Getting the Mini Mes school shoes is a task that I leave as late as possible over the summer as they always seem to have a last minute growth spurt! It also means the crowds have calmed down a little too so I have a lot more time to browse brands and styles without the dreaded queues.
We went to our local
Brantano at the end of last week to try out their free fitting service and I was pleasantly surprised by how stress-free and organised the process was. Our nearest Brantano, situated at Riverside Northampton, is part of a retail park so there is plenty of free parking and lots of other stores and restaurants nearby too.
Upon arrival we headed to the children's shoe area where we were greeted by a friendly member of staff who added our name to his clipboard so we could wait to be served in order - I don't think I've ever experienced this before but it was a great idea!
After just a few minutes we were guided to seats and the assistant measured the Mini Mes feet writing down the sizes so I could take my time looking at the shoes without worrying that I would forget. Minxy was between a 13.5 and a 1 with a G in width and Jamster was a size 12G.
The variety of shoes was superb and Minxy picked out several pairs of Clarks and a pair of Skittles to try. Jamster also picked up several pairs of Clarks and a pair of Start-rite shoes with impressive added scuff protection on the front.
Once the shoes were selected we returned to the seating area to have them fitted properly by a lovely assistant named Beth who remained with us until the process was complete. She spoke to us and the children, felt around the shoes explaining what she was doing and kept us well informed about how shoes should be fitted correctly. She then asked the children one at a time to go for a walk around the store to check that the chosen footwear was comfortable and to ensure that they weren't slipping on the heel/ankle. She checked the shoes again and actually advised us against certain styles of shoes (the children both have wide feet but small ankles), honesty that I really appreciate as a parent. After only a few minutes the Mini Mes had tried on all of the pairs that they liked and found the perfect fit.
Beth was very patient, polite and helpful and seemed to really care. I didn't feel pressurised to buy anything had I not of wanted to which is the kind of shopping experience that I like.
She labelled and placed the boxes behind the counter for us so I could pick up a few stationery items with ease before going to the checkout to complete the purchase.
The shoes we bought...
Girls Clarks Daisy Rain £38
Boys Start-Rite Arachnid £45
We were provided with 2 cards, each with details about when the children should be measured next and a 15% discount on the reverse which was a nice bonus. The huge range of shoes combined with good service would definitely encourage me to return to the store in the near future.
WIN
For your chance to win free school shoes for a year all you need to do is email your back to school photos to
backtoschool@brantano.co.uk For every photo received Brantano will donate 10p to children’s charity Tommy’s, to help raise vital funds towards their lifesaving research into stillbirth, premature births and miscarriage.
Have you tried Brantano's fitting service yet?
*We received 50% off our footwear for the purpose of this review. The opinions given are honest and our own*
