Speedy and stress-free school shoe shopping tips

Dreading the prospect of going out to get your child's school shoes before the start of term? You're not alone. All parents will be familiar with the feeling of exhaustion that this practical and necessary task can bring: busy shops, bored kids and being overwhelmed with choices can add up to an experience that is lacking in fun! 

But it doesn't have to be this way. Footwear experts Charles Clinkard are here with the definitive 5-step guide to making school shoe shopping a speedy and stress-free experience. These time saving hacks will leave you with much more time for family fun during the rest of the summer holidays!

1. Check and double-check uniform guidelines!

There’s nothing worse than having your child sent home on the first day of school with a disapproving note about uniform violations. Before anything else, locate a copy of the uniform policy and scrutinise it. If there’s any doubt, send an email to the school clarifying what is and is not allowed. This is the absolute best way to save yourself a second trip to the shoe shop (and the corresponding bill)!

2. Measure feet at home

The process of measuring can take up quite a bit of time in a shoe shop environment: why not cut this part out altogether by measuring your child’s feet yourself? Charles Clinkard provides a free printable foot measuring gauge for parents to use at home, along with an accompanying size conversion chart. Doing this in the comfort of your own home at any time of the day will save a lot of time in the store and ensure you know exactly what you’re looking for when you arrive.

3. Browse the website first

Walking into a shoe shop can be a bit overwhelming as there are SO many choices. The vast majority of retailers now have full online stores, so you can browse every style, size and colour before you even set foot in the door. Most even have a ‘check stock’ option so you’ll know exactly what your local store has in their back room: you can call ahead and ask them to lay them aside on the day of your fitting and slash your waiting time in the shop!

4. Fit check

With children wearing their school shoes on an average of more than 30 hours a week, the fit of your child’s school shoes is important and must be done correctly so your child won’t feel any discomfort. Taking a few extra moments to be sure the shoes you’re buying are the correct fit will save you another trip to the shops! 

• Length: apply gentle pressure to the top of the foot and press down gently on your child’s longest toe. The shoes should have roughly a thumb width of wiggle room to ensure room to grow.
• Width: feel for the widest part of the foot across the vamp of the shoe, paying particular attention that the little toe isn’t pressing against the side of the shoe. The shoes should have a snug and comfortable feel, and there shouldn’t be any tightness or bulging at the sides.
• Heels: whilst your child is seated, grasp the heel of the shoe with one hand and hold the ankle with your other hand. Give a few gentle pulls on the heel to check there is little to no movement and repeat on both feet.
• Depth: rub your thumb across the top of the toes. You should feel a shallow ripple effect in the shoe. If you can push the leather into a ridge, the shoes may be too wide; no movement at all would suggest they are too narrow.
• Ankles: unless the shoe has a padded ankle collar, the shoe shouldn’t touch your child’s ankle bones at all. Gently run your finger under the ankle bone to ensure there is sufficient clearance between the shoe and the ankle bone. 

5. Time it right

You want to buy your child’s school shoes with plenty of time to spare, but not so much that their feet will grow before they even get to wear them! About a month before the start of school hits the right balance between the two. Research has shown that the final Saturday in August is the busiest for back-to-school shoe shopping, so avoid that date if you can!

Carefully choosing the time of day you go shopping can also save time: naturally, weekends are much busier than weekends, and the lunchtime and evening periods of the day will tend to be busy as people squeeze in a visit around their work commitments. If you’re able, we recommend trying to arrive early in the morning on a weekday for the quietest store experience.