Shoe Question for Back to School

[thebeesknees]

In the past, I've bought my kids one pair of comfortable dress shoes for school to wear most days (the uniforms they wear just look better with them, I think) and a fairly inexpensive pair of sneakers to keep in their bags for gym days. This year, they have both asked to have sneakers for their everyday shoes, and I feel that it would be best to just purchase them the one pair of the sneakers and forget the dress shoes entirely. For that reason, I want them to be a good, solid pair of sneakers that will hold up to wearing every day and give them good support (i.e., Converse don't look substantial enough to me to wear every day all day long). I'm assuming this is going to run us about $50-$60 per pair. My question is where do some of you get your kids' sneakers? Per the dress code, they have to be solid white, black or brown with plain laces, no glitter, lights, characters or colored stripes/soles. Only the logo on the shoe is allowed to be a different color. That in itself really limits what I can buy, but beyond that, I'm a little lost. I am hesitant to purchase online because I think for an everyday shoe I should definitely get them measured and try them on before we buy them. Are there any brick & mortar stores you can direct me to? Kohl's didn't have what we were looking for in the correct size, and Target had a lot of glitter on their girls' shoes. Am I better off going to a dedicated shoe store rather than a department store? I'm just trying to cut down a bit on how much running around I have to do with all 3 of my little monkeys (*cough* I mean "children") in tow. Thanks!

 

[descovy]

I would try Rack Room shoes or Famous Footwear. On a regular basis they do buy one get one half off. So if you are buying 2, it comes out pretty fair. My budget too is $50/pair and I always seem to come out ahead.

It seems too that I get coupons from time to time in the junk mail too. Maybe $10 off, etc., so keep an eye out for those.

 

[java]

Sign up at famous footwear for a coupon code-
I just went to the website and they have a good range of white (you can search by color) sneakers for girls- a cute Nike pair with a pink logo (I don't know if that is allowed?) or an all white KSwiss.

And on Zappos Rebbok sells a Kids Club C core classic that is a all white *and looks like a good shoe too. Free shipping both ways so I wouldn't worry about trying on.
I was just looking for girls as boys have a larger selection- particularly all black.

You will probably still need a dress shoe for things like concerts, shows ect. I usually do a dress shoe and a sneaker. (my kids go to public school and no uniform - but that works for us)

The problem I am having is that my 7 year old decided he wants to have red shiny high tops. oh and he has a wide foot. I found red wide high tops in Keens- but they are not shiny- no good.

 

[TinaElmerRh]

Just got an email this morning from Famous Footwear. Skechers are buy one get one 50% off. I can't see when it ends on the add though. If you join their rewards program and sign up for their emails you can get a couple coupons.

 

[Southernmiss]

Shoe Station and Academy Sports are my "go to" stores for back to school shoes.

 

[carebee21]

Stride Rite is our go to for tennis shoes. They shoes are good quality, have great support and hold up really well.

I don't know if you have outlets by you, but you can also check there. We have a Nike and Adidas outlet and have managed to get good prices on shoes at both places.

 

[LJSquishy]

I would try a dedicated shoe store. Target's shoe selection isn't very high quality, anyway.

Famous Footwear or DSW Shoes (if you have them) would be great places to look.

If you want to try another department store, Macy's has quality shoes.

 

[justintime]

We have gotten completely white sneakers from the Reebok store. There is an outlet near us. I have also seen all white Nikes in Famous Footwear.
I can only comment on the white, as I have never specifically looked for brown or black.

 

[sksjasams]

I have always done the opposite of you...buy good name brand tennis shoes and a cheap pair of dress shoes (payless).
Now that DS is older though, he usually chooses black shoes for basketball, which I buy in November and those work for fall and spring band concerts. I haven't had to buy him dress shoes in several years.

When we do shop for shoes, we definitely check Kohls (they can check other stores for sizes or order online), Shopko (nice name brand athletic shoe section), Rogan's Shoes, JCPenney, and Famous Footwear.

There are also shoes in the mall like Footlocker and Champs and the Finish Line, but I usually try to avoid going all the way into the mall.

If you find something you like but need a different size, you can easily order online. I know Champs does ship to store and you can return there, Kohls you can return to the store, and Zappos (as well as other shoe sites) does free shipping BOTH ways in case they don't fit.

Good luck!

 

[Princess_Meghan <3]

My school shoes were almost always Reebok- they always had a decent selection of all white tennis shoes. I usually ended up getting mine from Kohl's, though any dedicated shoe store should have good quality tennis shoes. My sisters would also sometimes get adidas, nike or sketchers. All three brands always held up to at least a full year of school.

 

[naomi78155]

We love Stride Rite for our kids uniform shoes. 6pm .com also has some very good deals sometimes, you just have to be sure of the size because you have to pay return shipping!
My son is very hard on shoes, New Balance have held up well for us.

 

[justintime]

When my daughter needed all white sneakers for cheerleading, they referred us to the local dancewear store that sold dance/gymnastics/cheer clothing/shoes. This particular store sold white leather converse sneakers. They were very well made and sturdy. I never would have thought to look for sneakers there if it hadn't been recommended. They ended up not having her size, so we just got them somewhere else, but it is an option if you have a similar store near you.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'm frugal, but I like to buy my kids good-quality everyday shoes (I'll buy cheap dress shoes because I know they will only wear them a handful of times before they are outgrown.)

My best hunting-ground is Nordstrom Rack. I just bought DD three prs of shoes there last Saturday, a pr. of Eastland fisherman sandals for now, and two pr. of shoes for school, including a pr. of Stride Rite sneakers and some school-legal Croc slip-ons that have a fuzzy lining. The cost for all 3 prs was $55 with tax.

We don't have the color restrictions that you do in terms of sneakers, though I don't personally like flashy-colored shoes. I agree with the PP who said that Reebok is a good choice when you need solid-color shoes; they specifically target the uniform market with several of their styles.

FWIW, most of the DSW stores that I have been in do not carry children's sizes. Call to check before you make a special trip. Marshall's stores always do have them, however, and very often have Reebok as well.

 

[thebeesknees]

Thanks, everyone! We have a Famous Footwear as well as a Nordstrom Rack pretty near by so I will check them first. I've never tried Nordstrom for kids' shoes so it never crossed my mind. I signed up for the Famous Footwear coupon, so hopefully I'll have that by the end of the week so we can go shopping.