Anyone else fed up with Shoe Train?

[Anonymous]

I'm just tired of it. Long wait, no matter what time I go... weekday morning when school is in session. 30-60 minute wait. They didn't even have at Teva sandals for toddler boys on display, didn't wait around to find out if they had some in stock.

I went there in January looking for size 9 (toddler), leather, lace up shoes for my child and they had nothing to fit him.. Nothing in leather, lace-up. (Lace-up gets a better fit for my child's narrow feet.)

I'm now sold on Zappos.

Got one of these: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=384&cmSource=Search

I don't need to go to a shoe store to have them measure my child's feet.

[Anonymous]

I would never go there if I didn't have child with special needs to wears orthotics, so we go to see Ed. For him, its worth the wait. But that's the only reason I go there. I just don't understand why anyone else shops there. Its a PIA and they have very high prices. OP, why did YOU go there?

[Anonymous]

NP here - We go there for orthotics too. I was there twice in the past 6 weeks and didn't wait long either time. I went in weekday mornings. I love it. I get great advice, and I always want my kids feet measured.

Some of the sales people in the shoe department at Nordstroms don't seem to be sufficiently engaged.

I love Shoe Train and the Toy Castle as well and I drive 45 minutes to get there!

[Anonymous]

I agree with OP. Their selection and displays have gotten pretty crappy in the last few months...and the last few times I was in, the store was a complete mess with trash all over. I decided last time I was in to start going to Nordstroms.

[Anonymous]

OP here, my child has special needs but doesn't need orthodics. I guess I thought they had a good selection and it was "the " place to go, but I no longer think that. I also went to Nordstroms in January looking for size 9, leather, lace up and they had nothing. Yeah Zappos. they had lots and I just ordered a couple of pairs and they seemed to fit fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with OP. Their selection and displays have gotten pretty crappy in the last few months...and the last few times I was in, the store was a complete mess with trash all over. I decided last time I was in to start going to Nordstroms.

But it has always been crazy busy and expensive. Why did you go there in the first place?

[Anonymous]

Its been a while since i had little people's feet to shoe but Ramer's used to be excellent

[Anonymous]

We go because getting a good measurement is important to me. Sometimes the wait is very bad, but when I've gone on a weekday morning or very early on a saturday I've had no wait at all. When I went mid-morning on a saturday I had a very long wait.

I agree that the selection isn't great -- usually just a few pairs of shoes in DS' size (toddler, extra wide). I don't care though, because I tend to only buy one pair of shoes for him anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We go because getting a good measurement is important to me. Sometimes the wait is very bad, but when I've gone on a weekday morning or very early on a saturday I've had no wait at all. When I went mid-morning on a saturday I had a very long wait.

I agree that the selection isn't great -- usually just a few pairs of shoes in DS' size (toddler, extra wide). I don't care though, because I tend to only buy one pair of shoes for him anyway.

Measuring feet isn't rocket science. Fitting shoes is trickier. I've had an excellent experience at Shoe Train as well as an awful experience, where I actually had to go back and get different shoes b/c the fit was so bad (as per my child's physical therapist).

[Anonymous]

Not worth it unless your child has orthotics and sees Ed.

[Anonymous]

Recommend another children's shoe store in Lower MoCo. please.

[Anonymous]

They always fit my childs shoes way too big. I am done with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with OP. Their selection and displays have gotten pretty crappy in the last few months...and the last few times I was in, the store was a complete mess with trash all over. I decided last time I was in to start going to Nordstroms.

But it has always been crazy busy and expensive. Why did you go there in the first place?

I went in the first place because I was told they did the best job fitting shoes. We've been going for three years and at first they did seem to do a good job. Like I said, in the last few months, it's gone to pot. I took my youngest for his first pair of shoes a few months ago and the woman who fit him just measured and slapped shoes on him, no special attention to fitting like when we first started going. I had the same experience over the winter too with my oldest and chalked it up to a bad day. But, now that it's been twice in a row, I'm done. Seems my experience is consistent with what some others are saying.

I also SAH, so when I go in the middle of the day it's never really busy, but, the store is still a wreck with crap strewn all over.

[Anonymous]

We're big Ramer's fans, too.

[Anonymous]

No, I'm not fed up with them. I think they're fabulous. Two of my three kids have special needs and we drive from Alexandria to get shoes. Of course you can find cheaper shoes just like you can find clothes cheaper at Walmart than at Nordstroms. My youngest has XX wide feet and once he outgrew Stride Rite's Sprout line (size 8), we could hardly find shoes for him. Not only did they have shoes to fit him but I had some choices! I've also found they always have reasonably priced shoes. I just tell them I'm looking to spend less than $X. I love Shoe Train.