Ask:
Ds, 5, needed a new pair of school shoes yesterday. He goes through a good pair maybe once every 8-10 mos. He is very easy on his shoes, they still look great after almost a year. He is the typical 'male' with 3 pairs of shoes: school, tennis, and sandals in the summer.
We are trying to be frugal. However, we went to Sears yesterday for ds's shoes. I've found from experience I don't like Payless shoes for school - they are too trendy, ds needs something traditional with velcro or slip on and I can never find them for a boy there.
We went to Sears, and measured him ourselves, which I'm not keen on anyway, because I'd rather have him professionally fitted. So he measures at at 10 toddler. The shoes that would be appropriate only came in an 11 but we tried them on. They all slid up and down his heel and he said they felt strange. I told dh he needed a size down, a 10 and a half. He was currently wearing a 10. They don't have half sizes at Sears.
We went to Stride Rite and found the shoes we bought. However, dh was in a huff over the price, $38. Now I would have liked to buy the cheaper ones, sure. But they didn't have my son's size! I asked dh if he would like to wear a pair of shoes the wrong size. He agreed, but was still huffy the rest of the day! I feel we buy one good pair in almost a year, I'm not going to begrudge our son a damn pair of shoes! Sorry, but I was so angry. What was he thinking? Would you buy your child a pair of shoes that might cause damage down the road just because they were cheaper?? Sorry so long!
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I agree with you - your little guy needed the shoes! We work so hard to save money, but sometimes you just have to spend more. There are a lot of things that can be scrimped on, but a little boy's shoes can't be one of them. Next time, you'll probably find a GREAT deal!
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If your son is like mine he will not wear shoes that do not fit him perfectly...he doesn't like it if they are a little to big at all. I don't think 38.00 is too bad for a good pair of shoes...his feet are still growing and kids need to wear good shoes. I usually get my son two pairs of sneakers...one for play and one for school.
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I always spend quite a bit of money on shoes for my kids as well. A shoestore nearby has this awesome machine, it is a screen on the floor where your kids put their barefeet on and then the computer calculates the actual size they have. That store also puts an additional tag on every shoe they sell which shows the actual size that shoe has. Every brand is different, a size 10 can fit totally different from brand to brand.
Anyways, I think it is really important to make sure the shoes fit right and just think about all the money in medical bills you might have saved your son in the future? Not even mentioning the pain...
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I always spend quite a bit on shoes, too. The only shoes I ever bought cheap looked horrible after only a few wearings. Kids need the more expensive shoes anyway--my dr has always said the extra money is worth it for the support the well made shoe gives them.
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For my kids, they get nice shoes and boots. I make sure they fit well. I try to find them on sale but most of the time, to get a good fit they are not. For myself I buy what is cheapest. I never had a problem with dh and shoes for our kids, my dh pays 400+ for his hand made boots and shoes. They last a long time and his feet don't hurt. If he ever complained I would bonk him one.
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Personally, my kids have always done great in Target and WalMart shoes. I do get them to fit, though.
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Sorry but I'm going to disagree. I certainly agree that you should buy your child the right size of shoe that fits him but I have never paid $38 for a pair of shoes for my DS and only a couple of times have paid that much for shoes for me! I would have kept looking - Target, KMart, etc. all carry shoes for kids for a much more reasonable price. sorry to disagree but JMHO
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I'm the same way about shoes. I have been buying all my son's shoes at Stride Rite. I just feel good knowing that they are fitted correctly and that he will be comfortable in some quality shoes. Since he only wears one pair most the time, I feel it is a good thing to spend a little more on one pair of quality shoes.
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I, too, try not to skimp on quality when it comes to my kids' shoes; however, it kills me to pay a lot for them...I usually find good deals at the Stride Rite outlet store. Also, our JC Penney carries Stride Rite -- and their end-of-the-season prices are often between $18-$25.