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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To say no to Claire’s?

139 replies

Brokebackretail · 07/07/2025 07:04

Basically my children aged 6 and 9 want to spend all their pocket money in Claire’s.

Everything they buy ends up broken within a week or two as it's such poor quality.

I want to give them autonomy with their money, and wanted them to change their mind about Claire’s themselves, but there's no sign of that.

Should I outlaw Claire’s and direct them to better quality stuff, or do I let them continue shopping there even though I hate it?

YANBU - outlaw Claire’s!
YABU - let them spend where they want

OP posts:
BlueMum16 · 07/07/2025 07:06

You need to teach them to look after stuff better.

greengrit · 07/07/2025 07:08

It's their money.
Part of growing up is realising that you have to be careful what you buy and yours are still young.
You could limit the times you visit or the percentage of money they spend.

I had two girls that could spend hours in Claires......so I have been through it!!

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 07/07/2025 07:09

We’ve had loads of stuff from Claire’s and it’s not broken. It is all hair accessories and jewellery though so it gets put on and taken off and nothing else really happens to it to break it.

CaptainMyCaptain · 07/07/2025 07:09

BlueMum16 · 07/07/2025 07:06

You need to teach them to look after stuff better.

Agree. It shouldn't break like that.

Lafufufu · 07/07/2025 07:10

You would be better off

  • making them wqit 2 weeks before conmiting (avoiding impulse buying)
  • once they are sure they want it "researching options" ie you show them alternates. where can they source pink pony sparkles for 60p /£1 (temu vinted etc) instead of 6 pounds and encourage them to save the remainder (&you pay interest on the savings)
  • then show them how if they save they can keep the principle and spend the interest

I give £1 for £10 saved (generous i know)

Also teach them to look after their things

Pricelessadvice · 07/07/2025 07:11

Nothing I’ve got from Claire’s has ever broken. Teach them to respect their things maybe?
What are they buying that breaks?

Original poster
Brokebackretail · 07/07/2025 07:12

BlueMum16 · 07/07/2025 07:06

You need to teach them to look after stuff better.

Oh sorry, to clarify: they look after stuff as well as any child of that age, but Claire’s stuff is just really flimsy. For example DD dropped her Claire’s water bottle, as I'm sure we have all dropped water bottles by mistake (I've dropped mine a good few times over the years) and it broke into several pieces. She'd only bought it the day before so we went back and exchanged it. Then within a week the straw part on the replacement bottle had come out so again it didn't work.

And it's the same story with pencil cases, bags, hairbands etc etc

OP posts:
Teenagerantruns · 07/07/2025 07:13

If it breaks, just take it back, unless they are breaking it?
I would say 50% of pocket money in claries. Save the rest.

Corvidqueen · 07/07/2025 07:13

Teach them to look after their things - i also love the "once it's gone it's gone" technique.

Also maybe tell them, before buying, that they can get better value for money elsewhere.

Then it's up to them.

Original poster
Brokebackretail · 07/07/2025 07:14

Good idea to limit the amount of pocket money they can spend in there - nice compromise

OP posts:
Original poster
Brokebackretail · 07/07/2025 07:17

ThreePointOneFourOneFiveNine · 07/07/2025 07:09

We’ve had loads of stuff from Claire’s and it’s not broken. It is all hair accessories and jewellery though so it gets put on and taken off and nothing else really happens to it to break it.

We got a big pack of Christmas earrings and on quite a few of them the backs were loose. We lost an earring or two before we realised and the used backs from other earrings to keep them on properly.

Have I just had really bad luck with Claire’s? I figured this was happening to everyone!

OP posts:
VehicleTracker77 · 07/07/2025 07:20

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Headingtowardsdivorce · 07/07/2025 07:22

I let my kids spend their money where they liked, it was their money and they needed to learn. We have boxes and boxes of Pokémon cards and Gogos, a complete waste of money imo, but they made them happy at the time.

They're adults now and are much better at budgeting!

Cactiiii · 07/07/2025 07:26

BlueMum16 · 07/07/2025 07:06

You need to teach them to look after stuff better.

🙄

xhines · 07/07/2025 07:27

It’s all crap that ends up in landfill. I tried to discourage my daughter from buying things with varying success. Try to get them to save up for something bigger and better maybe.

kierenthecommunity · 07/07/2025 07:29

I’m in a similar quandary with my nearly 13 year old and robux. He seems to single handedly want to make David Baszucki his next billion.

But he does his chores to get his pocket money so I guess it’s his to do what he likes with.

i have told him there are not many things you can predict in life, but I guarantee one day he will look at the money he’s wasted and regret it.

Omeara · 07/07/2025 07:30

The Claire’s phase does pass! I think it’s awful quality too, and expensive for what it is.

BusWankers · 07/07/2025 07:31

Ahhh, it's their pocket money. Let them buy the crap they want. Remind them each time about the broken stuff and if they're sure. But let them be.

They surely can't be getting that money? What maximum £10 a month at that age?

BusWankers · 07/07/2025 07:31

BlueMum16 · 07/07/2025 07:06

You need to teach them to look after stuff better.

Your kids stuff never breaks ever?

Cabbageheads · 07/07/2025 07:33

I loved Claire's when I was younger. Happy days.

Back to the point, though. We have what we call the three day rule, which means after you've seen something, you have to wait three days before you can buy it. Put it in place when my youngest first started getting pocket money. He would be desperate to buy some random bit of tat the moment he spotted it, then disappointed with it half an hour later. Three days is long enough for the urge to buy to wear off. I think it's a good rule for life, TBH, learning that you can feel urges but not act on them.

But if Claire's stuff keeps breaking, I would have that conversation and find somewhere else.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 07/07/2025 07:34

If you direct them towards ‘better quality’ things are you going to give them more money to buy that stuff? Claire’s is relatively cheap and perfectly suited to pocket money spending. Surely if their things keep breaking they will decide to stop shopping there themselves eventually

Ifeellikeateenageragain · 07/07/2025 07:36

Lafufufu · 07/07/2025 07:10

You would be better off

  • making them wqit 2 weeks before conmiting (avoiding impulse buying)
  • once they are sure they want it "researching options" ie you show them alternates. where can they source pink pony sparkles for 60p /£1 (temu vinted etc) instead of 6 pounds and encourage them to save the remainder (&you pay interest on the savings)
  • then show them how if they save they can keep the principle and spend the interest

I give £1 for £10 saved (generous i know)

Also teach them to look after their things

Edited

Really shouldn't be encouraging young kids to buy from Temu

MintTwirl · 07/07/2025 07:39

I let mine use theirs for what they want. The phase of spending it on crap does end!

ClaredeBear · 07/07/2025 07:41

We took a spend half, save half for something bigger approach and I would try to help out with the larger item if savings went well. Also, encouraging them to spend on experiences, eg cinema, days out etc, as an alternative to rubbish.

Tagyoureit · 07/07/2025 07:43

I spent £30 on bits from Claires and it was all broken within a week or so!! Their stuff is crap!