First Stride Rite shoes

Filed Under Clothes, Complaining, Shopping, Thirteen Months | 11 Comments

I decided it was time to get B her first pair of “good” shoes. Her white sandals from Tarjay kept falling off and they were starting to rub a blister on the back of her foot So we headed off to L@urie’s Sh0es this morning. The lady working was a total beeotch. We got the shoes, and they are cute, but I am so not sure about the fit at all. She put Bailey in a size and a half bigger than what she had been wearing, and an extra wide. They are gappy around the ankle and one fell off when I took her out of her carseat. Also I think the reason she told me she needed an extra wide is because they were out of the regular wides. Grrr so once we got home I spent time on the phone with their main office telling my tale of woe and we are going back to their main location tomorrow so they can check the fit and personally apologize to me. It would be really nice if that apology included a coupon.

I won’t get into all the details but basically while we were there the woman did not look at Bailey or speak to her and was very rushed and kind of rough with her. At a kids specialty shoe store. Great, huh? Then about a minute after I told her that I wanted a shoe she could wear all summer, she said something like, “And some people are really weird and want their kid to wear the same shoes all summer!” Thanks for making me feel like an idiot. Bad first impression, and they didn’t sign me up for their customer club thing so that was also part of my reason for calling, to get added to that.

The exciting thing? My grandma came with us and surprised me by paying for the shoes! All $42 of them… for a pair of toddler sandals… but aren’t they cute?

Comments

11 Comments so far

Jan on May 29, 2008 2:40 pm
Some people (that sales lady) just shouldn’t have a job where they have to talk to actual customers.
Jamie on May 29, 2008 3:03 pm
Some people swear by Stride Rite, but I have never had luck. I’m just not impressed…so overpriced for shoes that might get two months of wear. Audrey had one pair of shoes from there and they were awful. They rubbed blisters on the back of her heels. She’s actually done really well with shoes from Target or Payless in terms of fit…and I won’t complain about that
Nicole on May 29, 2008 3:28 pm
We’ve also not had great luck with SR…mainly with the employees and their lack of ability to measure my kids’ feet. They tried to put Luke in an extra wide as a baby, and he never has worn even a wide.

Just an FYI…you can sometimes find Munchkin brand shoes (made by SR) at Kohls for a fraction of the cost. And they’re usually adorable!
Andria on May 29, 2008 9:00 pm
Boo on their customer service. But, it is a cute shoe!
Julie on May 29, 2008 9:22 pm
lol i don’t even spend 42 dollars on a pair of shoes for me- why do they cost so much for kids when they grow so quickly???
Radish on May 30, 2008 4:47 am
$42??? Seriously?? Carter will be going barefoot until he can pay for them himself.
Dawn B on May 30, 2008 10:14 am
Comfy shoes, no matter the age, is SO IMPORTANT. Let me tell ya..my bad feet are a result of poor fitted shoes when I was little. Details of that aside, LOL, it’s so good to splurge on great shoes. And since Bailey is 1 her growth is slowing down for a little while like all 1-3 year olds, so kudos to you for doing it now. That’s my assvice. Sorry. I just felt the need to send some kudos.
Oh and the customer service, dude, that really bugs me. I worked in retail management for a quite a few years before having kids and let me tell ya, that woman should be written up for that. No joke.
Unkempt Mommy on May 30, 2008 4:08 pm
That is so awful about the sales lady – seriously – I hope she gets reprimanded for the bad job she did. Although our sales lady wasn’t rude or anything when we got Scout’s first good shoes from SR, I kept thinking to myself that she didn’t seen very competent at all. For $42 for baby shoes, you should get good customer service and people who know what they’re doing. Hope you have better luck when you go back!!! Those sandals are SUPER cute, BTW. And I agree w/ Dawn…kudos to you for getting some comfy high-quality kicks for your gal’s growing feet
Becki on May 30, 2008 8:08 pm
Very cute shoe! Hope the experience at the main store is better!
michellew on May 31, 2008 11:10 am
Both my girls had those!! Too cute!
Rachel on June 6, 2008 12:30 pm
So…if I see a pair of Stride Rite sandals at a yard sale for $1, I should buy them? Not sure what planet I have been living on but I had no idea that this brand was high end. I seriously passed up 2 pairs last weekend. They were well used, but still had some wear, but I was being el-cheapo and thought they were priced a bit high for the condition they were in. Good thing I read your blog, Tara! I won’t make that mistake again. Bailey’s are adorable!!!