I can no longer afford Clarks or Start-rite but my daughter is a G width.

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, I have always bought my daughter Start-rite shoes. She is a G width, so wider than the averadge F fitting.
She needs new shoes again and we are really short of money. The car has had a lot of work done which we wern't expecting and we are left with practically nothing.
I wondered if there was anywhere I could buy discounted start-rite or clarks? I've looked on e-bay and they are pretty much the same price as the shops.
Either that, or do any other cheeper makes come up wide?
She's had to also have new trainers for school, I managed to get them in the sale. She had them on for 2 hours before wetting herself and soaking them. She does have a problem with this at the moment.
Part of me thinks are the expensive makes worth it? I suppose she has to have a wider fitting though.
If you have any advice, I'd be greatful.

wow thats fab ...im really really pleased for you ....if a little lol x

It does depend so much on the shoe shop. As often as I can afford it, I take my DC to our local independent shoe shop (not all that independent - I think they are owned by a chain, but not by a manufacturer) - purely because the staff there are about as far removed from incompetent teenagers as you can imagine - and their (very serious and sensible) Saturday staff have to have every single fitting checked by one of the full time staff. They often check the DC's shoes and say that they are still fine - and happily checked DD in shoes inherited from DS and said they too were absolutely fine. These are the sorts of things which win my loyalty and my money, since the local Clarks shop is no better than others have described.

I still have to get trainers and other shoes elsewhere sometimes though - there is no way I can afford to buy all their shoes from there

(and well done MLL - that's fab news)

I have gone ahead and bought her new shoes from the shop we usually go to.
It's a good job we did, as I would have bought a 12 G, as she's just grown out of her 11.5 G's. The lady said one of her feet was just reaching the 12.5 on the measure, so we tried them and they are perfect. She also has an F width, as the t-bar shoe comes up wider.
I'd have ended up buying the wrong size if I'd tried to save a bit of money. They wouldn't have lasted very long at all.
I'm glad she has them and they do look nice.
I think I'll try to sell her old ones on e-bay. (I'll buy a big bottle of fabreeze anti-bac. They'll never know!) Lol

Well glad you are sorted for shoes now, and congrats on the Florida trip .

No-one was suggesting just randomly buying shoes in a different size btw. I do actually check the fit of each shoe as well as measuring first so we don't end up with badly fitting shoes. You just need the confidence to do this yourself.

Have a look at the fitting guide on the Startrite website, it is actually quite easy to check how shoes fit length and width-wise...just like they do in the shop.

Yes, I know people measure and do it properly. I would've just bought the next size up though.
I'll have a look at the startrite guide for next time. It would be handy to know the exact size in future.
I've learned that she's a width smaller in a T-bar style too.

It might just be that particular t-bar style though. You can check width yourself by running thumb across front of shoe and seeing if it ripples.

The fitters in the shop get to know which styles need to go up/down a size because they are fitting them day in and day out that's all.

i'm beginning to think it's all a huge scam. everybody's child suspiciously has a high instep or a low instep or a narrow foot or a wide foot.

DOES ANYBODY EVEN KNOW OF A CHILD THAT HAS A NORMAL FOOT???????

Somebody's child's foot must in theory be average right?

I think an F is average. I know what you mean though. Or maybe it's the parents wanting their childrens feet to be in some way special and unique.

and a G is only one size bigger than an F isn't it? as most shoes have velcro straps these days you can just adjust them to suit your child's foot width?

or am I missing something!? start-rite rocket science?!!

I would say F and G are average - so yes my children have average feet.

Dd has a H fitting foot - I feel your pain mummyloveslucy

Velcro must make a difference if the whole shoe can be adjusted by it IYKWIM. That's why their sandals with velcro over the front and round the ancle, only come in an F.
I don't think it helps, if it's just a velcro strap and a dolly shoe, as the foot would still be squashed by the sides of the shoe. (Well I know what I'm trying to say).

Velcro makes no difference. Doesn't stop the leather pinching your feet if the cut is too small breadth wise in the first instance

They only come in an F because manufacturers don't cater for the extreme ends of the continuum, not because one size fits all - it doesn't.

If that's the case, then they bloody well should! Why don't they make sandles in a G? It is annoying.
She told me, they only come in one size as the velcro alows you to adjust them.
I think I'll buy closed shoes in a G this summer.
If you're paying £30 for sandles, you expect them to have different widths. It's probubly just to make money.

wellll, i'm getting so fed up of it..

on sat i bought the two of them runners. the first pair i pointed out were 34 euro. i asked the assistant to measure my dd's feet with this pair in mind. she comes back with them and tries them on her, but says, actually, we'll go up half a size. I say fine. then she says, but when it goes up to size 13 it's 38 euro. I groan inwardly but say nothing. then a minute later she reappears with the shoes but says, we didn't have that pair in 13, but we have these at 40 euro.

so, having walked into the shop and selected a pair at 34 (and that seemed expensive for runners) i fell upwards and paid 40!!! and that always happens every time I go into Clarks!