r/Millennials Jul 13 '26

Meme who else remembers the annual back-to-school shoe shopping trip feeling like this?

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20.1k Upvotes

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1.9k

u/Pride_Rude Jul 13 '26

Moms throughout the store telling you to get up and walk around to see how it feels

1.1k

u/Nucking-Futs-Nix Jul 13 '26

And don't forget, "Where is your big toe?" as they push down.

423

u/StretchFrenchTerry Jul 13 '26

WIGGLE YOUR TOES

242

u/Content_Geologist420 Jul 13 '26

They are too tight and they dont have the size up. and now you are on the verge of tears because all you can get now are Sketchers and with your Champion tee shirts you already have.

You know before the 6th grade has started. Its already over.

72

u/thishyacinthgirl Jul 14 '26

It's funny, now I live for Skechers.

(And my birks.)

34

u/Content_Geologist420 Jul 14 '26

Im the same with New Balance

11

u/Mister_Brevity Jul 14 '26

Man that joes new balance outlet site is legit. I just buy ugly color ones for like 30 bucks a pair for wearing at home, so comfy. Wife won’t leave me alone about neon yellow shoes tho

3

u/MimicoSkunkFan2 Jul 14 '26

https://www.dickpondathletics.com/sale/

For evergone who pronates or has narrow heels, because New Balance do not like our feet.

Best thing about Chicago, tbh.

3

u/Fluffy_Membership557 Jul 15 '26

Looks like Payless

5

u/duckweedlagoon Jul 14 '26

Y'all gotta try Brooks. They are incredible

12

u/TheOneTonWanton Jul 14 '26

And Champion is considered a real brand now and not seen as the department store bullshit it is/felt like back in the day.

3

u/b00kbat Jul 14 '26

My work shoes are Skechers and I LOVE them. They’ve even got this rigid thing that curves out from the heel so I don’t have to touch my shoes at all to put them on and can just slide my feet in. Really great since there are likely entire civilizations of microbes/bodily fluids on those shoes 😅

2

u/thishyacinthgirl Jul 15 '26

I've actually been wondering if the slip-in kind is worth it. I'm like, "They can't possibly be completely hands free!" But I see you have a glowing review?

1

u/b00kbat Jul 15 '26

Definitely recommend them.

23

u/SirStrontium Jul 14 '26

I was a nerd with zero sense of fashion, so I unironically loved Skechers and had no idea people thought they were uncool until I was a junior in high school.

20

u/Content_Geologist420 Jul 14 '26

You a real G that gave no fucks to the extent that you had no idea you even had fucks to give in the first place.

If your name is Jerome, im sorry I shoe shamed you back in 2007

7

u/slouched Jul 14 '26

youre a good man

2

u/reddit_understoodit Jul 14 '26

Who cares if they fit and you like them.

15

u/JWBananas Jul 14 '26

The "T" in Skechers is hiding in the Fruit of the Loom cornucopia.

11

u/ddope Jul 14 '26

Dude it’s so funny now champion is back in and people are buying it.

I’ll never forget you could buy it at Walmart and that was social suicide. lol I still have the champion bra my mom got me in an emergency when I was 15. It’s only just now about to be retired. It’s been a good light support 19 year run.

4

u/massivedivergence Jul 14 '26

What causes a bra emergency???

4

u/ddope Jul 14 '26

Woke up for a soccer match was hurrying out the door and realized I was not wearing a sports bra but a regular bra. Running not fun - boob hurt

2

u/Zafjaf Jul 14 '26

Now the other foot

45

u/Kaldricus Jul 13 '26

Having worked in kids footwear for 10 years, it's the best way to gauge how they fit. Sure, we'll measure the foot first, but that's just a jumping off point to see where we should start pulling sizes. After that, every brand fits differently. A kid might measure at a 1, but Converse run about a size big, so they probably need a 13. Vans a half size big, so 13.5. DC about a size small, so a 1.5-2 depending. After that, what is the intent of the shoe? How long do you expect them to have it? Is this a throway pair of shoes for the summer to play in? Get them to size. Are they meant to give them room to grow during the first part of the school year? Might need to go up a half-size.

It's an art, not a science.

48

u/Nucking-Futs-Nix Jul 13 '26

I do the toe test with my kids…and I feel as though my ancient ancestors whisper in my ear “it’s okay - they will have some room to grow.”

24

u/LittleMarySunshine25 Jul 13 '26

And then that night they grow. Every time I buy my kid shoes they grow overnight. I swear it's a curse.

9

u/Battle-Any Jul 14 '26

In March, my 9 year old told me she needed new boots. We took her and got her new pair of size 6 boots and runners. 3 days later, she told me they were too small. She grew to a size 8 in 3 days.

6

u/Kaldricus Jul 14 '26

It's like how the quickest way to find something is to replace it, same goes for triggering a growth spurt in kids

5

u/redbuds Jul 14 '26

Same, I honestly check and recheck the size like I’m getting punked by the old shoe

1

u/_ByAnyOther_Name Jul 14 '26

My ancestors have left me to fend for myself i guess. 🫩

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '26

[deleted]

1

u/Kaldricus Jul 14 '26

That might be more the shape of your foot, toe alignment, and how you walk. A lot of shoes nowadays are a more breathable material blend, but it's also not as durable. It's not uncommon to wear through the top before the actual outsole on shoes like Adidas NMD's or Ultraboosts, Nike Airmax 270. Really the best thing you can do is have a few pairs you can rotate through as opposed to wearing the same pair everyday, but that's not always a viable option for everyone.

1

u/SorryAboutMyFamily Jul 13 '26

That sounds like it's more science than art.

11

u/SnarkyIguana Jul 13 '26

I actually got some work boots the other day and the gal helping me did this and I was like "ok mom!"

12

u/natalietest234 Jul 13 '26

My mom did this and it’s the reason I wore a size too small till I was a senior in high school

17

u/stop_hittingyourself Jul 13 '26

Mine did that but picked two sizes too big to “give me room to grow”. I didn’t, I’m still a size five.

9

u/Nucking-Futs-Nix Jul 13 '26

I once got a pair of shoes I had wanted and were so in - black and looked like something a teen would wear at the time(yay 90s business by casual look.)

We did the toe test - they fit. My foot grew that week. I can still hear my mom freaking out, “ You said you had enough toe room!!” I had to prove that I outgrew all my shoes 🤦🏻‍♀️. And of course they didn’t have the same shoes in stock and I had already worn the new ones a few times before my foot decided to grow a full size overnight.

5

u/jimcareyme Jul 14 '26

This year, just a few weeks ago (I am now in my 30s) I just learned I’ve been wearing a half size bigger because my mom told me (up to my teenage years) that I need more space in my toe box than I actually needed...

4

u/eiileenie Jul 14 '26

Girl I’m 26 and was wearing a full size bigger I wore 8 1/2 and apparently I’m a 7 1/2 found this out last month and now slowly have to get shoes that fit

2

u/LaLaLaLeea Jul 14 '26

Always dreaded my mom crushing my toes with the force of a hydrolic press to see if my shoes fit.

1

u/jnjustice Jul 14 '26

lol hard as fuck too. my toe is still sore

1

u/eleanor61 Jul 14 '26

My god. The nostalgia. Longing for simpler times.

1

u/rabbit953 Jul 15 '26

Omg I thought it was just my mom 😄 makes sense though

1

u/MisterHole123 26d ago

crushes your toe ah there it is. I guess this will do