Kid shoes: where do you shop & how much do you spend?

School starts in three weeks! Not that I'm counting down the days or anything. We've ordered our school supplies, the kids got haircuts this week, and I'm slowly taking inventory of their clothing. It's not pretty. My kids play hard, like most kids, and their clothes -- particularly their shoes -- take a beating. When it comes to shoes I generally stick to the basics: sneakers, waterproof boots, sandals. The hard part is trying to figure out where to buy good quality shoes without paying a small fortune.

I'd say that we buy about 75% of the kids' clothing at resale stores, but shoes are hit and miss. Plus I do get a little concerned about the kids wearing pre-worn shoes...seems like I've read that it's hard on their feet since the shoes have already conformed to the feet of some other kid. I'm not sure if that's valid, but it's a concern. I've bought some great quality used shoes for the kids, however, for far, far less than the cash I plunked down at Nordstrom for a pair of sneakers for my daughter that fell apart one month later (thank you generous Nordstrom return policy). I paid about $25 at Fred Meyer for a pair of Nikes for my son that seem to be holding up really well. But it's always a struggle to try and figure out where to shop for shoes and what kind to get. Neither child has dress shoes.

What about your kids? Are you brand-loyal when it comes to shoes? Favor new over used? How much are you willing to spend on those little tootsies?

Comments

[JillyBean]

We are a Nike Family and oh-so-very-fortunate that the shoes she wears most often are strong, structurally sound and great value for us. For dress shoes I keep my eyes open at re-sale, Target, Fred's and the TJ's/Marshall's/Ross trilogy. She doesn't wear them often so they can be a bit more frivolous (cheap?)
I am also a new fan of Keen for kids - but you didn't hear that from me.

[lauralye]

My son loves the character shoes at Target, but for my daughter I splurge on Primigi at Nordstrom a few times a year. Her tennis shoes, I usually pick up from the Nike for less than $20.

[KE]

For the kids, I rarely pay more than $10/pair. At the used clothing stores, I look all the shoes that are their size and larger to see if there's anything good there. My daughter has only ever complained about one pair of shoes I bought new and that cost $15 LOL. Never bought new again. :)

[lilah]

We like Keen's and converse, right now. We have splurged on fancy European shoes a few times though. Ok, more than a few times. One good thing I can say about those fancy shoes is that they hold up very well. They even survive the pass down well enough to be passed along again.
We have also bought our fair share of Adidas Sambas. E had a thing for them for a few years.