Does this happen to you?

[SparklyUnicorn]

You go to the store to buy shoes for your kid.  You go to three stores, and you can't find a freaking pair in their size.  They don't have an unusual size or anything like that.  One of those stores is even a very large shoe store.

I don't get it.  This happens to me every damn time.

 

 

[maize]

I think the most common sizes are often the ones the stores run out of first.

[UCF612]

We always have issues buying my boys shoes.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We always have issues buying my boys shoes.

 

Yes boys.  Both of mine are boys.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I think the most common sizes are often the ones the stores run out of first.

 

Then again what are common sizes for boys?  KWIM?

[SKL]

I gave up shopping for shoes in stores years ago.  :)

[SparklyUnicorn]

I gave up shopping for shoes in stores years ago.  :)

 

But see this is one thing I do not like to order on-line.  I have no idea how to size them for one thing. 

[Guest]

YES. And I'm doing two at a time, with different sizes. How are ALL the stores out of BOTH their sizes at ALL times?! So weird.

[SparklyUnicorn]

YES. And I'm doing two at a time, with different sizes. How are ALL the stores out of BOTH their sizes at ALL times?! So weird.

 

Same here!

 

It IS weird. 

[Desert Strawberry]

After losing my mind over muddy shoes (in the desert, no less!) last week, I have decided to just order each kid a pair of rubber boots and buy a few pairs of plastic sandals and call it good. From now on, all shoes will be hosable and replacable/last forever. I. am. done. with. shoes. 

[SKL]

But see this is one thing I do not like to order on-line.  I have no idea how to size them for one thing. 

 

I just go for the next size or two up from what they are wearing.  Especially if you buy the same brand, that usually works.

 

It's a lot easier online to find the size, style, color, and quality you want at a price you are willing to pay.

 

I know people are worried about fit and all that, but it hasn't been a problem for me, and my family all has weird feet.  Either really fat or long and skinny.

 

I did get one pair that was smaller than I expected.  One bad pair out of all those shoes is OK.

 

[Desert Strawberry]

I didn't answer your question. 

No. I can usually find shoes in my kid's sizes. Sagg wears a man's 10, which is easy enough to find. Aries is a 1/2. The little ones are 11 Toddlers. I can't ever find anything for a price I don't want to cry over, though. 

I had a terrible time finding youth sizes for Sagg. 4-8 Youth/mens are virtually nonexistent. Is that the size range you are looking for?

[SparklyUnicorn]

I just go for the next size or two up from what they are wearing.  Especially if you buy the same brand, that usually works.

 

 

 

Today when I brought my younger kid I went one and a half sizes up and it was too small.  Went up 2 sizes and still too small!  And this was the same brand.

 

I don't know what to make of that!

 

Last time I ordered shoes on-line for my older kid I ended up having to return them.  I followed the sizing on-line.  Nope.  That did not work.  And the worst thing is I waited 2 weeks for those darn things.

 

Shoe buying is a total pain in the neck.

 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I didn't answer your question. 

 

No. I can usually find shoes in my kid's sizes. Sagg wears a man's 10, which is easy enough to find. Aries is a 1/2. The little ones are 11 Toddlers. I can't ever find anything for a price I don't want to cry over, though. 

 

I had a terrible time finding youth sizes for Sagg. 4-8 Youth/mens are virtually nonexistent. Is that the size range you are looking for?

 

My 14 year old doesn't yet wear men's shoes. 

 

Yes the youth sizes are the sizes I'm looking for. 

[Tanaqui]

At 14 his feet aren't large enough for men's shoes? What size is he in youth? There's some overlap - my older kiddo buys some of her shoes in women's and some in kid's depending on what's cheaper, and it's the same with men's too, isn't it?

Edited January 23, 2016 by Tanaqui

[Anne in CA]

This was always a problem for my oldest, no so much my other two. Very, very maddening, though. I used to get so annoyed trying to get Easter shoes and special occasion shoes for her because regular ones were hard enough, but basic sandals for a nice dress??? OMG, those were rough days. Especially around junior high age where she just wanted shoes like the ones her friends had, but somehow we could not manage that.

[SparklyUnicorn]

At 14 his feet aren't large enough for men's shoes? What size is he in youth? There's some overlap - my older kiddo buys some of her shoes in women's and some in kid's depending on what's cheaper, and it's the same with men's too, isn't it?

 

No they aren't.

 

I think a size 5 or 6.

 

Looking at the charts on Zappos there is some overlap, but I have never in my life seen a men's size 6 shoe.  Have you?

[SparklyUnicorn]

Although looking at Zappos they seem to have those unusual sizes.  I hate buying shoes on-line though.  Ugh...

 

 

[Kim in Appalachia]

Yes.  I had needed sneakers for my youngest son.  I went to a big shoe store and I could not find a pair in his size.  I could find girl ones, but not boys.  When I asked the clerk said that they didn't carry that size for boys (!!) and maybe I could go try another shoe store down the road.  How do you decide to not carry an entire size? I hate shoe shopping.  

 

I've had times it was so bad that I came home and ordered something more expensive online because I gave up trying to find a size. I prefer that a person try a shoe on, but sometimes you have no other choice. 

[Tanaqui]

Looking at the charts on Zappos there is some overlap, but I have never in my life seen a men's size 6 shoe.  Have you?

 

Well, now, I surely don't know. I certainly can't run by Payless right now and see if they have any in stock! Because there's a transportation ban due to the blizzard.

 

What sort of shoes are you aiming to buy? If they're plain sneakers, maybe you could pick those up from - gulp! - women's shoes? What size is that? Size seven? There's bound to be lots of options in that size (unlike my own size - size 11 women's!) and some are bound to be fairly gender neutral. If you're looking at sneakers, anyway. Dress shoes or boots, you may be out of luck.

[Rebel Yell]

SOme stores will ship to your house for free if they are out of stock in a size. If you try on a 7 and a 8, and realize you need a 7.5, then order it from the store.  I think Payless and Famous Footwear and maybe DSW do that.

[gardenmom5]

all the time. there's "little" kid shoes, or adult shoes.  rarely do they have "big kid" shoes.

 

 I finally sucked it up and took him to nordstrom.  (our local stride rite closed, or I'd have taken him there.)  Now, I'm ordering for him online.

 

 

[purplejackmama]

I try to buy everything, every.thing. on Amazon. Shoes included.

 

True story, I went to Barnes and Noble this week for an Emily Dickinson book. Not there. No employee in sight. Waited and waited and waited for help at the customer service desk, no one. So I stood in B&N and ordered the book from Amazon.

 

Next day, went to Best Buy for a HDMI cord. They didn't sell the size we needed. Tried to get help from an employee. Same story, different store. So I stood Best Buy and ordered the cord from Anazon.

 

I feel like a cheater. I really do try to give stores a chance. But they let me down.

 

So the moral of the story, find the shoes you want at the store and order them from Amazon. Or Zappos. :)

[Reefgazer]

Sparkly, let me introduce you to Zappos. 3 Out of 4 family members here have tough to fit feet, and with free return shipping and turnover time for orders of a day or two, I haven't stepped foot in a shoe store in years. You won't look back....

Edited January 23, 2016 by reefgazer

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well, now, I surely don't know. I certainly can't run by Payless right now and see if they have any in stock! Because there's a transportation ban due to the blizzard.

 

What sort of shoes are you aiming to buy? If they're plain sneakers, maybe you could pick those up from - gulp! - women's shoes? What size is that? Size seven? There's bound to be lots of options in that size (unlike my own size - size 11 women's!) and some are bound to be fairly gender neutral. If you're looking at sneakers, anyway. Dress shoes or boots, you may be out of luck.

 

I doubt he'd go for women's shoes.

 

He is set now and so is the other kid.  I just spent a long time today trying to find something.  Actually this time for the 10 year old. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Sparkly, let me introduce you to Zappos. 3 Out of 4 family members here have tough to fit feet, and with free return shipping and turnover time for orders of a day or two, I haven't stepped foot in a shoe store in years. You won't look back....

 

Yeah I severely hate this idea, but it's getting to the point where I might not have a choice. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I try to buy everything, every.thing. on Amazon. Shoes included.

 

True story, I went to Barnes and Noble this week for an Emily Dickinson book. Not there. No employee in sight. Waited and waited and waited for help at the customer service desk, no one. So I stood in B&N and ordered the book from Amazon.

 

Next day, went to Best Buy for a HDMI cord. They didn't sell the size we needed. Tried to get help from an employee. Same story, different store. So I stood Best Buy and ordered the cord from Anazon.

 

I feel like a cheater. I really do try to give stores a chance. But they let me down.

 

So the moral of the story, find the shoes you want at the store and order them from Amazon. Or Zappos. :)

 

Yeah I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, but the one thing I do not want to buy on-line is shoes. 

[Laura Corin]

It's not usually a problem. For leather school shoes I take them to Clark's. They occasionally don't have a size, but then they just order them in. Or you can go online in advance and order to the store any sizes that you think you might need.

 

For trainers, we just go to a big discount sports store.

[gardenmom5]

Yeah I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, but the one thing I do not want to buy on-line is shoes. 

 

I was there - especially as I have very difficult to fit feet.

I needed women's dress shoes in a neutral shade.  you'd think that would be easy.  nope.  even Nordstrom ONLY had dress shoes with 4" heels.  I had a leg injury. hello - haven't they heard of middle age women?

I ordered several off amazon, and free returns.  found shoes that fit and were comfortable, returned the rest.  I still ended up wearing sheepskin slippers under my dress because I was sick.  (when I finally took my temp, it was over 102.)  - my daughter wore flip flops under her dress.

[TechWife]

I try to buy everything, every.thing. on Amazon. Shoes included.

 

 

 

I've ordered shoes online from both Zappos and Amazon. I tried each more than once. I have had to return every single pair I've ordered online. I think shoes are something that I need to do in person. 

[UCF612]

Once my oldest needed shoes tennis shoes/sneakers/athletic shoes whatever you want to call them. Just regular everyday boy shoes. We had a beast of a time finding any. It was like every store decided that you could buy toddler tennis shoes (they had boatloads of them everywhere) or adult ones. Or you could buy kid dress shoes. That was it. Only dress shoes. We went to I think 5 stores before we found him shoes. I flipped when he eventually wore those out cause I did not want to go shoe hunting again!

[zoobie]

Amazon prime for shoes is awesome too.

[Guest]

I printed off the sizing thig on lands end dot com and got shoes there.

[MamaBearTeacher]

I have this problem for shoes and other boys clothing too. I think they just don't make enough clothing for boys and if you don't buy it right away when it comes out you are doomed. Last year Walmart was completely out of rubber boots in my son's size so I went to the thrift store and found exactly what I was looking for. They often have more variety even though they have a smaller building.

[fraidycat]

I think the most common sizes are often the ones the stores run out of first.

And every kid is growing at the same rate as my kids because they always wear the "most common" size, even when it changes.

[purplejackmama]

I've ordered shoes online from both Zappos and Amazon. I tried each more than once. I have had to return every single pair I've ordered online. I think shoes are something that I need to do in person.

I stand in the store, try on the shoes then order those exact shoes online. :) I've turned all my kids onto Salomons and now I just order them new shoes online. :)

Edited January 24, 2016 by purplejackmama

[PrairieSong]

I've had good luck with Zappo's, and I also ordered shoes to wear to our daughter's wedding from Dillard's. They did not have the shoes in stock in the color I wanted, so I ordered them at the store and they shipped them to my house. I didn't pay extra for shipping.

[heartlikealion]

Yeah, I think common sizes sell out quickly. But the fact that you went to a few stores and had bad luck at all of them really sucks.

 

I just go for the next size or two up from what they are wearing.  Especially if you buy the same brand, that usually works.

 

It's a lot easier online to find the size, style, color, and quality you want at a price you are willing to pay.

 

I know people are worried about fit and all that, but it hasn't been a problem for me, and my family all has weird feet.  Either really fat or long and skinny.

 

I did get one pair that was smaller than I expected.  One bad pair out of all those shoes is OK.
 

 

People always tell me their success stories with ordering shoes online. It doesn't pan out well for me usually lol. I ordered a pair of boots from kohls and returned to the store due to fit and reordered (they didn't sell in store) and that pair didn't fit right, either. Well, that was because the calf part didn't fit right. I signed up for fabkids and got BOGO for ds. One pair of shoes fit and the other didn't. I just kept them. I don't even know how that would work for returns and it wasn't worth the hassle to me.

[catz]

Oh big kid boy shoes are the worst! My son wears a men's ten now. I was ordering stuff when he was in the big kid 5-7 range. That was the worst! And then they get to men's sizes and they are super expensive.

[DawnM]

We have had trouble buying shoes for my youngest.   We have to order online but I wouldn't order until he could try them on first.  So we went to 6 different stores.

 

He wears a size 7 men's.  It is impossible to find.  We finally found pair in about the 6th store.  But they weren't the right color, so we ordered online.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yes. The stores here are not restocking quickly. I shop before Christmas when there is more in stock. Otherwise, I order online and have it shipped to the store for free. Or I shop while traveling.

 

I think this is another thing I do wrong.  I tend to buy as needed.  That often does not coincide with when they have stuff well stocked. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yeah, I think common sizes sell out quickly. But the fact that you went to a few stores and had bad luck at all of them really sucks.

 

 

People always tell me their success stories with ordering shoes online. It doesn't pan out well for me usually lol. I ordered a pair of boots from kohls and returned to the store due to fit and reordered (they didn't sell in store) and that pair didn't fit right, either. Well, that was because the calf part didn't fit right. I signed up for fabkids and got BOGO for ds. One pair of shoes fit and the other didn't. I just kept them. I don't even know how that would work for returns and it wasn't worth the hassle to me.

 

My kids are so particular too.  The thought of ordering several pairs on-line then having to shlep to the post office does not excite me.

 

And I don't really want to spend a ton for shoes they will outgrow in a few months.

[SparklyUnicorn]

It's not usually a problem. For leather school shoes I take them to Clark's. They occasionally don't have a size, but then they just order them in. Or you can go online in advance and order to the store any sizes that you think you might need.

 

For trainers, we just go to a big discount sports store.

 

I only buy them sneakers.  Except recently I needed to get the younger kid something to wear for the choir.  Since he only wears them 7ish times the entire year I don't want something too expensive.  Although last year they only lasted half the year before he needed new ones for the size.  So he only wore those 4 times.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Once my oldest needed shoes tennis shoes/sneakers/athletic shoes whatever you want to call them. Just regular everyday boy shoes. We had a beast of a time finding any. It was like every store decided that you could buy toddler tennis shoes (they had boatloads of them everywhere) or adult ones. Or you could buy kid dress shoes. That was it. Only dress shoes. We went to I think 5 stores before we found him shoes. I flipped when he eventually wore those out cause I did not want to go shoe hunting again!

 

And I don't get this.  I don't see kids that age running around barefoot.  So where are they getting their shoes?!

[LucyStoner]

We did not have this problem because my son only wears a few kinds of shoes (Merrell mocs for everyday, Keens for sandals and keen hiking boots), all of which they sell at REI in every kid, youth and adult size. Once or twice, they were out of his size but they just shipped them to me for no extra charge. It means I never save a damn dime on shoes but it makes them easy to find. He made the jump from kid to adult sizes this last summer and that hurt the wallet but they still have more or less the same shoes.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We did not have this problem because my son only wears a few kinds of shoes (Merrell mocs for everyday, Keens for sandals and keen hiking boots), all of which they sell at REI in every kid, youth and adult size. Once or twice, they were out of his size but they just shipped them to me for no extra charge. It means I never save a damn dime on shoes but it makes them easy to find. He made the jump from kid to adult sizes this last summer and that hurt the wallet but they still have more or less the same shoes.

 

We don't have that store here.

 

Never even heard of it.

[LucyStoner]

We don't have that store here.

 

Never even heard of it.

It's an outdoor recreation co-op- hiking, biking, kayaking, backpacking etc. I know they have them in the NE but probably not in upstate New York.

[gardenmom5]

We don't have that store here.

 

Never even heard of it.

 

if you want serious outdoor gear - REI (recreational equipment incorporated) is "the" place.  it was started by mountaineers in the seattle area.   they've branched out considerably. you can also go online.

[SparklyUnicorn]

if you want serious outdoor gear - REI (recreational equipment incorporated) is "the" place.  it was started by mountaineers in the seattle area.   they've branched out considerably. you can also go online.

 

Oh no actually i don't need outdoor gear at all.  I really just want regular ole not too insanely expensive sneakers.

[Wabi Sabi]

We did not have this problem because my son only wears a few kinds of shoes (Merrell mocs for everyday, Keens for sandals and keen hiking boots), all of which they sell at REI in every kid, youth and adult size. Once or twice, they were out of his size but they just shipped them to me for no extra charge. It means I never save a damn dime on shoes but it makes them easy to find. He made the jump from kid to adult sizes this last summer and that hurt the wallet but they still have more or less the same shoes.

Right. I've done the same thing: found just a couple pairs of shoes that my hard to fit and very picky son will wear, then I just order him the next size up when needed. For him it's Keens and one particular kind of Adidas sneakers.