My daughter Leigha Mae turned 1 on Easter Monday of this year and as birthday present from her grandma she was to get her first proper pair of shoes. Grandma wanted to buy something a little bit more expensive than the normal baby shoes and so I decided to do a little research to make sure Grandma wouldnt be disappointed.
My research didn't take to too long. It seems the only real contender for Childrens footwear is CLARKS. I thought there might have been some more highstreet stores offering quality footwear since my own childhood ventures to the shops in the early 80s but I was wrong.
I was a little weary because CLARKS have a reputation for being overpriced but I was willing to give them a try seeing as grandma was FOOTING the bill (pardon the pun).
CLARKS STORES & CUSTOMER SERVICE
Unless you live in a commune in timbucktoo you probably know where to find a CLARKS store, this is the first advantage of the company. You know if you buy a pair of shoes on
holiday you wil be able to exchange them when you get home.
The shop wasnt very busy when we arrived, we weren't pounced on but we were acknowledged by the staff which was nice. There seemed to be lots of choice but we soon realised that CLARKS offered a range of baby first shoes.
These include: Shoes for Crawling Shoes for Cruising Shoes for Walking (first steps)
Leigha was definately at the cruising stage holding on to everything in sight and making her way round the room. So we now we had narrowed the shoe range down and we could start trying the shoes on.
The shop assistant was really helpful and gave us lots of advice on what shoes were best for her at this stage. The shop assistant (Gemma) gave us some booklets to read on baby growth and development.
The customer service at CLARKS is second to non. There is absolutely no pressure to buy which is nice (and makes a change) The shop has trained shoe fitters so you can be sure your childs feet won't be squashed into shoes just so the shop can get a sale out of you!
RANGE OF SHOES
The range of shoes is fab. It would be nice if the girls baby shoes were in more colours than pinks, whites and lilacs but they are still great. Unfortunately for Leigha she has really narrow feet so our first choice of shoe wasnt available however some shoes did come in EFGH 3-4 1/2. So this is the only disadvantage although the alternatives were just as pretty.
VALUE FOR MONEY
My prior knowledge of CLARKS was that they were pricey. However I thoroughly believe you arent just paying for a shoe. Your paying for a quality good, a quality customer service, expertise in child foot development and peace of mind that they can be repaired if necessary and excellent aftercare and followups for your childrens feet.
Leigha's first pair of Cruising shoes cost £18 this is probably more than what I would spent on my own feet but I think they are worth it. The cheapest range was £16. If you want cheaper CLARKS shoes you could try the factory outlets but you wont get the same customer service if you need repairs/refunds or foot advice.
DURABILITY
Leigha has bashed into everything in her new shoes and they are still as good as new. They are easy to clean and water resistant. Infact the majority of CLARKS shoes are waterproof although this does vary dependant on the range. The will be advertised as water resistnat if this is the case. Lets face it CLARKS make shoes to last.
FURTHER INFO & CLARKS CONTACT DETAILS
CLARKS are the only shoe manufacturer that makes shoes for every stage of a childs development. They even take a keep sake photo of you baby in their first pair of shoes to cherish for ever. They are currently holding a first shoes promotion were you could win free shoes for 2years!!
Clarks offer a 10% discount in all stores for TAMBA members (Twins & Multiple Birth Association) You must have a membership card valid for the current year. The discount is valid for children up to the age of 16 years!! (Not bad aye)
You can write to CLARKS at:
CLARKS 40 High Street Street Somerset BA16 0YA
Customer Services 08705 665335 Head Office Switchboard 01458 443131
They have a fab website to view all their childrens shoes or even look for your own shoes!! www.Clarks.co.uk
Hope I helped.
Beth and Leigha Mae (in shoes)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Excellent review. When I was a child i always used to get clarks shoes. Jules x
RICHADA 15.06.2006 21:10
I'm not a great shoe fan - children's feet are so incredibly important though that you need to know that the fitting is done properly and I think that Clarks always lead the field here. It is also my wife's favourite (adult) shoe shop! Richard.
THE_ELITE13 11.06.2006 23:13
i could have given you an exceptional on the title alopne ... SUPER-DOOP Great review of the shop ....
May 25th, 2006
(Jun 4th, 2006)
exceptional by (5%):
very helpful by (93%):
helpful by (2%):
