lit, welcoming store, full of other mums and kids on the way so I thought let's give it a go. Much easier experience - ok so you find your own shoes but you don't have to rely on useless teenagers to find the ones you want, you either find them or you don't. Result was two happy boys, 2 for 1 offer, paid less than £40 for two pairs of shoes including some weatherproofing in a machine, came home, happy days.

Now I know the quality might be rubbish and that possibly some dodgy child labour was involved (anyone know?) but quite frankly Clarks is taking the piss if a. their shoes fall apart before christmas b. you don't get any actual advice when buying your shoes which tbh I always assumed was part of the cost and c. all the child options are a patchwork of smaller bits of leather which are a nightmare to clean. Added to that they have zero lace up options for a size 3 son. I think they are a rip-off.

Was I unreasonable to have bought my sons cheap (and possibly not hard-wearing) shoes. Will I be shopping again in a few weeks' time? Is Deichmann quality actually ok? At the price I paid if they lasted a few months I'd be happy. The staff person I spoke to was lovely, so much more helpful than her counterpart at Clarks.

But if I was unreasonble I will take them back and head to the other Clarks stockist (who also stocks other brands).

Before anyone says I will explain to my dm and use the other £60 on other stuff the kids need for school. And yes I know I'm extremely lucky that I have a dm to help me with such costs in a COL crisis.

Yes good isn't it, just make sure you keep your receipt!

She said it was for any reason as well - if the velcro goes, soles break, stitching etc. which I thought was great!

Last year I got my 4yr old start rite for £50, lasted the whole year no issues, my 8yr old had some supermarket ones and had to replace them because the quality was dreadful.

clarks I think are rubbish. We did do deichman this year, Hushpuppy brand so hopefully will be decent

This legit happened to me back in the 90s though. My mum went to a Clarkes outlet and got my shoes. I had big, wide feet for my age so ended up with large adult shoes that were the best available, in stock in my size, in my mum’s price range, but deemed unfashionable by my peers. I can remember both pairs vividly. I was bullied for it relentlessly both school years 7&8. Ended up with nicknames and all sorts, all down to shoes 🙄

I think that's a reasonable suggestion

Unfortunately my relationship with my dm is anything but reasonable. I am the last person she would want to have coffee and cake with. But at the end of the day as long as that £100 is spent on the children, she will be happy.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with spending the rest of the money on other school items. My ds will only have school shoes from Clark’s as he doesn’t find others comfortable enough. They tend to last the year as well. I don’t have an issue with the price of them.

thanks for the startrite suggestions - the online offering looks promising. Especially for the 10 year old who is def in that awkward place between little kids' shoes and doesn't want the super smart looking high school ones just yet.

Will see how I go with what I've got first though.

Clarkes are awful. Had 2 of my kids measured up there and bought the recommended shoes. Both children had sore red blisters after the first wear and the shoes were clearly too small. Duly returned them and went elsewhere. Their quality has plummeted in the last decade and it is now the name only that you pay for. Plenty of places offer good shoes now that include a quality/durability guarantee on school shoes.

Get their feet measured in Clarks then go on to M and M direct. Two pairs of Kickers shoes for £35.

pleased that some people have a positive experience given the price paid.

I have to say today it was the service in the shop that I found shocking. In the past they have been really good even if the quality of the shoes is up for debate.

DS hasn't had Clarkes shoes since his yR ones fell apart partway through the year. He's going into y8. Most of his pre-school shoes fell apart too. We've mainly used Geox for shoes and Decathlon for trainers since, but I'd go to M&S and supermarkets before Clarkes.

The important thing is that you've used the budget to buy them appropriate things for school. No point in sticking to the brief and buying unsuitable shoes because that's what's in stock.

I've had a pair of Converse style shoes from there that lasted 6 years wearing them every summer. They're fine. I buy from there.

YABU to call a teen working on minimum wage with minimum training useless. Blame the shitty company for not giving adequate training. How would you like it if your DC was called useless?

For what it's worth, I'm a nurse and worked full time, 12hr shifts constantly on my feet and had a pair of black deichmann shoes (similar to school shoes!) that were so comfy and lasted about 2.5 years. Loved them.

Are they leather? - I always find cheaper shoes are plastic which is not good for the feet.

that's a fair point. My annoyance was with the company not her personally though.

Same here

I got DS a pair from Deichmann for July as his Clark's ones fell apart with a month to go and I didn't want to spend much for just a few weeks when he would likely grow and need a new pair again for September.

Granted they were only worn for a month, but that's walking a couple of miles a day minimum plus kicking a hall around every break and lunchtime and they still look good enough to pass down to his cousin.

I also have bought adult shoes from Deichmann and they lasted well too. Boots and Birkenstock style sandals.

I’d keep the £60 and put it towards some more shoes in case they don’t last but hopefully you get a term out of them. I remember when my mum finally allowed me to get cheap school shoes and I felt so much better with them - yes I went through a couple of pairs a year but I much preferred the style rather than clunky Clarks shoes.

It’s so important to have well-fitting, supportive shoes for growing feet, especially ones they spend 30 hours a week running around in. I never buy labels or expensive clothes etc but school shoes are the one item that I will spend good money on.

For the last 11 years I have taken my DSs every August to a local independent children’s shoe shop in our town for a fitting appointment and shoes. They stock European brands like Primigi, Froddo and Ricosta - amazing quality, robust, leather inside and out, arch support, loads of width and style options, ideal for growing young feet, and very professional fitting service by highly trained staff. In all the years I have never had to replace a pair due to wear and tear or outgrowing - DS10’s pair from last year are still in great nick! So whilst they are slightly more expensive than Clarks (around £50-60) it’s worth every penny as I’ve never had to buy 2 pairs in one school year.

Can you find an independent shop? Clarks trade on their reputation (our mums all took us there didn’t they!) but they are overpriced, crap quality and the fitting service is unreliable.

The problem with cheap shoes is that they don't usually have arch support. So once they grow up, they can end up with over-pronation (which I have and is extremely painful) and/or plantar fasciitis (which can also have other causes of course).
However, there's not very many brands left which have arch support, besides Petasil and possibly Geox

I think Clark's stopped having arch support many years ago although I could be wrong

We gave up on Clarks years ago.... We got fitted and bought a pair, told they fit perfectly. Within a few days ds (about 3-4 at the time) had red marks on his feet and complaining his feet hurt. Took him to another Clarks in another town and told her was a whole size bigger than what they measured the week before at the other store.

Or when they told me my DD was a f fitting....she has never been an f fitting, she has narrow feet that have always measured below a d.... But they insisted she was an f.

Start rite are better imo, but we don't have anywhere local to try them on.

Past few years ds has had his from sports direct, most we've paid is £20 and they last the year.
DD we've switched to hush puppies because they have multiple insoles to switch in so they fit her better. We paid £20 in sale for her shoes for this year..
.

So yeah.....don't spend a fortune on shoes at Clarks which aren't the quality they used to be.

If you do buy clarks always keep the receipts- I've taken a few pairs back when they lasted a few months and they have been replaced with no problem. The quality is variable some styles are bomb proof others total rubbish. I always use the line that they are not of a suitable quality for the purpose.

Very presumptuous of you to decide the DM would take the £60 back and not want it to go towards other school items.

Spend some of the extra money on gorilla glue to stick them back together when they fail 😎

my sons last school schools were cheap and cheerful deichmanns and fell apart quite quickly but i eeked at least another term out of them with a bit of glue.

his new ones are £90 Clarkes and I’m preying they last.

my daughter has got hers from deichmanns the last 2 years and they’ve been ok so it’s a bit of a lottery!