Fit to Wear? – Sun 1st May 2016
By Jeannette | May 1, 2016
I like to think I’m flexible – not so much the bendy flexible but – the “okaaay, we aren’t going to be able to do xxxxx today because D/T are too anxious, let’s try again another time”. Which is how we roll, we have to, my getting het-up about something wouldn’t help, would it and probably add to existing emotions.
It would be nice to think that others are too, that people can look beyond their “script” and occasionally re-assess a situation and act accordingly.
Yes, you Clarks shoes, I’m talking about you!
It takes a lot to get D into a shoe shop or anywhere where there’s likely to be strangers, we managed it last week to get her feet measured and today we were due to go back and pick up our order.
She can’t tie shoe laces so shoes/trainers have to have velcro fastenings – not easy to find when she’s not yet 12 years old and an adult size 6.
An assistant measured her feet last week and I had doubts at the time because, according to them, she went from an E width to a D, I think because the D size seemed easier for them to potentially make a sale – her feet seemingly suddenly being of average width.
Today the assistant would not “fit” her shoes or check them because they “don’t do that for adult sizes.”
In the meantime, D was getting anxious because she didn’t receive that reassurance from the assistant and, I’m no shoe fitter, I had to go by what I thought and by quite a few prompts to try and work out if she was comfy in them. D has occasions where she’ll say what she thinks people want to hear so having some assistance as to whether they were okay would have been appreciated.
It wouldn’t have been too much for them to make an exception, she most definitely doesn’t look like an adult and from her mannerisms and anxieties today, was obviously not your average nearly 12 year old, ie not neuro-typical.
It would be nice to think exceptions could be made, especially when dealing with special needs children.
We have always chosen Clarks shoes because of the fitting service, it is disappointing to think that cannot seemingly continue and with special needs children that reassurance is needed even more that the shoes are a correct fit.
I’ve emailed Clarks customer service with much of the above. Children of school age having adult-sized feet is not uncommon and yes, they’re expensive compared to supermarket shoes but to know that they fit correctly and aren’t going to cause pain/damage to my children’s feet is important to me (a childhood of being bought cheap and nasty shoes meant that I was determined to go with Clarks).
Here’s the shoes anyway, not the most fashionable but they’ll do for D, she quite liked the bouncy effect as she walked.
Anyone else found this or were we just unlucky today?
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