Have you just bought shoes for your child and they’ve have had a sudden growth spurt? Well, if you bought them from Clarks you’re in luck – it’ll replace your tot’s first shoes if they grow out of them within six weeks.
After talking to parents in the office and asking around on Twitter, I discovered it was pretty common for toddlers to grow out of their shoes within weeks, sometimes as few as three. It even seemed that parents were buying shoes that were obviously too big for their kids just so they’d last that little bit longer.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be like that. A rather nifty bonus of buying at Clarks is that its refund guidelines state that if a toddler’s first pair of shoes are outgrown within six weeks of purchase, it’ll exchange them.
The company doesn’t have a specific age or size that determines whether or not your purchase qualifies as a ‘first shoes’ purchase, but it told me it was intended for those just learning to walk unaided, usually children aged between 12-18 months. If you buy your shoes in a standard Clarks store you can return them to any other standard store as long as you have the receipt. If you shopped at an outlet, you’ll need to return them to an outlet store.
Warning! This refund scheme is NOT guaranteed – it’s at the discretion of the store manager and is decided on a case-by-case basis.
How do you get them?
1) You need to get your child’s feet properly measured in store so that their details are on record. You can book a fitting appointment either by going into a store, booking online or phoning the appointment helpline on 0844 248 8408.
2) Clarks recommends you return to the store (with your receipt) after six weeks to have your child re-measured. But if you notice the shoes are too small before this, we advise returning as soon as possible as your chances of receiving a refund are higher if your child has grown out of the shoes within the six weeks (Clarks press officer says it’s ‘around’ six weeks so err on the side of caution).
3) If the shoes are too small on your return visit, politely ask if it is the policy of this store to replace them for free.
