to wish that the shops I can use my schoolclothing vouchers in should sell better quality clothes?

[NoFlysOnMe]

I know beggars can't be chosers and I should be glad the state is helping me clothe my school-age children while I am unemployed...but...I can only use the vouchers in 4 specific shops, 2 of them don't sell shoes at all and the other 2 have really nasty quality and poor choice of shoes and boots.

I had to spend 2.40 going to one of the shops on the bus. I had called before to see what they had in the way of shoes and boots for girls, was told they had at least 10 different boots. Got there and they had only one kind of boot. The shoes were cheap synthetic stuff. I bought a pair as they were only 4 quid but they have scuffed through and gone a funny stretched shape just a few days later.
The clothes were no better, nasty synthetic, badly made...

If only I could use the vouchers in supermarkets like Asda etc, the quality is better there.

Go on, tell me I should be grateful...

my cousin get vouchers and used them in clarks as other shoes don t last the kids and gets a cheque written out to use in primark no sure how . is there no housing trusts that could help you out if having trouble like she has harpenden trust to support her you should look and find out. but i am with you as you waste money to get there to find they only last couple of days so you have a right to be annoyed

thanks - wasn't expecting any support tbh!

I think the shops you can use them in must vary from town (council) to town.

I think I'll write to my council because the shops we can use are really bad quality or else only do uniform for private schools

I'm sure when I worked there that you could use them in John Lewis? I don't know if there is one near you, or whether the vouchers have a face value or whatever that would not permit you to shop in there (don't know how they work tbh) but worth mentioning I thought.

YANBU to wish that the help you get was actually worth having. Seems ridiculous to me that you should not be able to choose reasonably priced, decent quality clothing and footwear but no idea how the system works in terms of agreeing which suppliers can redeem the vouchers. Decent quality, well-fitting shoes are really important IMO - for everyone, but especially for children.

emsyj - They cannot be exchanged for cash, fair enough, and have printed on them the shops they can be used in...
Agree about the shoes, but right now my DD is traipsing about in really bad shoes or second hand ones...

Definitely write to the Council. The list of suppliers is probably an issue that's at the bottom of a long list of responsibilities that belongs to an employee somewhere at the Council who isn't terribly interested in them, but might be willing to take more interest and actually take some action if this is brought to their attention.

That's what I'm thinking - and probably most people just take the vouchers and don't complain about the limited choice of shops.

Thanks!