Narrow feet - Clarks let me down again

[hockeymum]

Hi Just taken my dd (just 3) to Clarks for shoes for nursery school. They measured her feet at 7 1/2 F and bought out 8 pairs of shoes all navy and black for nursery. ^ of them had velcro which we wanted so we tried them all on and none of them fit. Basically shes got an F fitting foot due to her high instep but they say she's really a D - E fitting apart from the instep. All the shoes were too wide or too shallow so didnt fit well over her instep.

We had this problem last year as well and they just wont sell her any shoes. So we ended up in Mothercare getting a pair of size 8 school shoes that were still a bit wide but half the price of Clarks.

Anyone else with this problem? whats the way around it?

My DDs have narrow feet and it is incredibly hard for Clarks to fit them. I find that Startrite work better (and a few rather more expensive brands that I ignore as much as I can). hth

Go to Start-rite - they regularly stock C-fittings and wider.

Ooooh don't get me started! MyDD3 has very narrow but big feet and trying to get shoes/trainers etc for school is a complete nightmare.

Lots of parents that I speak to say their children have a narrow fitting but clarkes just don't seem to accomadate this, because they say that theres not enough demand for it. Complete and utter tosh.

We end up regularly spending between £50 and £70 for a pair of school shoes.

dd is similar and we got a pair of Startrites to fit - pricier than Clarks but less gimmicky and a more substantial shoe. I'm amazed Clarks could even show you 8 pairs of suitable styles - there wasn't one single pair for dd (6 1/2-7)in Clarks a few weeks ago.I also had narrow feet as a child and my mum found an independent shop who would order some in for me to try.

Wait til she's out of width fitteed shoes - it'll be even more of a nightmare then, trust me.

I agree with above posts - Startrite or some of the Continental makes are better than Clarks.
My mother remembers taking me for shoes when I was small - I was a C fitting - to be told that Clarks were dropping the C fitting and bringing in a G instead as "English children had wider feet!!!" (that was at least 30 years ago though!)

Try a T bar style shoe. They fit much better for a high instep.

Clarks are pants. I go somewhere like Clinkards or John Lewis as they stock different brands as well as Clarks so have more to work with.

My dd has long narrow feet - Clarks have never fitted her - Start-rite are better. Brands such as Buckle My Shoe are fantastic (but v. pricy)

Also a French brand Pom d'Api - they are available in UK - have been good for us

you know... maybe if you all WROTE to clarks and told them this they woul;dn't assume that there was no need for narrower shoes.

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should say.. i work for clarks and they don't listen to us... think they need more customers complaining!

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Clarks are cr*p for G fittings too. Haven't been able to get navy winter shoes for DD2 yet (9G) Have been told that Clarks aren't doing much in navy this season. Any idea's?

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Mmmm my dd is 3 next month but, is a 4 B fitting we have always had to go to the NHS and ask for orthotics - gorgeous red suede Piedro boots
Otherwise we found Elefanten do some narrow shoes too...

Got DD2 measured in another shop this afty, and guess what, she's not 9G she's 9E/F!!!

Got her some nice hushpuppies with the changeable width inserts [happy]

Hurray, hurray all three shod for the winter at last

orinoco it could be the style of the shoe... do you know what they're called?
either that or they're too long.

are they ones where the sole sticks out round the bottom of the shoe? that could be the problem

Dd (2and a half) is 9 c/d...big skinny flappers. Have given up on Clarks..can't quite believe the shoes they put on her and tried to convince me were ok.
Now we only go to an independent shoe shop for her and buy startrite ones.

Our problem is the other way round - she measures as an F, but the instep means she is a G or H. We have ended up with some great startrite ones this time

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GRRRRRRR!!! Don't get me started on Clarks!!!! I'd love to know what kind of feet they do actually accomodate cause both ds and dd have wide feet and we can't get anything to fit there either.

Anyway, second the recommendation to go for T-bar's for high in-steps. Good luck