Tell Brantano your top tips on shopping for school shoes and you could win a £100 Brantano voucher NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

The team at Brantano would love to know about Mumsnetters’ tips and experiences of the back to school shop for shoes.

Here’s what Brantano say, “To help make this shopping experience easier for you and your little ones, our friendly staff are all expertly trained and can provide a free shoe fitting service across all the brands we stock. Brantano stores are also conveniently located in retail parks, with most open until 8pm so you don’t have to go too far for those back to school essentials.”

So, how does your back to school shoe shopping usually go? Who has the final say on your DCs shoes? Have you got any tips and hints to share about how to make the back to school shop a little easier?

Whatever your experiences are, Brantano would love to hear about it!
Everyone who posts their comment on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £100 Brantano voucher.

Please note: your comments may be used anonymously elsewhere on Mumsnet and by Brantano on their website, marketing materials and possible elsewhere, so please only comment if you are happy with this.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

[RaisingSteam]

Take old shoes with you, if not worn out, and if they haven't changed size, don't buy new!

Start rite last well (for boys) but we have been OK with Clarks too.

Don't go to a city centre Clarks or John Lewis in the holidays. Independent shop (they need your business) or in fact Brantano are ideal. And normally well located for a Costa Coffee afterwards.

And I will say, if you sign up to their mailing list Brantano send frequent discounts!

[Lurleene]

Oh if only I could only take DS shoe shopping ready for a new school year. He has got through SEVEN pairs of school shoes this academic year , the most recent ones lasting less than a fortnight. His feet grow like billy-o and he wears holes in the soles. I guess my tip would be keep the receipt!

Also something I plan to implement in September is buying stick on rubber soles and glueing them on before he gets a chance to wear them out! Hopefully this will spin the shoes out a bit longer!

[babsmam]

I make an appointment with the shop early in the day about the last week of the holidays. I specify approx size, brands I like and high instep wide feet etc. Tbf the shop staff now ask all of this so they can plan stock levels.
On the day it's a breeze jumping the queue, being served and out before tetchy kids strike. Lots of evil looks from other parents buy I don't care.
My appointment is already made for this year. It's fab

[SuzCG]

Give them notice that shoe fitting & shopping is something we NEED to do that day - usually tie it in with doing something nice in the same area, so it doesn't just become a chore. Wear school socks to the fitting so that you know you are going to get the best fit possible.

[BlackeyedSusan]

take your orthotics with you,

go and get feet measured properly by a proper shoe fitter.

crucially, buy the shoes before the previous pair falls apart this avoid having to be sent to school in trainers because the only pair that accomodates the orthotics is not in stock.

[SirNiallDementia]

I may be missing something here but I just don't get the big drama some people make about buying school shoes. Surely it's just like popping out to buy some trousers or a top as long as you don't try and do it the weekend before school starts when it's manically busy.

We usually go to Clarks or Brantano, get measured, DS picks a few to try on and we buy whichever fits best and are most comfy for him.

Then we have a coffee and cake as per usual when shopping!

It has never taken any more than 10 minutes.

[Usernamesarehard]

I have to leave until the end of the school hols as ds1 who's 10 has a lovely habit of skipping shoe sizes in mere weeks. He's an adult size 8 so I usually buy him leather trainers as that's all I can afford that won't make his feet stink!

[Donthate]

My top tips are

Book an appointment if possible.

Take a comic or book for each child in case you have to wait.

Go straight after breakfast or lunch.

Take a bottle of water in case it gets hot.

Have a budget and style in mind and tell the sales assistant so that he/she doesn't bring out the flashing £60 shoes when you hate flashing shoes and have a max budget of £40.

Go somewhere with trained fitters so that you don't have to buy another pair a week into term when your child has blisters.

Have a small treat planned for afterwards like an ice cream or a pack of stickers.

[VikingLady]

Go on a weekday morning, so there's no waiting for an assistant!

[itsnothingoriginal]

I always buy Startrite for my DD - she needs good ankle support and Clark's shoes and other brands generally concentrate more on fashion than fit! I have booked fitting appointments in the past for school shoes and would definitely recommend doing it.

Brantano is great for us actually as it's convenient, has good parking and sells Startrite shoes. We generally head there or John Lewis for school shoes.

[sharond101]

Wear the uniform when you go. Makes a huge difference.

[Kayleighduddy]

We do our shoe shopping out of peak times wherever possible and I narrow down the selection and let the boys have the ultimate say in their pair of shoes x

[kateandme]

Go for them.make it their trip.their excitement not after trawling the rest of town.
Would be good to have books etc fr them to be distracted if wait is needed.much better wide fits needed.
Friendly staff always a must.these are first time so scary moments fr the kids.
Keys in heels haha.
Red always very popular.
If looked up to older ssibling is willing they can be a great help.

[del2929]

we usually get ours mid summer ish,- just in case the darlings have grown. it can take several attempts as the little ones hate shopping so most of the time i am bringing shoes home, trying them on and then taking them back if need be. oh the joys!

[serendipity1980]

I always take the children to Clarks in town. It is the first shop we visit before they get tired and fed up. I do about 3 weeks before the end of the holidays. Once I know their size, I order the shoes online through topcashback so that I get money back on my purchases! I have them delivered to home, there is more choice online too, but if I have any concerns about the fit, I do take into the store.

[MermaidinJeans]

With three in school it's usually hell and expensive.

Always get them measured and fitted professionally.

Let the assistant know before they bring shoes out your budget and preferences to avoid Tantrums over wanting shoes they can't have.

Don't leave it till last minute yet don't get them too soon either in case they grow before school starts!

Let them wear them indoors only for a few days to get used to them. That way if they're ill fitted you can return them.

[AnneOfCleavage]

DD and I find school shoe shopping quite exciting as DD tends to only need a new pair once a year. We try and go early August, before the mad rush of last minute buying, as we have left it until late August before and had to order her school shoes (Startrite) and buy a cheap alternative for the first few weeks of the new term as none were left in her size. DD has narrow feet with a high instep so needs a particular type of shoe (ones with a strap for support) so I daren't leave it too late now.

My tip would be to try and go early in the day before the staff get too frazzled and before your child gets too tired or bored, also definitely bring with you the socks or tights your child will be wearing for school so you know the fit is correct.

[hunkermunker]

Go to Clarke Outlet at some point over summer holidays.

Take ticket, wait in lumpen, fleshy line with a sea of squawking, runny-nosed urchins.

Inch towards magic foot measuring device that gauges length, width, future career, suitability of daughter-in-law choice and star sign.

Have feet measured by bored teenager.

Take piece of card with child's foot size et al scrawled on it.

Choose from clumpy black, clonky black and nfw, sunshine shoe choices, body swerving the latter since they contain toys/lollipops/cards for prostitutes.

Finally cram child's feet into exact same shoes as purchased the previous time, only four millimetres bigger all round. Ignore wails of but I had these laaaassst tiiiiime, for you have boys and there is no choice for school shoes for boys and the sooner they learn this harsh reality, the better.

Head to till, safe in knowledge that you've saved eleventy squillion quid by virtue of going to Outlet shop. Congratulate self.

[hunkermunker]

Bloody Clarks. Not bloody Clarke. Autocorrect, you really are a winker.

[daimbardiva]

Get in early, get measured and then shop around. Brantano is not often good for bargain Clark's etc

[Huwlett]

We are relatively new to the school shoe shopping but struggle as my daughter has wide feet. I think a wide selection of shoes and choice of styles is essential as well as helpful and friendly staff. Last time we went we chose a pair for her to try on and then she could choose a pair to try on (any kind of shoe) just to keep her happy. We repeated until we found a pair suitable. She loved trying on adult heels as her choice! Convincing her we were buying the sensible ones we did wasn't quite as easy. I think making it a bit of a game and giving her some responsibility in choosing and looking at shoes helped. We tried to keep her interested too by talking to her about what we were looking for in a shoe etc. In the end she was eager to hunt out ones that matched our criteria, like a treasure hunt!
I'm not sure what the next shoe shopping trip will have in store though!

[Cookie51]

Make up your own mind about the fit - we always end up buying one width fitting narrower and sometimes a half size bigger than dd gets measured as. Also startrite tend to suit wider squarer feet (dd2) whereas clarks suit longer more tapered feet (dd1). The stress is usually caused by the fact the shops never have all the sizes and width fittings in stock. French and Spanish kids shoes seem to be better quality than uk ones but bizarrely don't come in half sizes.

[Theimpossiblegirl]

I hate shoe shopping with my eldest. What she wants and what the school want are very different. Finding school shoes for a 13 year old fashion-conscious girl is an impossible, thankless task. So my top tip is to send DH I'm afraid.

[BellaVida]

I have 4 DC in primary school, so school shoe shopping is a mammoth task. We rarely manage to get them all shoes in one shop, in fact it has only ever happened once! My top tips are:

• Don't procrastinate. The closer you leave it to the start of the new term, the least likely you are to be successful.
  
• Take socks, as the kids will inevitably we wearing sandals and will refuse to borrow shop socks.
  
• Go to a shop out of the city centre, as it will be less busy.
  
• Make an appointment if possible.
  
• Always get their feet measured.
  
• Try different style to get the best fit. They are all cut differently and you may need to go up or down a size/width.
  
• Make a note of the size, width, model then if the shop doesn't have in stock, you can order online or try elsewhere.
  
• Don't let the children get distracted by 'gimmicks'- they are school shoes after all.
  
• If you find a certain brand Nd style which wears well, go for the same one next time.
  
• Get the children to carry their own new shoes!!