Where do you buy kids' shoes? (looking for recommendations)

[Happy2BaMom]

OK, I've had my last cr*ppy experience with Famous Footwear. And JC Penny. I won't go into the details here, just suffice it to say I've tried multiple times at both places to buy kids shoes and NEVER WANT TO GO BACK TO EITHER PLACE. (sorry, venting)

 

Yet I haven't had great luck with ordering kids shoes online, either...with the way their feet grow, they really need to try them on most of the time.

 

I don't even know where else to try. Sears? I can't imagine that's any better. Macy's? Ditto. Nordstroms? Perhaps. Does Children's Place sell shoes?

 

Any recommendations? I'd hate to go through the next 15 years steaming every time I have to replace my childrens' shoes. :angry:There has to be someplace that isn't a customer service disaster.

 

Thanks!

[BigMamaBird]

We get most of our kids' shoes from Payless. They're reasonably priced, hold up well and have some cute styles.

[Anstar]

I really recommend getting used to ordering shoes online. First, because the selection is so much better. I can't find shoes I like in the sizes we need without looking in at least 5 stores (Kohl's, Target, Shoe Carnival, JCPenny, Old Navy). Sometimes even then I end up empty handed.

Second, customer service at all of those places is lax at best. If I can't see what I need readily on the shelf, it's almost always a waste of time to ask an associate. Online, I can use fancy search tools and find exactly what I need in less than half the time.

Ordering online isn't as difficult as it used to be. Many shoe companies offer free shipping and free returns. Some of the companies recommend buying 2-3 pairs, trying them on at home, and returning the one's that don't fit. Personally, I've had great luck with the shoe size calculators and printable foot paterns.

[LibraryLover]

What are you looking for? Do you have a local, non- chain place near you?

 

I've had luck with various brands at my local place (been around for about 40 years). They sell Converse, Keen, Merril -- sporty shoes that my kids tend to need for activities--but they do last-- at prices as good as online, and without shipping .

Edited April 5, 2010 by LibraryLover

[littlebug42]

My daughter has very difficult feet for shoes as she cannot wear just any pair. For her, I have to do our local, non-chain store often but I also have had some luck ordering certain shoes online. There is only one style of sandal that she can wear well that is from Nike and I just get those online. The last time I ordered from http://www.zappos.com which came with free shipping and the delivery was fast. They also make it pretty easy to return if necessary. Sneakers I usually get at Foot Locker or someplace similar although I think I got Boo-Boo's last pair at Sears. I have heard good things about Nordstrom's and would likely go there but the closest one is an hour away so I don't think of it often.

[kalanamak]

Payless during off hours (no customer service but a cashier) or zappos online. Returns are easy.

[swellmomma]

I usually buy the kids shoes at Walmart, but if I am looking for better ones I go to payless. Ty[icallty thought I am buying 4 pairs at a time at Walmart, like when I bought all the witner boots for this year, and when I go in a couple weeks to buy new sneakers and sandals all at once. I like payless shoes, but when buying that many at once it gets too expensive.

[fivetails]

Payless or Walmart most of the time.. also yard sales & thrift shops. :)

[helena]

Nordstroms

They have great customer service, good sales, and they carry everything from Converse, to good old fashioned sandals, and occasion shoes.

A few years ago I was buying from all sorts of random places like Target and Payless, we went into Nordstroms on a whim and the girls told me they loved the whole experience of the woman sizing their feet, how nice she was, her spot on suggestions, they really took notice to how pleasant it all was (kind of how I remember it when I was a kid :)). So that was it. We pay a little bit more, and shoe buying is fun now.

[Stacia]

Is there an independent shoe store for kids near you? When my dc were younger, we went to one of that type & it was wonderful. The salespeople knew about the shoes they sold & proper fitting. Plus, the whole place was geared for kids & to kids, the salespeople included.

[Happy2BaMom]

I'll try Zappos again (how do you size shoes though to even know where to begin? My son's feet recently grew one whole size in three months!) and I'll check the phone book for an independent local store...hadn't thought of that one.

 

The nearest Nordstrom is two hours away, although I'm desperate enough I might drive.

 

I'll try the top two first, though.

 

Thanks, ladies!

[Ravin]

Let's just say I am NOT looking forward to DD outgrowing Preschoolians. Just about any other shoes we've bought have either worn out in nothing flat, or she complains about how they fit (too tight), or they hurt her feet. This is doubly true of shoes that grandparents have bought for her.

[m0mmaBuck]

I'm picky about shoes (fit, function, support vs. style). I second the recommendation of Nordstroms but have also had positive experiences at Famous Footwear (I know OP, you said you were done there) and Big Five as far as brick and mortar stores. Zappos.com is my favorite for online shopping.

[Natalieclare]

We have a Stride Rite outlet in the outlet mall that isn't too far from our home. My kids have feet like blocks, and SR carries wide, sometimes even extra wide which is so necessary for my chunky footed babes.

[BikeBookBread]

Stride Rite store or online from Zappos. I recently discovered Endless.com (an Amazon company). GREAT sales, buy two, get 20% off of both, free overnight shipping, etc. etc.

 

If we live near a Nordstrom, I go there during sale time especially.

 

We don't buy a lot of shoes at one time: church, play, and summer sandals...

[Ellyndria]

I love going to our local Stride Rite. They measure DS's feet, I tell them the type (and sometimes color) of shoes we are looking for, then they go into the back and come out with 5-8 pairs of shoes all in his size. He picks which ones he wants to try on, they check the fit (he has skinny feet, so they are very good at telling us which are a bad fit and which are a good fit), he runs around in them a bit, and then he picks which he likes best. All I have to do is pay. We just went there a couple weeks ago for new tennis shoes and a pair of summer sandals, and it was so easy.

[Dobela]

We always start at a local New Balance store. They always measure my kids feet and look at things like arches. They have shown me how to find the right sole type to give them the best support and for the longest lasting shoes. If I don't give them the support they need, I can guarantee that the shoe will wear out in some weird way. Sometimes I buy shoes there (if they are on sale) but most often I buy somewhere else with the new knowledge I have of my child's current shoe needs. Once I know what they need, I can visit almost any store and find the right shoe at the price I want to pay. I have never bought online.

 

Interestingly, the best shoes I have bought have been at a factory store. I have to take the kids with me because the size is often wrong (thus why it is in the factory store) but I can buy high quality shoes for a fraction of the price.

[littlebug42]

Let's just say I am NOT looking forward to DD outgrowing Preschoolians. Just about any other shoes we've bought have either worn out in nothing flat, or she complains about how they fit (too tight), or they hurt her feet. This is doubly true of shoes that grandparents have bought for her.

 

 

Try http://www.seekairun.com for shoes similar to preschoolians. They come in larger sizes I believe. I was just drooling over the kids shoes on their website tonight. My youngest daughter, while extremely difficult to fit well with shoes, LOVES them. She just told me the other day that there is nothing better than the smell of a shoe store. :lol:

[JudoMom]

I'll try Zappos again (how do you size shoes though to even know where to begin? My son's feet recently grew one whole size in three months!) and I'll check the phone book for an independent local store...hadn't thought of that one.

 

The nearest Nordstrom is two hours away, although I'm desperate enough I might drive.

 

I'll try the top two first, though.

 

Thanks, ladies!

 

Here's the shoe sizer for Zappos.

[Gratia271]

Zappos, Shoebuy, Nordstrom. Endless.com sometimes has great deals on nice shoes.