Do I have to buy Clarks shoes?

[sweetkitty]

About to take DD to Clarks tomorrow for her second pair of shoes/boots but I do grudge paying £25+ for a pair of shoes that will last her about 2 months if I'm lucky. Have seen loads of lovely shoes in Next and even in George in Asda, are these complete no nos? Surely I can get DD a little pair of wellies from Asda she's not be outside wearing them that often and spends most of the day running about barefoot inside?

What do other people do?

SS no more dinosaurs! it's all space now... and some have a torch inside!! lol

Hi, startingtobehalloweenylover - can I just hijack a bit to ask where is good for wide-fitting children's shoes (dd is a Clarks' 9G)?Thanks, Dinny

don';t know i'm afraid dinny
was just saying on another thread that clarks are a bit shit for boys with narrow feet and girls with wide feet!

When my kids are very small I buy Clarks shoes. When they are older and can get their shoes on and off themselves, I buy from the cheap shops.

The other day I took ds4 who is wearing ds3's size 3 and a half crawlers from clarks and asked them to check his size. He measured as a size 5H but when she checked the old ones on his feet he still had a bit of growing room in them. I take mine every now and a gain just to get checked.

With the older ones I take them to get a new pair when they have maoned for a few weeks that their feet hurt!

Not cool to have any pictures at 8 . I hate the chunky pie crust ones that are in every shop just now. I managed to get a nice pair of smart ones with velcro that look very grown up.

I'm with you SS - ds would have liked the space ones but I steered him towards very dull plain black ones for. If only Clarks would revert to similar plain traditional style shoes for girls, especially small sizes, I might buy from there. But we will probably go back to Jones' first for Startrites next time.

I agree with spidermama. There are some very good and reasonably priced alternatives to clarkes and startright. I bought a pair of school shoes from asda this term for dd because she liked them so much. They were leather, fitted well and were about £12. I thought cynically, we'll give the a try - bet they don't last. They've been great! Not even scuffed and very comfortable.

Clarks perpetuate the idea that in some way you are doing wrong by not spending an arm an a leg in their shop. The reality is that there is very little choice when it comes down to it there. Considering the prices I feel the choice should be avilable in all shops.

Also this air of mystique about the fitting, well I'm sorry but if a 17yr old can work it out by squashing the shoe and feeling for the toes etc, so can I!

The different widths are a factor it's true, but I just hate Clarks' superior attitude and prices to match. Especially when they imperiously advise that we come back and spend the same again in a couple of months.

I took dd to 3 different Clarkes shops within the space of a week or so to get her feet measured for her first pair of shoes. They gave me 3 completely different sizes ranging for 3 1/2 to 5!!! doesnt say much for Clarkes measuring does it.

Well went to Clarks this morning and she was measured at a 4 1/2 E, apparently she has narrow feet which I thought was about right as the shoes she had had to be buckled quite tight to stay on her feet. Ended up buying a pair of pink, fluffy boots (I know after moaning about the prices yesterday ) in a size 5 which I think should last her a wee bit longer.

Am going to look for cheaper wellies and a pair of trainers for her though.

i always buy clarks shoes usually because i know that they will fit properly but the last couple of times ive been to clarks ive had to take the shoes back the last time was only a couple of months ago and both dd's had feet measured and new shoes but then they had to go back as they rubbed her feet and her feet got really sore so i took them back to a different store only a week or two later and the shoes they had been given didnt fit properly my dd1 was given shoes a size bigger and dd2 needed half a size bigger and they are much happier now but after that not sure whether im going to clarks again

Our local clarks only sells vile shoes for children - must be their policy or perhaps because I live near a rubbish tasteless town centre. Mainly Startrites for my littlest one but I agree that after so many years of watching feet being measured I am happy trying shoes anywhere.

Just out of curiosity, Clarks isn't an international chain is it? What do children who live in countries with no clarks do? Do they have worst feet than the ones with Clarks shoes?

Do children's shoes in France, Germany and Spain come in different width fittings too?

no width fittings in France, AFAIK

the french do seem to put their babies in shoes with hard soles before they even start walking, thoiugh, shich I think is totallu pointless, - I've seen babies of 7 months wearing proper shoes here, it's quite common I think

I tend to buy school shoes from Clarkes or Startrite, but that is becasue they seem to fit my kids feet better and they last for my kids. I have children who's feet don't grow more than one full size a year, and therefore school shoes last a who year - with clarks the shoes do expand and when you buy with growing room to start with they work for us!! Hence I don't begrudge the £25 - £35 it costs. Actually I bought dd's new school shoes in Clarkes sale at £10 on the first day of the kids summer holidays I knew they would be OK 6 weeks later

I supplement these with cheap wellies, those sequin slippers from Monsoon (I LOVE THEM!!) and today I found some cool pink boots in a cheap shop for just £14.99 (they have butterflies and flowers on them!!) I figure thoses once or twice a week would be OK.

Pam70

In Switzerland you tend to get German, Austrian, French or Italian made shoes. Some of the more expensive ones like Ricosta and Richter do come in widths - narrow, middle and wide - and shoes by Geox and Naturino come up on the wider side anyway. They don't make such a fuss about measuring though so you may get a length reading and go up a continental size if the width is too tight as you try different styles and shoes to fit.