Kids shoes, tax free but still so expensive

sari

So all children's clothes and footwear is meant to be tax free but yet children's shoes are as expensive as adults and I just don't understand how?
Is it the stores adding a higher mark up to them causing the problem? I cannot believe that they cost so much especially when tax is not added

pwurple

It's crazy alright. I guess there is a lot of work in the stitching etc, but at 50 euro a go for the clarks ones, when they grow out of them so fast.... Thank goodness we had a dry summer and she was able to be on the beach / grass barefoot most of the time.

Loads of them fall to absolute pieces as well. I've tried dunnes, next, tesco, and we only get two - three weeks before something snaps or a hole appears in the shoe. Even the clarks Doodles range, the sole was gone off them in 4 weeks.

The longest wearing for us have been hard patent leather ones. Even looking at my daughters feet now, they are scuffed to bits, and we only have these 2 weeks.

yellow hen

Can I just ask here, when did you buy your kids first shoes? Our little guy is walking now, still falling a lot and still unsteadyish but he's getting the hang of it. I hadn't planned on getting his shoes until he was fully there but at the minute I can't let him down to walk outside. Is there any reason why you wouldn't buy shoes now?

Suucee

This is something that annoys me too. How are they so expensive when they are smaller and surely less material etc needed. Like pwurple i have bought tesco, dunnes, shoe zone etc. Clarks are good i find but so expensive. the rest fall apart before she grows out of them. I went through a phase of buying from shoesforkids.co.uk (i think) but then discovered paul byrons kids shoes. they always have a section of marked down shoes. i bought a pair of runners (similar to doodles) at the begining of the summer and there still going strong cost €20 been in the wash loads too. Recently bought another pair in paul byron €27 for start rite pink leather shoes. that was about 3 weeks ago now. they are still in pretty good nick.
No more buying anywhere else i think. At least with paul byron you get to use until they grow out of them with anywhere else i find they fall apart or get way too grubby before she has even grown out of them.

Yellow hen i was using clarks pre walkers for a while as she started taking steps 11 months and wanted to be pottering around. I bought her first proper pair shortly after her first birthday as she had outgrown the prewalkers and shop assistant advised me no point going with another pair of pre walkers. ideally would have stuck with bare feet but she just loved walking too much so too hard to restrict when out and about.

yellow hen

Where's Paul Byron succee?

Why would you recommend the pre walkers over shoes? Sorry, totally new to this!

Suucee

Pre walkers are more for the cruising phase, walking along furniture etc as they are softer and not as structured. I bought them when A was doing that but she quickly progressed to walking. I loved bringing her to the park and letting her walk with her vtech walker or holding my hand and needed something for her feet.
They normally recommend waiting until 6 weeks (i think) after they start walking to get proper shoes but she was too used to being let walk about and no point spending more money on pre walkers since she was properly walking at that stage.

theres a paul byron in my town but theres a few around the country . check their website to see if theres one local to you.

yellow hen

Suucee wrote: »

Pre walkers are more for the cruising phase, walking along furniture etc as they are softer and not as structured. I bought them when A was doing that but she quickly progressed to walking. I loved bringing her to the park and letting her walk with her vtech walker or holding my hand and needed something for her feet.
They normally recommend waiting until 6 weeks (i think) after they start walking to get proper shoes but she was too used to being let walk about and no point spending more money on pre walkers since she was properly walking at that stage.

theres a paul byron in my town but theres a few around the country . check their website to see if theres one local to you.

Thanks succee. We're pretty much past the cruising stage and are independently walking now. I'd say another fortnight and he'll have it nailed. Might take him into cripps and ask their advice. Thanks!

How Strange

We go to Cripps in Terenure and I highly recommend them. I found Clarks in Liffey valley measured my son wrong a few times so he grew out of shoes within weeks. I know they can grow out of shoes very quickly at the start but Cripps measure them so they grow into shoes. We bought a pair of winter boots in January for €50 and O will get another month or two out of them.

yellow hen

How Strange wrote: »

We go to Cripps in Terenure and I highly recommend them. I found Clarks in Liffey valley measured my son wrong a few times so he grew out of shoes within weeks. I know they can grow out of shoes very quickly at the start but Cripps measure them so they grow into shoes. We bought a pair of winter boots in January for €50 and O will get another month or two out of them.

I had heard that about Clarks before. More than happy to give my money to a local business. Still haven't quite got my head around the cost of kids shoes!

How Strange

It's shocking alright. I spend more on their shoes than mine but after two years old they don't seem to grow out of them as quickly. At least O doesn't. Also at €50/60 I only buy one pair at a time and he can wear wellies/crocs too.

Suucee

How Strange wrote: »

It's shocking alright. I spend more on their shoes than mine but after two years old they don't seem to grow out of them as quickly. At least O doesn't. Also at €50/60 I only buy one pair at a time and he can wear wellies/crocs too.

See thats the thing with boys. 1 pair works for everything. Not for girls . Need something to go with leggings , dresses, tracksuits, jeans etc. I get 2 pairs (depending on price) pair of runners (podlers) similar to doodles so can be used for tracksuits and leggings and jeans . Then shoes for dresses but can get away with leggings too. Then sandals over summer.
And probably boots over winter.
She's such a tomboy though would live in her wellies if she could.

It will be so much easier when lil man is in shoes.
Even just dressing him is easier.

lazygal

I'm very boring. I buy my little girl the same style every time, classic black with a strap, the Mary jane style, and she's worn them with everything, summer and winter. Next summer I plan on buying Saltwater sandals for both as they have excellent reviews in terms of durability and comfort and can be passed on to smaller children. I don't think shoes are that expensive considering they are fiddly to make and they wear them day in and day out.
I find the independent shops better than the chains for measuring and selection.

iguana

yellow hen wrote: »

Thanks succee. We're pretty much past the cruising stage and are independently walking now. I'd say another fortnight and he'll have it nailed. Might take him into cripps and ask their advice. Thanks!

S was walking more than 2 months when we got him his shoes but we still went for pre-walkers. The sole is softer and more flexible but still totally weather proofed and solid enough for outdoor use. There is no drawback to choosing them but lots of benefits as the flexible sole is better for foot development.

Neyite

What I learned about baby shoe fitting:

To check that your child has enough room in their shoes, open up the shoe fully, straps, tongue out etc. While the child is sitting push their toes to the toe of the shoe. You should be able to get your index finger (or middle finger if your hands are small, little finger if its Dad doing the measuring) between the childs heel and the heel of the shoe.

If you cant get your finger in, they are becoming too small. If you have too much room, then the shoes are too big and apart from the child tripping over the toes of the shoes, they'll tend to scuff a bit more in shoes that are too big and destroy them anyway.

Ensure they use the measuring device for that brand of shoe - eg. Startrite foot measure for a Startrite shoe, Clarkes for Clarkes, as sizing can vary between brands. Some shoe shop assistants do work on commision, so if the measure say a 5G, but the shop assistant try to give you a 4.5G or 5F with a spiel about how they are big-fitting, dont buy. Its the wrong size and chances are they only care about the sale, but dont have the right size in stock for you. Consider as well the sock thickness when you are trying shoes. If you shop with the child barefoot, then stick on a pair of socks before measuring for the winter shoes.

Your baby is ready for shoes when they are walking fully unaided, but even then, try to keep them barefoot in the house where possible, as its better for their gait development.

In summer time, (this is a tip for grown ups too) after a winter cocooned in socks and boots, skin is so soft it can blister easily when straps rub up against it, but a decent smear of vaseline on the back of the straps /contact area with shoes and where they rub against the feet will stop friction and therefore blisters.

Ginny

Tbh I've found clarks quality has gone downhill. The measuring varies in every shop and the advice is patchy at best. They're also not the best for very wide feet, and have quite a small dept, where a lot of Irish feet need more depth in the shoe. We're going to an orthopaedic physio for foot issues and she swears by pablosky for support, and thinks clarks aren't worth the money, they're not much better than say dunnes or next generic shoes.

Sligo1

I find Clarkes extremely poor quality. The best shoes we've bought for my son were Ecco. More expensive than Clarkes but well worth it IMO. Since his first pair of Eccos we've kept going back. from my experience start rite are also very good and are far better than clarkes.

Neyite

Yeah, I'd agree with Clarkes - the last pair lasted no length. I should be replacing toddlers shoes because he grew out of them, not because they are destroyed.

I think I'll go for another brand next time.

Sligo1

Neyite wrote: »

Yeah, I'd agree with Clarkes - the last pair lasted no length. I should be replacing toddlers shoes because he grew out of them, not because they are destroyed.

I think I'll go for another brand next time.

Definitely do try a different brand Neyite! My guys Eccos and start rites were grown out of and there's not a thing wrong with them! He got loads of wear out of them but are still in great condition! Would it be bad if I kept them for next baby??.... Lol

How Strange

Ginny wrote: »

Tbh I've found clarks quality has gone downhill. The measuring varies in every shop and the advice is patchy at best. They're also not the best for very wide feet, and have quite a small dept, where a lot of Irish feet need more depth in the shoe. We're going to an orthopaedic physio for foot issues and she swears by pablosky for support, and thinks clarks aren't worth the money, they're not much better than say dunnes or next generic shoes.

The last couple of pairs of shoes we bought for O were pablosky and they were/are still in great condition after months of wear. We got start rite for A recently.

How Strange

Suucee wrote: »

See thats the thing with boys. 1 pair works for everything. Not for girls . Need something to go with leggings , dresses, tracksuits, jeans etc. I get 2 pairs (depending on price) pair of runners (podlers) similar to doodles so can be used for tracksuits and leggings and jeans . Then shoes for dresses but can get away with leggings too. Then sandals over summer.
And probably boots over winter.
She's such a tomboy though would live in her wellies if she could.

It will be so much easier when lil man is in shoes.
Even just dressing him is easier.

Unfortunately I think you're right. A is very into clothes already at 16 months. I could put a black sack on O and he wouldn't notice or care. I can just see that she'll want different shoes for different clothes in a couple of years.

sari

Never got an email to say there was replies here and forgot all about starting this thread
I just don't understand how they cost so much with no tax. Anyone work or know someone who works in shoe shop? It would be interesting to find out how much the retailer pays for each pair and thus the mark up they put on them.
I worked in an electronic store eyes ago and I couldn't believe at audit time the price the retailer was paying for most things HUGE mark up going on items.

lazygal

I used to sell adult shoes. The markup depending on brand was between 50 and 100%. I'm sure it's similar for kids shoes. However I do not think they're overpriced. I'm happy to pay €30-40 for a proper fitting and experience and expertise which we get from independent retailers as we don't buy Clark's. I'd hate to see the real fitting replaced by online only sales. Small things like shoes for children are fiddly to make. What price do people expect shoes for children to sell for? I'm talking proper leather shoes that last for a few months. My daughter gets at least three months out of a pair of plain black leather shoes.

uck51js9zml2yt

Interesting about Clarke's. We normally go 2 shops to be sure the fitting is correct. It's getting better now with the new computerised devices they have now.

I usually buy from shoes for kids . co. UK as they are cheaper. I've also bought from Clarke's and use parcel motel.
.
Must try eco next time. Are there any Dublin stores better than others?

Sligo1

Maddison Silly Postage wrote: »

Interesting about Clarke's. We normally go 2 shops to be sure the fitting is correct. It's getting better now with the new computerised devices they have now.

I usually buy from shoes for kids . co. UK as they are cheaper. I've also bought from Clarke's and use parcel motel.
.
Must try eco next time. Are there any Dublin stores better than others?

Where are you based? I found House of Fraser im dundrum excellent. But that could be because we had the manager measuring out son. She was fab!! They have different brands aswell (start rite, Ecco etc..) so you can see which brand fits/suits ur child best. Stillorgan has an Ecco shop and so does Liffey valley. I'm sure there's loads of others. I will go back to house of Fraser again for our next fitting.

uck51js9zml2yt

Sligo1 wrote: »

Where are you based? I found House of Fraser im dundrum excellent. But that could be because we had the manager measuring out son. She was fab!! They have different brands aswell (start rite, Ecco etc..) so you can see which brand fits/suits ur child best. Stillorgan has an Ecco shop and so does Liffey valley. I'm sure there's loads of others. I will go back to house of Fraser again for our next fitting.

Thanks. Must pop over to HOF next time.
I usually get Clarks for myself but only in the sales.

John_Rambo

Graham's shoes on exchequer street in Dublin city centre always have deals on. They have a bargain bin too. Great service too.

sari

I'm in Sligo we have 1 shop which does child's fitting service which is nothing special. The only other places to buy kids shoes would be tk max, next, pennies and dunnes. The range in the independent shop is not great, although I have managed to always get a pair in the sales cheaper for him.
I guess I feel like the reason there is no tax on children's clothes and footwear is because they are essential and it's important that everyone has access to good quality footwear for their children and that maybe the stores are not passing savings onto customers. They maybe feel they can increase mark up because of tax law. If the mark up on adult foot wear can be 50-100% then what must it be on children's shoes without added tax??

Sligo1

Maddison Silly Postage wrote: »

Thanks. Must pop over to HOF next time.
I usually get Clarks for myself but only in the sales.

Eccos are more expensive than clarkes. I nearly died when I saw his first
Pair ring in at €65!!! But they lasted him 3 months and they're still perfect only he grew out of them. Defo found our fab brand here.

His very first pair of shoes were clarkes (€45) and they were like a dogs dinner after a couple weeks. Bought another pair of clarkes (the soft material ones which are cheaper at €25) and they are fit for the bin!

Gosh kids shoes are so expensive! Got my hubby a nice pair of clarkes in the sale a couple weeks ago for work for €50. They'll last him a year!

lolademmers

When should I invest in 'proper' shoes? He is not walking just cruising around furniture at the moment. My problem is he never really wears shoes I hope he won't kick off a pair that cost €50 !!

Ginny

Only when they're starting to walk outside. Spent €60 on a pair of winter boots today, another thing I found out today pablosky/startrite are the same size wise, but Clarkes can be a completely different size? Anyone hear that before?