Best time to buy school shoes?

[Halbanoo]

DS's group starts reception in late September, a bit later than the start for most of the local schools. Ideally, I'd like to avoid the shoe shop crowds during the summer (have witnessed the mayhem at Clarks, etc in summers before!--yikes!) Thought that it would be wise to wait until the others are back at school before we looked for his shoes so we could have a less frantic experience.

But will stocks be low by that point? DS has a very wide foot so fitting him won't be an easy task.

Putting my shoe-buying tactical head on - I've found that most people seem to get shoes in the two weeks before school starts (btw doing it in the inset day/s doesn't work because everyone else who has the same inset day waits until that day to do it, so it can be even busier!).

The week after school starts, stocks are very low because of this, but a couple of weeks later they'll have some in! The other option is to get shoes in midsummer when everyone else is on holiday.

I also try to go when the shop first opens - I have two sons with ASD and shoe buying in a crowded shoe shop is a complete nightmare so I avoid it like the plague and plan everything.

HTH :)

I would go online. You can order online on the Clarks website and they will be delivered to the shop to be fitted. That way you at least know that you have the shoe you want when you go in - order the size bigger and smaller as well to be on the safe side.

I'd buy them now though unless you know that your DD is given to spurts of foot growth as my DS2 is and then you have to be careful. Or, if you do the ordering on line thing, go in for collection and fitting after the schools have gone back. Check on the website how long they hold your order for before sending it back. I think it is a couple of weeks at least.

I bought dd in June last year. Independent and Ecco shoes. Although this was a bit too early! Shop was quiet but little choice. She is a D fitting though so she gets no choice anyway.
She is still in them, a whole year later. I had them fitted with insoles which I removed halfway through year. Slow growing feet
They survived the entire school year unscathed. I do polish roughly fortnightly though.

I'm smug this year, bought same shoes, online next size up and £5 cheaper!

Hi Halbanoo:

Given that you're buying shoes your DS is going to wear 5 days a week, my advice is get them fitted (so somewhere like Clarkes) and wait as long as you can.

We tend to go into shoe stores on a Sunday first thing (or if you can go in first thing on a weekday) - it's usually still relatively quiet and you can get in there before the hoards.

We've personally found that if you buy shoes at the beginning of the summer holidays the odds are that they'll outgrow them over the summer. So from the point of view of buying something you don't want to have to replace a few weeks after school starts, I'd go with buying shoes in September and keep in mind that even if choice is slightly limited, they'll be out of that size by Christmas holidays, if not half-term.

In terms of plimsols for PE - my advice is buy in whole sizes, not half-sizes. We've noticed that they've recently introduced half-sizes and I'm certain for some children the extra room can cause annoying rubbing. But if that isn't an issue I'd recommend buying these in whole sizes as they'll only wear them for a short time a few times a week. So if your DS is a 10 1/2 right now - buy the 11 - so they'll last a bit longer.

HTH

If you want to wait until late September, you will probably be fine with the stock situation.

The easiest thing to do is to go online and order a number of pairs in a couple of sizes into your local store. Then you just go in and have them fitted. You don't pay to order into store so it essentially just ensures that they have some of what you want!

Obviously you do have to have an idea of your DS size to do that, but most people know roughly what they need...

Thanks for the tips! Think I will wait a few weeks at this rate and venture out closer to his school start, hoping for the best. I suppose once I have a sense of his size (that's still a bit of a ? since his current supply of shoes are from America--Thanks, Grandma!) I can always hunt around online for the proper size if local stocks are low.

I made an appt at our local Clarks for mid August. This way I have time to get them measured, order in more shoes if they don't have their sizes and go back again.

I always buy 2 weeks before school starts and insist on buying a half size bigger than what Clarks measure, that way they always last the whole year and if I do need additional pairs, it's because of wear and tear and never because of growth!

My DD's shoes from last year still fit her fine and look good (hush puppies) so she will get new when she grows out of these ones

I'm amazed at those children who outgrow their shoes in six weeks.

Best time is in MandS sale. I always buy the next the sizes at the start of the holidays when stock is high and sale is on. Then you always have the next pair to hand when you get the "my toes hurt" which is always as you're trying to get out of the door. Plus marks and spencer would always take the first pair back if your Dcs feet really had grown over the six week holiday and they were no longer the right size come September when they are needed.

Buy NOW

Sorry I meant to say the next three sizes. This was of course better when marks and spencer did the three for two on uniform

I would recommend going to John Lewis, if you have one near you, rather than Clarks.

Clarks only stock their own brand so you can be stuck if your child is difficult to fit. JL has Clarks, Startrite and other brands, so you have a much bigger choice.

In addition, they have a reception where you can book a time slot. This means you are only in the shoe dept for the minimum time and free to get on with other shopping while you are waiting.

I have 2 girls - and their feet grow fast!!! My 10 yr old is size 4 and my 11 yr old size 5 - they both started school in infant size 7s. One year my youngest went up a full size in the summer holidays.

My 8 year old DS has size 5 feet and they do grow quickly but it goes in fits and starts. If you have had a growth spurt, you are unlikely to have another one for a while. He has very wide feet and it is very difficult to get shoes that fit so I buy them at the beginning of the summer hols just because if I wait until the end, for a growth spurt that may or may not happen, he would be going to school bare foot. There is nothing left at the end of August for those who are weird of foot.

I haven't been caught out yet although I did have to buy shoes one Christmas after a spurt. Buying later in the summer wouldn't have changed that though - that wasn't when he grew.

DS1 on the other hand (just turned 12 and probably a size 8 - I will find out tomorrow) has very slow growing feet. He always gets a year's worth of growth out of shoes and always has got more wear than most children even as a toddler. You will probably know if your DD is prone to big spurts in growth, OP so be guided by your own experience.

OP, when shopping for 'summer' sandals last month, my local clarks store told me I could book a fitting time either online or by phoning the store direct when we were planning to go back for school shoes in late Aug. So that's my plan, but I've not pressed-to-test yet.

Wow the child in question is now 17!