Do Clarks outlet shops measure children's feet?

[Lindy2]

Sorry if this is a daft question - as I will be buying new school shoes for 2 children over the summer I am this of heading to Gunwarf Quays in Portsmouth to go to the Clarks factory outlet. We'd combine it with a day out down by the coast.
Do the outlet shops have staff that measure feet like they do in the ordinary shops or do you just help yourself to whatever is out on the shelves? Also is the selection fairly good or just pot luck?

If we managed to get the 2 pairs of shoes there it would be a worthwhile trip but if we come away empty handed it would probably have been a bit of a waste of time although the kids would enjoy being by the sea.

Ive only been to the one at Braintree and that does if that helps?

so does the one at gretna green

The one in Ashford does but the stock is abysmal.

The one at Ashford measures feet also. It can get busy, so go early.

Ashford measure then they give you the sizes and then you look round at what they have on the shop floor. If they didn't have their size asked a member of staff and usually have it in stock room. I find the staff in their a bit hit and miss but school shoes have been fine for my daughter

The one in York does. If you can go at a quiet time the assistants often tend to you in the same way as a regular Clarks. otherwise you need to browse yourself on the shop floor after being measured. If you can't find something in the size you want it is always worth asking as they always seem to have additional stock in the store room - just no space to put it all out at once.

Thanks for your replies everyone. You've been very helpful.

MacArthur glen ones do too.

The one at the Street factory does too (I have been in charge of DN's school shoe shopping for the past four years, her mum sends her down for a week's holiday and she goes back with school shoes) although it's HORRENDOUSLY busy during the school holidays.

You queue up for measuring, get your size, take a ticket sigh that you're no 75 and they're currently serving 52 , look at the shoes on the shelf despair at DN's ridiculously long, narrow feet , have a small argument over "the rules" (no patent, no stupid toys, must have decent arch support etc), remind DN that once this is done we're off to the chocolate shop and then Starbucks, tell DN how your mum used to threaten to paint a shoe box black because your feet were so wide when you were little, fit the shoes yourself to a decent standard, your number gets called, lady thanks you for doing most of her job and agrees that the shoes DN wants she can't have because she's pronating in them but the ones that Aunty Emwithme chose are perfect and fit nicely.

And then when you're having your coffee and sticky cake you realise that they're exactly the same design as last year's just a size bigger

She's 10 in October and doesn't need new school shoes this year! YAY!

I found the selection at gun wharf or whatever the Portsmouth outlet is called to be totally different from that in their shops near us in west London. Just lots of trainer-like Velcro styles. Perhaps I was just unlucky

Yes

The Gunwharf shop does

The outlet stores are great if your child is an F or a G width but Es are often thin on the ground. Also the measuring is done by machine usually by a young girl who doesn't have the experience to give you a sensible alternative to a weird measurement. DD was measured as 1D recently and there were no 1Es for her to even try. I took her to Charles Clinkard in a panic and they measured her by hand and said the best fit for her would be a 13.5E or F as she has long big toes which were causing the 1D measurement. They fitted her in a pair of 13.5F Clarks trainers which have been perfect and were only about £24.

If your children have normal to wide feet you'll be fine at the outlet store although it might be worth ringing ahead to see if they can tell you when they get deliveries so you can go just after they've had one, because as others have said they do get extremely busy in the summer holidays.

OP we got my DD shoes from a Clarks outlet at Easter. Buy shoes from there with caution! My DD was measured by one member of staff and the fit was checked by another member of staff. She had a blister first day of wearing them at school. I took her to my local branch to have them checked they had sold us shoes half a size too small. He said the staff at outlets have a high turnover and have minimal training, are just Saturday workers/ students etc so aren't that experienced. If you do go ask for a manager to check fit! It was all a HASSLE!

Our local one does and they do the same standard on fit as the regular clarks (i.e. Hit and miss depending on the assistant). I would say they spend slightly less time finding the perfect shoes as they tend to be very, very busy - more so than the normal stores.

I've became a bit on a dab hand at fitting shoes on my own now (after observing many,many fittings on my DD over the years form clarks and inde shoe shops) so I'm not too fussed as I judge for myself if the fit is good or not.

I find stock can be a bit poor outside an F width and also much less stock in half sizes than a normal clarks. I have came away empty handed on more than one occasion.

On the bright side they don't stock the shoes with the toy in the heel so that's one less argument as it simply isn't an option

Ours had nothing in DD's size this year so we have ended up with a pair of patent navy Lelli Kelly's this year as they were the best fitting shoe in our independent shoe shop - I was hoping for a nice pair of Ricosta for her like last year but they had no stock this year at all.

Ps I'm not crazy early in buying shoes - our schools go back in 3 week.